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

Night 2 was ok, woke me up twice for wees. Did spend some time in his crate too, settled with a yakstick.... which was an improvement but then he snuck out cos I fell asleep and got back into the blow up bed with me 🤦‍♀️ Baby steps!

His tummy seems better this morning too so hopefully thing will be improving

Cardboard box murdering continues.

Definitely avoid slugs and snails, bad news all round

I will definitely read the bite inhibition article we have real issues with that

I made H a kitchen roll middle with some kibble in and squashed bits. He's had a 20 minute funtime with it!!

Hi all! Just wanted to say hi, we've had our puppy for a week and a half now. Sleep going well but the toilet training very hot and miss.

I'm mostly worried about how much random stuff puppy eats. Stones and acorns are abundant in our garden and he loves eating them. Not sure what I can do other than pick up as many as I can and try to prise them pout if his mouth...

Also with the biting, don’t underestimate how much sleep a 9 week old pup needs!! If they’ve eaten, been to the toilet and had a little play then they probably need to sleep! The biting and toileting do get better quite quickly but it is so hard at first

It's like having a newborn again, isn't it? H dodged a slug on the patio last night, poor lad was bursting for a week and only made it two steps out the door and not to the lawn.

He's also started pooing on the patio. Am wondering if that's easier in terms of clear up than grass?? Whilst he's got the runs it is. I will sluice down the patio with some jeyes and the hose later anyway.

@BridgeFarmKefir I can’t really advise on the toiletting as you’re doing everything I did but with the biting, all I can say is it does get better! 9 weeks was the absolute worst age so far for us and I cried every day, but now Billy is 4 months and doesn’t bite at all. Phew!

Morning all. I fell off the last thread. Banditpup is now 16 weeks old! To reassure you those of you with tiny pups, it is getting easier! She’s not had an accident inside in the last week (touch wood). Much less nippy too, only nipping when she’s really tired and stops when you say stop! She sleeps through in her crate as well.

Banditpup did make me laugh last night. She had the zoomies so I took her in the garden, she was zooming for about 15 minutes. Then she decided to come in but refused her bed, kipped on the living room floor. I took her to bed, she got up again before finally going to bed about 10pm!

Strongcoffee yeah clear what you can, it gets easier to prise stuff out of their mouth. Also if you are playing tug with your pup, when he drops it start saying “thank you” or “drop it” so that he associates dropping something with those words, makes it easier to get them to drop stuff you don’t want to them to have.

How it's going...

@Wolfcub 🤣🤣🤣

I think slugs and snails can carry diseases so definitely avoid before being vaccinated. We didn’t really prise anything - just shook the small box of kibble or treats and he would drop it in anticipation. We’d say thank you and give the treat. Sometimes now if he manages to get a shoe and we don’t look vaguely interested he comes and drops it, tail wagging, waiting for his treat 🤣

I also fell off the last thread and want to rejoin. Love the updates and cathartic-ness of reading people going through the same thing though at the moment it's a lot of two steps forward one step back. Morningpup decided he hates the car and now cries 😢 hoping its car sickness which he will grow out of

Wolfcub love the destruction

@strongcoffeeavalanche second teaching the command leave. Also always have a special higher value treat to trade. To be honest I don't know if its a lab tenancy but ours is always trying to eat something... and if I panic he turns it into a game and chews faster, so remember to approach and trade calmly

I know that feeling @MorningInspiration I need to learn to have treats on me at all times to exchange. Although the problem is some things need a higher value treat to be relinquished. She'll happily trade a stone for kibble but was rather more attached to the clothes peg she managed to grab yesterday.

[quote LadyCatStark]@Aria20 oh god they’re all the bloody same aren’t they? DH has always been the same with DS too, he just wants to do the proud dad bit about all of DS’s achievements, forgetting that I’m the one doing all the graft to help him with them![/quote]
They are all the same it seems!
Mine’s another proud dad until she pees on the carpet or drags in a plant she’s excavated from the garden!

[quote Aria20]@MakeMeCleanTheHouse I always thought snails and slugs are dangerous for dogs to even lick as they can give them lung worm?! I don't mind snails as easy to pick up by their shell but I slugs are so gross though [/quote]
[Sad] oh no. He is obsessed and as I spent a little time in the garden every two hours last night and it appears we are riddled with the effing things it's going to be tricky

@Wolfcub

How it's going...

Did not laugh at this at all

Oh dear @Wolfcub. I mean, wolfpup has had a ball there but that's not a fun cleanup!!

@SpreadHummusNotHate

Also with the biting, don’t underestimate how much sleep a 9 week old pup needs!! If they’ve eaten, been to the toilet and had a little play then they probably need to sleep! The biting and toileting do get better quite quickly but it is so hard at first

The key issue we are having is that how do you make a puppy sleep?!

Mine is definitely worse when he's tired... But he will not sleep if he doesn't want to.

@Wolfcub At least he’s having fun? 😳😬

We actually had a fairly successful trip this morning. Spudpup did some preliminary ceremonial yodelling in the car but then settled for the whole trip, which took around 20 minutes. DS had a go on the playground which Spudpup thought was interesting - it was full of squeaky children so very good for him to watch. We then went down past the ducks (very exciting) to the pet shop and had a good poke around, then through the town centre to sit outside a coffee shop and watch the world go by. Lots of people fussed over Spudpup and apart from one panic from DS when we were waiting to cross the road, calmness was maintained. Then we went back to the playground for one more little go, and then home, again with preliminary yodelling and then quiet all the way back.

Spudpup is now under the kitchen table looking very snoozy indeed, as well he might!

@Returnoftheowl When Spudpup needs a nap I take him into the kitchen, shut the baby gate, sit down in the armchair with a book and ignore him. He tends to give in and fall asleep quite quickly as he knows I’m very boring when I’m in my chair with a book or my phone.

If he gets bitey trying to get me to play, I get up and walk out, leaving him there. Then I come back after ten seconds and sit down again. So it doesn’t gain him anything.

DS was an appalling napper so I am battle-hardened when it comes to small creatures who don’t want to sleep

Return, re napping, what Spud said or in their playpen. Wolfpup will nap in kitchen if I'm working and therefore boring. He won't nap in the living room even if I'm being boring so thats puppy pen time. I say in your den, throw in an extra nice biscuit and lock the gate behind him

Ada managed to catch a vole on our walk this morning, she dropped it when it squeaked though and it ambled off so may have survived the experience.

Introducing Boxpup! 11 weeks old today & settling well. I’m looking for Kong advice. Our last dog had all sorts of tummy troubles & was on a prescribed diet so we steered clear of Kongs but I’m keen to try with Boxpup. DH bought one but the kibble is quite difficult for her to get out. Consequently she’s not particularly interested. I’m looking for a quick dispensing one to get her started if such a thing exists. Any suggestions / advice?

What sort did you get? We have this type and puppy sized kibble will just fall straight out of it

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/small-animal-kong-toy?size=small

So initially we just started with loose kibble that would roll out almost straight away, then progressed to kibble but sealing the end, and now progressed to putting contents in that she has to work at a bit more. And I've become a crazy lady asking her "would madam like a chicken and kibble mix with a sweet potato seal?" We didn't buy the smallest size as figured she'd outgrow very quickly, she's soon learned to bring it to me if she can't get the last bit out.

Thank you @tizwozliz that sounds perfect. We have this one: www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-toys-rubber-dog-toys-c-439_699/busy-buddy-squirrel-dude-dog-toy-p-5535

How wide is the opening on that one @boxcar? We've got one from B&M, but the opening isn't as wide as the proper kongs so AwesomePup struggles with that one. He does like a plastic bottle half filled with kibble/treats and the lid left off. He rolls it around and the kibble falls out for him. It keeps him amused for a while.