Puppy Survival Thread - August

[MrsHerculePoirot]

Discussion of things puppy!

Old thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4281840-Puppy-Survival-Thread-June-July?pg=1

A box of Lily's kitchen goodies just arrived. The jerky training treats ans dried sausages seem good value as you can chop them up into pieces

@tizwozliz our pup had a bed from the first day (in her crate) and we got her the big size as a "room bed" when she was 12 weeks. All fine, never chewed it apart from the label. At 9.5 months she became a very habitual humper and she now has a mattress style bed she can't hump. Glad I didn't spend more on the bed as I can't even open the wardrobe it's stuffed in without her getting overexcited now...

@TheBigMacDougal He's lovely! And lucky you. I can't even get mine in the crate!!

I've been trying to work and look after pup this week and it's been really difficult. I take her out as often as I can but inevitably as soon as I go on a call she pees on the floor. They need a lot of time and attention. And even when she's asleep I always have an eye on where she is!

@opalescent

I think puppy blues are hitting me today, I could really do with some reassurance! It's probably 5 days of 5am starts more than anything.. I thought for a long time about getting a dog. I do feel so bonded with my pup, she is adorable 🥰 But everything feels like such hard work, and I'm so tired. Does anyone have any words of comfort? For those of you with slightly older puppies- have they started sleeping any later in the morning yet?

It’s absolutely normal, I went through a few days of wondering’Wtf have I done?) especially as my husband wasn’t at all keen on having a puppy or dog. DPup was 22 weeks old when she arrived from a Romanian kill shelter, had never been socialised, in a house, on a lead, in a car etc. Seven weeks later she’s a joy! It was really hard work toilet training because she was scared of everything and everyone, including birds in the garden, squirrels and the neighbours’ cats. I think things started to click at about 5 weeks in, she’s now pretty reliable toileting, sleeps 9.30pm to 6am and seems to learn very quickly. The car is work in progress but we’re getting there! I’m sure there will be blips and bumps to come but I wouldn’t be without her ❤️

We've just got back from another day out to avoid the noise of having a bathroom fitted. W went to a local country park/lake. AwesomePup was brilliant, even though we were out far too long for a puppy really, but it was all on soft ground and we kept stopping for a rest. He met lots of people and dogs, watched some rowers in their boats, went into the water, then rolled in something smelly, before finishing the day with a game of crazy golf. Within a couple of minutes of arriving home he's taken himself to bed and is already sound asleep.

I’m trying Mac with a split antler. He’s in his crate with it but moaning/whining as he knaws it. Would that be frustration? Or something else?

@MsAwesomeDragon looks like you’ve had an awesome day! Billy has had another fab day paddleboarding, I wish o could post a picture but it’d be even more outing than I already am on this thread 😂

[quote opalescent]@MeredithMae that sounds like heaven 😂 how old are pups?[/quote]
@opalescent H is 17 months and has never slept past 7:30 before. Pup is 13 weeks!

Just had a good successful visit to my Dads house, both pups fell asleep while we were eating which is great as previously they're too excited to.

I massively need to get a trainer in, but so skint at the moment, because trying to walk two dogs at once is IMPOSSIBLE. H tends to walk nicely on the lead generally, but B is a nightmare, and the two of them together is awful. I must like insane to anyone watching. Both of them diving left to right, behind me, twisting me up, all over the shop.

When we had H in puppy classes they showed us how to train them to walk to heel by holding a treat in your hand down at your side and feeding them every few steps. But it didn't work for us because he's so small it was killing my back bending right down to give him a treat every time.

The buggers:

Had a pupnaps calming bed delivered today, following a recommendation from a friend. Opal pup is sooo comfy in it!

(Hopefully she'll grow into it 😂)

Any recommendations for blocking off small areas? My pup has decided running behind a chair where there are loads of wires and a heater is a good idea.

Elfpup has been renamed Piranha Pup.

The cat has left home

Elfdog would too if he had any options!

@opalescent

I think puppy blues are hitting me today, I could really do with some reassurance! It's probably 5 days of 5am starts more than anything.. I thought for a long time about getting a dog. I do feel so bonded with my pup, she is adorable 🥰 But everything feels like such hard work, and I'm so tired. Does anyone have any words of comfort? For those of you with slightly older puppies- have they started sleeping any later in the morning yet?

We are also on Day 5 of 5am starts and I'm so tired I could fall asleep standing up. That she is a bitey monster when awake doesn't help either.

In fact yesterday she was after a 3am start so we're on a sleep training program here. She woke at 5am this morning as usual so was toileted and put back in the crate with a toy. She whinged for a bit but settled down (she's crated in our room). I went back to sleep! Not a peep from her until 6.30, still horribly early by my standards but better. Hopefully we can push her back to a civilised 7.30am quite quickly.

She is a strong willed breed and this is the first time I've had 2 dogs at once so it's a steep learning curve. Elfdog looks thoroughly miserable and growls when she bounces at him. She doesn't take the hint though so I'm having to keep them separate, give the pup the attention she needs whilst trying not to neglect poor Elfdog.

I'm also speeding up the transition from kibble to Butternut Box. Elfdog went on this as a pup and his behaviour improved significantly so I'm hoping she'll be the same. She does seem a little calmer and less hyper today but that could just be she's settling in. We're now on 50% kibble, and 50% Butternut Box. Her digestion is coping fine so I think tomorrow it'll be 100% Butternut Box.

@opalescent I’d love to get one of those beds but Billy sleeps as though he’s been standing up and pushed over onto his side mid run 😂 he also moves his crate mat out of the way so he can sleep on the floor bit or sleeps with his head on the bed and the rest of him on the floor 🙈.

Thanks @Elphame.
Can I ask what the advantages of switching to butternut are in general?

Also, opalpup's poos are super soft and difficult to pick up- this is my first dog, is that typical for puppy stools?

Is there a particular kind of food that would firm them? She's on skinners dry food at the moment (which is what she came to me on).

All those with little pups - hang in there. I’m sure I’ve said this before but PoirotPup is 6 months this week. We’ve come camping and he has been amazing. I never could have imagined that when we first had him.

The biting will get better - you’ll suddenly realise you can have bare feet one day 🤣 when we were in it though we all had a tug toy/big toy to redirect. Used loads of cardboard boxes and Amazon pack again to let off steam (he just shredded them). Have loads of his kibble throughout the day scattered on the grass - if his nose was down he couldn’t bite. When we knew it was tiredness everyone left the room except for me who went behind the baby gate and did boring stuff in the kitchen and he would usually lie down at the gate and crash out! If he was intent on teeth on skin that person stood up and left the room for 30 seconds or stood behind the gate and I do think that consistency also helped a bit with him.

Puppy blues - I cried at least every day for the first two weeks and probably a few times after that! It’s being unable to just leave them, the tiredness, the relentlessness of watching their every move.

We slept on the kitchen floor for a few weeks, then the sofa then eventually made it back upstairs. At the time it felt like forever but it was probably about 6 weeks in total. He has gone through phases of waking up at night or reeeeeaasslllly early and thinking 5 am is great fun but again it has all passed. We ended up embracing the early starts for about two weeks - at least it is light and sunny and just went to bed early and held on to the fact it would pass.

It will pass. There are still hard bits now, and things we really need to work on still, and I suspect there will be for a time to come, but it is nothing like the earlier days. Hang in there.

@cheeseisthebest we have metal baking trays all over blocking access to things!

@opalescent I found this website helpful when deciding what to feed (www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/) we have half kibble (orijen) and half butternut box.

I think when puppy first comes softer poos aren’t abnormal - due to their nervous/excitement etc… but you can look and see what works best. I think all dogs and households are different. We might move to a raw complete at some time in the future but currently don’t have freezer space 🤣

@cheeseisthebest we’ve got a couple of different pens from Amazon and used those to block stuff, or moved furniture etc…

The best bit of butternut for me; hard solid poos! They also barely smell anymore.

Glad to hear camping went well @MrsHerculePoirot

We've introduced Ada to the tent which went pretty well, but think we'll find a cheaper tent for our first trip. I think being in the expensive mountaineering tent will be too stressful (for us not her!)

Well. Spudpup has just been for a walk with me, and did some lovely recalls and loose lead walking. Then he apparently had an instant personality transplant and it took me ten minutes to get his lead and harness off while keeping all my fingers attached. Then he tipped his water bowl all over the kitchen floor.

He’s now lying in the damp patch (I have mopped up!) chewing his food bowl. It’s a pretty heavy duty pottery one, so I’m just hoping he can’t do too much damage to it. 🙈

Getting his harness and lead on and off is a bit of a struggle at the moment - I can’t use treats for doing his harness up as I need both hands, so his jaws are usually wrapped around my arm It’s extremely annoying!

@opalescent FawkesPup had awful runs first week here. Combo of jab, moving house and moving up from first to puppy food but it was grim and ugh, the smell.

I'm moving him onto Eden. It's apparently now for 14 weeks+ but was a whole of life food (recent changes to how it has to be sold) but apparently it's all fine. He's on 50/50 now with the old royal Canin and that and his poos are now firm and easily pickupable with some loo roll.

He dies prefer it damp, so I may over time add a little JR Pate or similar for variety. At the mo he has a tiny amount of cooked chicken or a little cooked salmon and warm water to soften his meals and add interest

Getting his harness and lead on and off is a bit of a struggle at the moment - I can’t use treats for doing his harness up as I need both hands

Have you tried smearing peanut butter/cream cheese or similar on the floor/on a kitchen cabinet/patio door?

Ada likes to have a little bark and a play bow at her harness and then run out into the garden with it before she'll think about putting it on.