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Original poster

Puppy Survival Thread August part 2

985 replies

Aria20 · 19/08/2021 14:00

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

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samlovesdilys · 30/08/2021 07:17

Breakthrough here!! Pup has been with us 8 days and only woke once in the night last night (been averaging 2-3, and I have struggled!!) 2am for a quick toilet break, then 6am wake up, I can do that!! Feeling much more positive today after an overwhelming and tearful week...

Wolfcub · 30/08/2021 07:30

Wolfpup is currently making heavy weather of his flea/tick/worked tablet. He was also scared out of his fluff this morning when a wood pigeon crashed into the bedroom window

GuyFawkesDay · 30/08/2021 08:20

Hahaha poor Wolfcub

We had fireworks audible last night and FawkesPup slept through. They were a way off and it got me thinking I should maybe put some on YouTube on the telly, get him used to it?

I was naughty last night. DH away overnight so at 5am when FawkesPup wanted a hug I just stuck him on the bed and we both woke at 8am which is the latest morning ever 🙈

cheeseisthebest · 30/08/2021 08:48

I would be so tempted to do the same!
Pretty good nights sleep, we've just been practising sit. He sort of got it. Now scratching and licking the carpet!

Jigsawtrain · 30/08/2021 08:59

Had a bit of a nightmare few days here. Dpup has had diarrhoea, thankfully no accidents in the house but I’ve been worried. Saturday he was more sleepy than usual, would play normally for half an hour then sleep for 4 hours. Yesterday he made up for it and was the bitiest he’s ever been and suddenly he looks massive!

Why hadn’t I thought of a growth spurt. Had friends round yesterday and he was amazing. Taking him to another friends today for an hour, not sure if he’s allowed in the house of just the garden though.

11 weeks old today, 2nd jabs this week.

Training wise I’ve been trying watch me but need to focus more on this because he isn’t getting it. We were successful with leave it yesterday even without treats when he was trying to shred my plants in the garden. Also he walked around the house and would drop his lead when I said leave it and walk nicely which is a massive improvement on a few days ago.

TerrierOrTerror · 30/08/2021 09:47

A good morning here!

Our pup (who is only dubiously a pup now, her first birthday is next week!) has always been a good sleeper. Even when she decided she wasn't comfortable being downstairs alone she slept well but we've never managed to get past 7.30 for a lie in.

Today I woke up and checked the time. 8.38. Quick check to make sure she was still breathing then went back to sleep. I eventually woke her up just before half nine as I was getting desperate for a cuppa, and she's still asleep on the sofa.

She did have a very intense day yesterday - otherwise I'd be stressing she was ill!

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 30/08/2021 12:41

I am resisting cuddles in bed because I think he will remember that and think it's OK every day. DH and DD have both let him lie with them whilst sleeping next to his cage "to settle" in last few days. I don't think he distinguished 'sleeping with you' on the floor as any different to sleeping with me on the sofa.... last night I had a disturbed night again as he kept asking to join me. I have a pet camera...they think I don't see these things but I do 😄

GuyFawkesDay · 30/08/2021 13:13

I usually lie down next to his cage and stroke his nose through the bars. He does settle but it takes a few minutes.

Once he is reliably sleeping through I suspect he will be in the room with DS, and more than likely on the bed too!

Spudlet · 30/08/2021 13:19

Does anyone else find their pup vets a squitty bum at the same time most days? Spudpup always seems to get one after lunch. He isn’t eating anything different from at breakfast or dinner, but his post lunch poops are always really loose (today totally liquid). I can’t quite work out why? He’s totally chipper so I’m not especially worried, just puzzled Confused

GuyFawkesDay · 30/08/2021 13:33

We had a spate of them early evening but I think that was warm days as much as anything? But yes, every day for over a week. Absolutely 100% fine in himself, just a runny bum once a day. Weird.

Also can be if he's had too many non kibble/chicken treats. Definitely much better recently.

Spudlet · 30/08/2021 14:11

So weird, right? Spudpup has been on the primula, but not that much and this morning (after an afternoon primula training session yesterday afternoon) everything was totally normal 🤷‍♀️

cheeseisthebest · 30/08/2021 14:27

Not had squitty bum yet but breeder recommended a charcoal paste that I've got ready just in case, meant to help!

Wolfcub · 30/08/2021 14:45

Spud it could be about time to digest pre poop. So first poo in a morning will be firmer because they've had 12 plus hours of digestion. But if like Wolfpup they are mentally programmed to "go" every time they are outside the garden then things will be much looser dependant on distance from nearest meal.

MeredithMae · 30/08/2021 15:37

Humping- MaeDog started humping the day we got him and did it daily right up til we got him neutered at 6 months, when it stopped and he hasn't done it since. Drove me mad it did! MaePup hasn't done it thankfully.

We started Leave Home training yesterday! We drove round the block and were gone for 6 mins, DW was upset watching the camera as Pup was crying her heart out Sad we're going to persevere and do it every day. Do we just keep doing 6 mins til she stops crying, then increase the timing?

MeredithMae · 30/08/2021 15:38

Oh and today we NEED to teach Pup how to ring the doorbells to go out! Dog knows how to do it perfectly well but we really need Pup to learn, as pretty much since we've had her we've just left the back door open and she does all toileting outside. However if we close the door she just squats and sees wherever, no warning. And it's bloody cold! I want the door closed!

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 30/08/2021 16:08

@MeredithMae I think this is a risk with open doors in summer. Keep the door shut and take him outside at settings when he might expect to poo/wee. After food, sleep a long time without going out etc

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 30/08/2021 16:11

I would find leaving Goofy crying for any length of time hard- this morning went to the loo and he started yowling in his crate because he'd woken up. But others just get on with it. I plan to do lots of flitting and leaving the room (which tbh he's fine with now) and then build up to being out of the house but probably crated otherwise he'll chew

MrsHerculePoirot · 30/08/2021 16:16

@MeredithMae do you need to leave pup alone? We didn’t leave until PoirotPup was over 5 months and worked on the flitting game etc at home. He was happy being in a different room, would take himself off elsewhere to sleep etc whilst we are in a different room and then we did the leaving and he was totally fine and just slept. That was following the DTAS advice on separation, but we didn’t need to leave him as such so took our time. Don’t know if you can go back a few steps and build it up more slowly so pup isn’t distressed?

With the toileting I agree with make - can you keep door shut and go back to the taking out every half hour when awake and after food/drink/play etc to restart training. I don’t know about the bells as don’t use them!

MeredithMae · 30/08/2021 16:22

We do the flitting in and out, she's happy to go and sleep in other rooms to us and out to chill in the garden. She's 16 weeks now and we really want to start it now, as our 17 month old has never been left and we've found it so hard being trapped at home with him all the time- part of the reason we got Pup was to help him.

MrsHerculePoirot · 30/08/2021 16:57

Have you looked at the separation/alone stuff on DTAS? It might give you some ideas to help maybe? We did the flitting game and the stuff where you desensitise to your leaving cues a little (although not as much as I thought we might need to) and DH was going upstairs to work whilst he slept downstairs throughout big chunks of the day so PoirotPup was 23/24 weeks when we left first time, but by then he was fairly reliably sleeping most mornings from about 830. So we started at that time of day.

Was your older dog upset or just the pup? Maybe doing some work on desensitising your leaving cues might help before trying again? I don’t know, I just know I would have been like your DW, the one crying if pup was crying and wouldn’t have been able to do it again!

Spudlet · 30/08/2021 16:58

@Wolfcub That’s interesting - I wonder if it is just that? Perhaps we should begin to shift the bulk of his food to the mornings and evenings and have a lighter lunch? We’re going to the vets tomorrow for some more wormer, so I’ll have to ask them about that.

Spudpup has had a lovely day aside from the runny bums - he went for a walk to a new place and a paddle in the river this morning, which he wasn’t totally sold on but wasn’t dead against either. Then this afternoon we have been for a car ride (now he can see out of the boot he’s definitely happier) and a walk around one of our favourite spots, with some good loose lead walking practice at the end. Then he has been given a new shiny ball for the garden, because my theory is that if he’s got a ball in his gob, he cannot eat stones… we’re now hanging out in the kitchen as DH and DS want to make a domino run in the living room. But DS is getting steadily more confident, so they’ve been together in the living room quite a bit over the weekend 👍

Wolfcub · 30/08/2021 17:04

With all my poop knowledge we are really suffering today. Just realised the combination of a working tablet with an egg for breakfast was probably a really bad idea. I am fully expecting to appear on Facebook on ring doorbell footage later with this irresponsible bitch left smears of dog shit over my drive comments.

MsAwesomeDragon · 30/08/2021 17:10

I first left AwesomePup for about half an hour at about 15 weeks. He's always been happy in his pen and was regularly left in his pen with a Kong while we were in other rooms, so being left in his pen with a Kong while we went out for a little bit didn't seem to upset him. He licked/chewed his Kong and then settled on his bed til DH came home. He's now 5 months and can happily cope with being alone for about 3 hours, which I'm pretty impressed with. I couldn't have coped with leaving him if he was crying.
Can you do a shorter time? So doing lots of putting him in the place you'll be leaving him and leaving for 1 minute (you could do that several times in a day, and give decent treats if he manages to stay calm), then build up to 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, etc. I think it builds up quite quickly once they realise you always come back. Giving something fun as a distraction when you leave helps them realise that being alone can lead to good things rather than always being an anxious time.

Spudlet · 30/08/2021 18:00

I need to start building Spudpup to being left for the school run - I meant to do this over the summer but the stone eating incident kind of scuppered that one. Now I have one week to get it done 🙈

MeredithMae · 30/08/2021 18:05

Just did it again- 5 mins- pup cried the whole time and then dog joined in too.

We've read DTAS, we've done loads of the desensitising to our leaving cues etc, and loads of flitting. They start crying as soon as we shut the door!

One of us is always popping in and out over the course of a day and they're fine with that, don't cry if one of us goes out. They both waddle in and out of all the downstairs rooms and the garden independently and sleep wherever.

Not sure what else to do except carry on doing the 5 mins every day for a while and hope they get used to it.