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

Hi all, I pick up new standard poodle pup around 12 September, so I'm placemarking till then. Huge excitement plus definite WTF. Why am I doing this again??

I’ve heard from the vets - Spudpup has had a good night and is looking well! He’s been eating but hasn’t pooped yet, but then the poor little sod couldn’t eat anything yesterday so no wonder. So we pick him up at around 3, he needs to go back for a post-op check on Thursday and then hopefully we’ll be off on our holidays come Friday with the patient 🤞 Bless him, I’ve been worrying about him all night.

@opalescent the biting doesn’t take long to stop, it just kind of fizzles out. Billy will be 5 months next week and he rarely bites anymore and when he does, it’s more of a nibble which I think he thinks is being kind and grooming us 😂.

Glad Spudpup is OK!

AwesomePup only bit for the first couple of weeks, then he started channeling his biting into more appropriate chewing of toys.

I'm glad spudpup is ok!!

Great news about Spudpup!

We definitely have a cockerdile. It won't last forever, we redirect and bites are usually accidental playing ones not deliberate nipping. When he's in nip mode he gets put on the floor and we all cross arms and legs to protect them and ignore him. It's not going to work for long as he grows but it's saved a few toe bites!!

We've booked a campsite and we're going to have our first camping holiday and beach trip this weekend. One night only, so if it's really horrendous we can cut and run!

Any tips or extra things we might need for the first beach trip?

@Spudlet Glad pup is okay and coming home today. It must be strange not having him underfoot!

Thank you for the tip re gun dog training. I'm off to google it. Pup is high energy and easily bored so I definitely need to find things to channel her energy before I don't have a house left 😂

Glad Spudpup is ok

Anyone want to adopt a 9 week old puppy? I have one going spare.....

Totally agree that breed or work specific training is the best. I've shared links to this before I think, but here is a starting point for positive gundog training. This is about trainers who are accreddited in Pippa Mattinson's methods, it doesn't include all trainers who would describe their methods as positive, so it's best to ask your local trainer. I've found that GD trainers who still use aversive methods won't hide it, they are rooted in a particular tradition and culture and don't feel the need to change or apologise.

@Spudlet, you will be holding him as tight as his stitches allow, I'm sure.

@Weatherwax13, because you know the pain will be worth it

All true @SweetLathyrus, there are certainly still some old fashioned ‘yank and spank’ trainers out there. But plenty who are not that way. And Pippa Mattinson’s site is a really good resource 👍

I'll wait and see but the local guy is a positive reward based trainer. Was in the forces training dogs then went onto train sniffer dogs for police and airports. He does refer some gun dog classes out so I'll have to see what their methods are like.

Round here it seems you have to sign up before birth to get a place on one of the courses!

Oh flip! We are lucky as there's a local dog training club that does the citizenship awards and a few others but I'm semi rural so maybe that helps? Loads of shooting etc round here. Will have to negotiate one walk route which goes near the pheasant farm and shoot place....that'll be interesting 😂

@GuyFawkesDay and @opalescent Your pups are a similar age to mine. Do you find they sleep much during the day? My pup sleeps for about 10 mins every hour. The rest of the time she's running around like a loon and I'm struggling to entertain her as well as do the normal household jobs etc.

@MightyMeerkat I try very hard to make sure that puppy has a long nap after every burst of activity. If she's up and about for an hour, I try to quieten the house down so that she can then nap for about the same amount of time...,I have young children though, so it doesn't always pan out 😂.
We haven't got into the habit of using a crate downstairs yet, so she generally curls up in a quiet corner. I'm planning to work on that, by moving her into her crate every time she falls asleep elsewhere.

I know exactly what you mean, it's tiring trying to keep them entertained, and if I leave her to her own devices, she chews!!

@opalescent Do you have any tips for getting pup to settle? I've made sure it's quiet but she keeps getting up and playing with her toys. I've tried stroking her gently to calm her but that doesn't really work either as she starts biting. I've sacrificed a pair of old slippers as she likes to sleep on my feet and put them in her bed. She has a crate and a bed by me and alternates between them.

God I wish I did! Generally if the house is quiet, and she has had enough activitiy- she will settle. If I know she really needs a nap and is overtired..I use it as an excuse to sit and cuddle her on the sofa 😂. That always works.

@tizwozliz we’re just back from the beach 🥰 we’re lucky as it’s only a few mins away so it’s not a big day out but I always make sure we have plenty of water for him as he runs around like a lunatic, his whistle to call him back especially today when it was windy, plenty of old towels or blankets to like the boot/ wrap him in as he’ll get filthy! We’re going to invest in a Mud Daddy as beach visits will only get messier over winter. That’s it really. We don’t even both with a ball as the beach and sea provides all the entertainment he needs!

Thanks @opalescent it's been really hard today. She's been full on all the time. And she's just nipped at my ankle and drawn blood. I had to go hide in the bathroom for a few minutes. To be fair, I think she realised she'd done wrong as she went very quiet for a few minutes!

@tizwozliz you’ll love it though, there’s nothing like seeing the sheer joy that they get from being let free on the beach!

@MightyMeerkat I'm having a hard day too 😖😖 stuck at home this afternoon with two kids and a very bitey puppy 🤯. Having one of those 'what have I done' moments

The first few days I was really good at having a toy to hand- redirecting the biting etc etc

But when you are in the middle of a thousand other things, it's really hard not to want to shout and put puppy in time out! I know it's her way of playing. It's just hard.

Also just tried to walk her round the block on a lead. It was absolute chaos as you can imagine. Neither of us know what the hell we are doing 😂.
I know we aren't expected to yet, but it made me realise how far off a controlled walk seems. Is that something I will learn about at puppy training? I really feel clueless ☹️

@opalescent Billy has only cracked loose lead walking this week and he’s 5 months next week. Don’t worry, just when you think it’ll never happen… it just does…