Puppy Survival Thread August part 2

[Aria20]

New puppy thread as August has been a busy month! Not sure how to link the other thread?! @MrsHerculePoirot @SweetLathyrus @Spudlet @MsAwesomeDragon @GuyFawkesDay @opalescent @ashmts

Noticed he is lying down when he does this, if he needs the loo he tends to be sitting up/standing in the crate so I think tonight I might see if that's the case and test the theory out

That was the case for us, pup is sat up if wanting to go out and toilet, if she's still laying down she's just checking that she hasn't been abandoned. We still have some of these wake-ups on occasion but these days she turns over and goes back to sleep as soon as she sees me, no extra reassurance required. I need to try out some white noise/ puppy music again. I tried in the early days and it seemed to make no difference but might just be enough to stop the non toilet disturbances. She slept peacefully when the rain was hammering on the tent.

Sorry to all who had a bad night! Dougie was up a 4.15 this morning then went back til 5.15 then DW took him downstairs so I got a bit of a lie in! I am hoping once autumn kicks in proper and he's a bit older he will inch past the 4am wakes!

@tizwozliz thank you for that, really interesting. It's amazing how we start to read them isn't it?

My little toad is now curled up in his cardboard box bed snoring 🤣

With sleeping - we slept ok floor in kitchen, next to crate for first 3/4 weeks we had PoirotPup. Then moved crate to front room and slept on sofa as more comfortable for a few more weeks. We were finding he would go into crate happily in evening, we’d shut it after last week about 11 and then he would wake about 4/5 and want to come out of crate but just sleep on chair/floor/bed outside crate.

We eventually moved back upstairs and then came down to let him out at that time when he whined a bit and then would stay downstairs as paranoid about him damaging something or hurting himself. In the end we stopped locking the crate door and just pushed it shut and he used to just come out and sleep elsewhere himself. In the end he was getting out of the crate and moving around sleeping so we just took the crate away and he just sleeps downstairs no problem now. It took us 8 weeks from getting him to him sleeping downstairs alone fully all night.

We gave in and had 2 crates, 1x collapsible one in the bed room and his long term one in the dining room. He slept in the bedroom for 5 weeks in that crate until we had that to a tee, then went downstairs (big heavy male lab and couldn't carry anymore). Crate downstairs has a cover, baby monitor and white nosie machine. The bedroom crate is now our holiday crate.
It worked really well for us and the second crate is worth it if you can use it for holidays etc.
It also took 4 weeks for us to train daytime crate naps, so it wasn't smoothe sailings but I can say it gets better!

Aww the cave sounds adorable ladycatstark

My lab pup isn't that interested in food. I often lift his uneaten meal

Just seen this, our lab puppy wasn't overly interested in food the first couple of weeks. She certainly didn't want to just eat it out a bowl, was much happier searching around the floor for it, being rewarded for sit/down with it etc. She's much better now, but still fairly restrained for a lab I feel, and there are still multiple things that are much more fun than any sort of food/treat we're offering. It wasn't what I was expecting at all as the people I know who have had lab puppies were researching slow feeders from day 1

First day working from home and having Mac puppy… Will need wine by 5pm sharp!

Doesn’t help I have very little motivation after two weeks annual leave.

What tips do people have to manage WFH and pup? I figure 50 chews a day isn’t going to cut it . He’s happy to nap in his crate for 60-90 minutes and then have done some play/training and now he’s chewing a rope… he also has death farts…

Wolfpup has eaten one of my kitchen cupboards. I thought he was chewing his deer antler

@TheBigMacDougal I accepted that I was going to have to stop every now and again and give undivided attention. I do a training session of 15 minutes sit, down, stay and loose leash walking and had various items stuffed with paste etc. The attention when he's being a pia seemed to be enough to calm him and then he'd amuse himself with me jumping up and down to stop the undesirable behaviour or open doors. That and I fantasise about leaving work for good and drink alcohol every night now

Oh @Wolfcub that's not good

@Wolfcub

Thanks for sharing @MakeMeCleanTheHouse. I’ve been dreading having to juggle. Luckily I don’t have a job of back to back teams calls, but he’ll there are still plenty of 1hr meetings dotted around the days!

@Wolfcub Wolfpup! You naughty little wotsit!

I got Spudpup a new collar today - he’s in a medium already

FawkesPup had 2 hours with just DH today. Other than playing on the floor he slept the whole time!

12 week old cockapoo puppy. Sandwichpup alternates between whining at the bathroom door when I'm in the loo to biting me. He has an army of chew toys, antler horns etc but biting me seems to be the preferred option. Second jab in a couple of weeks time, ticking off the days

I've just caught the little git chewing the cupboard again

I have a bitey little git as well, went to the loo and found DD standing on chair as dog was nipping something chronic. Literally turned my back for 2 minutes!!

We've got a yak chew which he loves. Has helped with the biting. Oh no to cupboard doors!

Has anyone needed to get their puppies claws trimmed yet? Opalpup's are getting really sharp?

Should I be bravely attempting this myself, or no?

I got the vet to do it when he went for his jabs.

We've clipped claws once, it doesn't seem to make them any less sharp though!

FawkesPup has a favourite chew....it's DDs old wellies 🤦‍♀️

I've clipped claws and they are still sharp. Can't wait to get him wearing them down on concrete (I will be muttering this every day for the next 17 days)

I am going to beg the vet for minimum time I can keep this dog inside! Bank holiday weekend pottering would be so good but will be less than a week after second jab

Wfh is an interesting conundrum! A few things we've tried:
*Half day daycare (naps afterwards)
*Kongs/eating puzzles
*Chews
*3x smaller walks

• mini training sessions *Keep an emergency stash of tuggy toys and have a great poker face on teams calls

Even with that its hard. We have had casualties...

@Wolfcub oh no! Its when they go back 5 mins later for another go thats the worst

I'm also worried about working from home. I can't just let him go out so have to take him which might be tricky when in long meetings! Also worried about him getting bored and when kids go back to school he will really miss them.