Puppy Survival Thread - June/July

[MrsHerculePoirot]

Discussion of all things puppy...

Old thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4234193-puppy-survival-thread-may?msgid=108567452

@LadyCatStark mine does it when she's sniffing on a walk, she'll pause and lift a paw up and then carry on sniffing!

Yes, AwesomePup stands with one foot up, particularly when he spots an exciting football he'd like to chase. I assume it's a natural gundog stance, which seems to be anticipation. He also has one foot up sometimes when things are a bit louder than he's used to, but that looks worried and he doesn't look smart at that point, just worried.

Awww I love that they just know how to do ‘doggy’ things without having a dog to teach them. I wonder what he was looking for, probably a spider 😂.

Have a great weekend @ashmts!

@Turquoisesol

Does everyone still have a treat pouch attached to them on walks? I like my treat pouch but wondering if I might like to get a gilet with big pockets I can use instead specifically for dog walking. I think I will tire of having to use treat pouch call the time !

@Turquoisesol I have a waxed gilet with multiple pockets for leads, poo bags, water bottle, toys, etc, I put dry treats straight in to the pockets, but anything wetter or smellier still goes in the pouch - which then goes in the pocket!

It's a great way to be able to carry everything hands free, but you need to consider what you'll do when it's too warm to wear - I have a very tatty old canvas messenger-style bag that does the same job for summer. You can get specially designed training vests which would be lighter, but they are more £££.

Oh I was looking at getting a waxed gilet. Sounds good !

Aria20, I am not 100% sure actually. I would need to check our door later when sun reflecting on it. I think you could probably put it inside.

@Turquoisesol I have a bag just for dog walks I got from Amazon was only £10 has lots of pockets, poo bag dispenser, came with poo bags and a collapsible water bowl. Easily fits a bottle of water, tennis ball, phone, keys and treats! I got the bag as knew in summer if I was wearing a dress I wouldn't have pockets lol

Thanks aria. Need to seaside between gilet and special dog walking bag. I live in Scotland so there aren’t overly many days when it’s likely too hot for a gilet !

So it appears Billy’s desire for cheese over rides his desire to keep his pack together 😂 I did joke “Daddy or cheese” with him!

I also had the most embarrassing moment when I’d popped him onto his crate for a nap and a fit plumber came round to do some work. I knew he wouldn’t go to sleep so I got him out and said “who’s being a good boy?” The plumber clearly thought I was talking to him and was just about to respond when I quickly added “Billy’s being a good boy!” 😂😂😂

That’s funny ladycatstark! It would have to be a fit one 😂

Aria20 just looking at our doors this afternoon and the frosting is on the inside. And to be honest there is a reflection on the outside of the doors in the sun

@Turquoisesol hmmm so I'd really need to put it on the outside then and then weather might make it come off... I'll see what I can find! My little bag is over shoulder or it has a strap so you could wear it around your waist lol

@LadyCatStark that's good you've managed to find a treat that's tempting enough!

My pup was scared of the window cleaner today lol I think it's the first time she's been at home when he's been, she backed herself right into the corner of the room and then growled!

Had relatives come over to sit with wolfpup today while I went to a work thing. He ran them ragged and made them bleed.

Colleague recommended a chew root. To try and divert him from eating furniture/me. So far it seems to be a hit but it's not the witching hour yet

@Aria20 yeah I’m glad we’ve had a better day! Weirdly, he was happy with regular treats tonight as I didn’t want to overdo the cheese but DS came with me and he loves to play hide and seek in the long grass with DS. He’s getting better at finding him, at first he was hidden in pain sight and Billy had no idea where he was 😂

Aww, our window cleaner has disappeared off the face of the earth so I’ve no idea what Billy would think of him, to be fair he makes me jump when he randomly appears!

I was super proud of Billy when the plumber came as he said hello but didn’t even try to jump up which is pretty good I think! He did nick his used blue roll though and run off with it 😂.

@LadyCatStark haha yes I made the mistake of over doing the cheese for loose lead walking training.... lead to some very messy poos! She's not good at seeking us out yet lol we need to practice that more.

Last set of stabby jabby here today

Marking 🐶

We've been to the park again to practice not growling at people when they walk past. Huge progress!! He didn't growl at anyone, allowed 3 people with dogs to come close, and played very excitedly with an older puppy (6mo lab who was more than double his size). We were out a bit long, nearly an hour in total although quite a bit of that was sitting on a bench just eating his dinner bit by bit as rewards for looking at me when people/dogs/bikes/prams/wheelchairs went past. He's utterly exhausted now and has taken himself into his playpen for a well deserved nap.

That’s great msawesomedragon. All your dedication is worthwhile.

Well done @MsAwesomeDragon! Did something trigger the growling?

We also had a good day, took pup to another local park and let her off lead, she sat and watched when she saw another dog playing ball at the opposite end of field, I gave her a treat and held her lead lightly just incase but the other dog came over to sniff her and seemed friendly so I let her lead go and she ran off to play for a bit but popped back to check in with me a few times. Then that dog went and another puppy a bit older than mine came over and they played for about half hour and again she kept checking in with me. They wore each other out and she's slept most of the day since... need to find some other friendly puppies so she can play regularly!

@Aria20 I think he was just scared of people walking past really, but I didn't want it to become a habit. He's only been allowed out on walks for a week, so he's just not met that many people yet. He just needed the chance to get used to strangers coming closer, and he did really well today, especially with the dog owners. The bikes were more of a challenge because he really, really, really wanted to chase them.

That’s great aria20 we only have one puppy friend who we see once a week and it is her and mine favourite day and the day she tires herself out the most. I actually told my local vet to pass my details to any other pups that might want to meet locally for a play but havent heard from any.

@MsAwesomeDragon my pup is a bit nervous of other toddlers on scooters understandably as they can be unpredictable... he's ok with my 3yo as she's quite good on the scooter and I guess pup knows she won't crash into her. She also wants to chase after joggers prob thinks it's a game!

Massive win here - feel like I’ve got control of loose lead walking for the most part. Not so much on school run on the way there when there are approx eleventy billion people going in all directions, kids,bikes, buggies and general carnage. However on normal pavements he is so much better and I heard someone say “look how nicely that dog is walking we really do need to work on this pulling” 🤣💪

I’ve also been solo parenting since Thursday and thought it would be a nightmare but PoirotPup has been a dream tbh. And the kids thankfully!

Well done mrsHP!!! That sounds like you've done a great job. I haven't really started trying to do loose lead walking yet, as we've only been going out for a week and we've been focusing on getting used to going different places. I think he's only even been on a pavement twice, lol.

We hve had no naps here this morning. It's chaos. This is the first weekend ds has been home and therefore home during the day since pup has been home. The newness of it for pup is very disruptive I think