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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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poppy2021 · 01/09/2021 21:55

@Spudlet

Oh *@poppy2021*, she looks so comfy! Spudpup would also love to be her friend ❤️

We have just been for our longest walk at almost a mile - it took about 20 minutes with the first half off lead and the second on, and a stop for a chat with some neighbours. Hope it wasn’t too far. He’s pretty tired now.

The bed was from Aldi and it is so soft and fluffy. So far misswhizz hasn't chewed it ....... yet any way.

She loves a walk and her recall is ok until she sees another dog then forget it. Lots of wip on focus on me happening.

familychallenge · 01/09/2021 22:44

I haven't been on for a while now but also came to offer solidarity to @LadyCatStark . We all meet dickheads sometimes, we all have days where the dog seems determined to be a dickhead and you wonder why you bother. I also felt a bit like we went straight from puppy nightmare to adolescent nightmare (with a couple of probably exaggerated in my mind weeks of glorious walks off lead where we both had fun!). My boy just turned one (where has the time gone?!) and I can't imagine him not being here but I have days where I wonder why I got a dog! It's been said before on these threads but there is an element of competitive parenting in dog stuff. You are doing your best, we all are, and it happens sometimes. My trainer's (usually beautifully behaved!) dog wee'd up the back of someone in the park the other day. Doesn't make him a bad trainer or the dog a bad dog- it's a dog! And especially around bitches in heat they are sometimes idiots.

I'm back on the long line due to some adolescent behaviour (again!) - walks not so much fun but better than worrying about how he will behave! And I do think he'll get it eventually. And in lots of ways he has come so far. But it's a marathon not a sprint! If nothing else I like to think I have learnt some patience and resilience 😀

LadyCatStark · 01/09/2021 23:42

Thanks @familychallenge tomorrow is a new day! I’ll pop to the shop and get some Primula and stick to the field by our house where there’s no miserable people!

@MakeMeCleanTheHouse I totally get that some dogs are reactive and that’s why I always recall him and ask the owner if it’s ok to say hello but I just think as dog owners, we all need to try to have a little understanding and be kind especially when you can see the other person is trying their best (this isn’t aimed at you, but the grumpy women from today).

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 02/09/2021 07:33

just think as dog owners, we all need to try to have a little understanding and be kind especially when you can see the other person is trying their best I could not agree more!!!!

My frustration is only with owners of very large not very friendly adult dogs who approach in a slightly unerving way. Can't really explain this but some dogs body language is obvious "yeah let's play" you know they will respond appropriately to my reactive dog being a grumpy sod and snarling at them. Some dogs look slightly threatening and I'm unsure how they will respond so I feel anxious. Usually those owners say "oh they won't hurt her" so they know their dog looks threatening (I bet none of you need to say this). I walk grumpy girl off lead everywhere and meet loads of dogs and pups and am comfortable with doing so. I'm grateful to people who don't take offence that she doesn't want to play.

It's just a few dogs which make me wary and usually their owners do say that "oh they won't hurt...." which is an indicator that they know their dog is frightening

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 02/09/2021 07:35

In other news....goofy slept through!!!!! 1st night ever. 10.30pm until 6.30am. I am a new woman

He is now being a lively bitey jumpy horror

Turquoisesol · 02/09/2021 07:39

Yesmakemecleanthehouse I don’t mind if the owner makes some effort to manage the situation. I find it frustrating when people say oh he won’t hurt her. When she is clearly terrified. It would be kinder to call your dog back if the other dog looks terrified, even if you know your dog won’t harm them.

567and · 02/09/2021 07:54

Thanks for all the reassurance regarding second jabs. I think I’ll worry less once he’s fully vaccinated and we have some lovely areas for little walks to get him started round where we live. Lots of other dog walkers go past our house too, who I’ve already encountered if I’ve been carrying him outside. They all stop and say hello to a puppy!

I’ll email signed us up to puppy classes. They didn’t have a slot until end of October but something to look forward to.

tizwozliz · 02/09/2021 08:00

How much of a routine do other people's pups have? Still seems to vary a lot in how much and when Ada will sleep. She's currently an hour into her first nap of the day having been up a grand total of 30 minutes.

Spudlet · 02/09/2021 08:14

Spudpup sleeps a fair bit in the morning as that’s when DS and I normally go out. Then he’s awake most of the afternoon because he wants in on any action (there is rarely any actual action, but he is FOMO pup). He has a morning walk around or before 9am with DH, and an afternoon walk around 3.30-ish with me. And mealtimes are pretty fixed.

It will be interesting next week when DS is back at school and the whole routine gets upended!

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 02/09/2021 08:36

@tizwozliz we have a routine every day but I just don't know what it is until he's done it 😀

LadyCatStark · 02/09/2021 08:38

Before summer we had a good routine mostly while I WFH as my day follows the same pattern every day. Then over the summer we got into a routine of waking up after 9 and going out every afternoon on a more ‘day out’ type walk to the beach or something. Now we need to get back into the back to school/WFH routine again 😭😭😭. Billy was a PITA yesterday morning but is being very good this morning so fingers crossed we’ll get the hang of it before DS goes back to school on Monday and I need to focus on him as well as the dog!

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 02/09/2021 08:42

Because he is changing so much at this age any routine we have is unreliable...however he has a mad irritating phase which can be read as "play with me" and he gets bitey and chewy if you don't so I do! Then he sleeps. Repeat with food times thrown in. He's on 3 meals at 8, midday and 6pm. Evenings we nearly always go for a walk keeping him awake until about 9pm. Not uncommon for him to then sleep but not always...and we turf him out the back door at about 10.30pm for a wee then bed.

During the day when he is being an arse I train him. Seems to mentally occupy him and calm the bored naughty behaviour and good prompt to me to do it regularly. We do about 5-10 minutes that is all but fairly regularly. His behaviour is worse the less I do.

567and · 02/09/2021 08:52

We’ve got a routine only in set meal times and bed times/last wee of the night. Other than that we’re still trying to work it out. I think that an early walk will be very helpful with his morning zoomies as he’s much more chilled later in the day than first thing. My kids went back to school last week and I worried that it would be carnage, but apart from trying to grab on DSs school trousers as he walks past he is more interested in just seeing what they are doing than disrupting it. So far, that is!

Was my birthday yesterday and he loved visitors coming in and fussing him. Took the pressure off me a bit too! I did have to retrieve wrapping paper from his mouth though which he was thoroughly enjoying playing with!

ilovesushi · 02/09/2021 08:57

@LadyCatStark Sorry you met such horrible people! Sounds like you pup is doing brilliantly with recall. I had a few negative encounters with people early on when sushipup's recall was very dodgy and it made me feel incredibly stressed for a few weeks and I was reluctant to let her off lead in case she didn't come back immediately. Luckily I then met a series of lovely people and their dogs which made me feel better about the whole thing.

Original poster
Aria20 · 02/09/2021 09:45

Pup had a lovely play in our local field this morning no one else around for ages so she was offlead and I kept hiding behind trees or changing direction so she had to keep an eye on me lol then I saw another dog coming from the far end so I put her lead back on but then I saw it was the collie pup she played with before so I let her off and they had a great run around together for 10 mins and then she voluntarily came and lay down at my feet as she was tired  (she'd ignored me a couple of times though when I'd tried to see if she'd recall during play!) quickly put her lead back on and gave her a drink which she shared with the collie and then we headed home and she's asleep now.

I did clean her eye and then wipe the damp tea bag over it... is that all I need to do @LadyCatStark? I've saved another couple of tea bags for later. I hope it helps and we can avoid the vets!

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MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 02/09/2021 10:11

Having a 2nd dog to play with pup is enormously helpful. Socialised him and wears him out. I think the bite reflex inhibition came sooner because she enforced it!

ilovesushi · 02/09/2021 10:14

@MakeMeCleanTheHouse Gorgeous doggos! And how is your lawn not a series of wee patches!?

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 02/09/2021 10:16

They have their zones....

LadyCatStark · 02/09/2021 10:59

@Aria20 yes that’s it 🥰 fingers crossed it works!

Spudlet · 02/09/2021 13:32

We are all in the living room! DS is watching a film and Spudpup is having a chill out. He has just had a little gobshite session so we did some gentle retrieve training with his Ducky and now he’s subsided. But, big news! Before we did our training, he was barking at DS to try and get him to play, and DS just gave him a withering look, rather than freaking out and running away or trying to climb up me! I’m so bloody proud of him, proud of them both, but especially DS 😊

Wolfcub · 02/09/2021 16:48

Pretty sure I've broken Wolfpup with three long "day out" walks in three days.

GuyFawkesDay · 02/09/2021 16:53

Left FawkesPup home with DH and kids all day (well, 7:30-4) as I had inset.

He's been fine and dandy, phew!!! He was rather discombobulated by my taking him for a walk at 6:15am. I went to the shower and set him some toys up, and something to chew. 2 minutes later there was a cool breeze and he had pushed open the shower cubicle and got in with me!!! Plonker! So I had to dry myself and him off before I could get ready.

Come home and we've had a trot round the park and some more recall training to the whistle. Turns out he doesn't really like sprats. Which I'm pleased about cos they honk 😂 and he did ignore another dog in the park and return to the whistle (only once, but I'm calling that a win!) And now he's crashed out with his new coffee wood chew.

Original poster
Aria20 · 02/09/2021 17:59

@GuyFawkesDay your shower story made me laugh. Once I was in a deep bubble bath and I'd left bathroom door slightly open as just me and pup home and he nosed his way into the bathroom and next thing I know he's paws up on the edge of bath and started drinking the bath water lol

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GuyFawkesDay · 02/09/2021 18:32

Honestly, he's like velcro, bless him. Typical spaniel....

He's such a darling really. I can't get cross because he's such a loving, sweet boy.

LadyCatStark · 02/09/2021 18:47

@GuyFawkesDay that’s really cute! Billy can’t get to our bath/ shower as it’s on the top floor but he does like to come to the toilet with me. He likes to drink the (clean) water as it goes down into the bowl but I worry about him getting wee particles in him so I wait for the cistern to fill again and treat him to an extra long flush which he laps up. The things we have to do 😂.