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

Yes I do a lot of flitting and back and forward but he's either there or he's whining. It is better, in that he isn't always following every time now, especially if he's sleepy and he's not lying/sitting on my feet when I'm trying to cook as much!

Training wise I've found a treat pouch invaluable. He recognises it now. Find their "thing". It's chicken here. Little chunks of sausage might work, or some puppy treat (ours likes those Lily's kitchen salmon ones) He's managed to learn sit, watch me (eye contact), give a paw and working on lie down.

The easy peasy puppy book helped me work out how to do it, and YouTube!

Thanks for the new thread. I've been away for a couple of days and you've all talked so much!!! This is AwesomePup, a 20 week old red lab. He's fabulous (I won't say this after puppy class this morning).

@cheeseisthebest also wondering this. I haven't done a thing! Wondering what's first.

We did sit first as it's easy to teach. Use the treat, and go up and back slightly over their head. Bum should move down. Any bum on floor, treat.

Then watch me (move the treat to between your eye initially. Use both hands so they don't predict where treat coming from. Eye contact equals treat. Now I don't use treat, I ask and he looks.

Steve Mann says these are the two commands that are most important so that's why I did those first.

@MrsHerculePoirot

I’m on the fb group called canine enrichment…

Thanks, I’ve seen there are a few with similar names so wondered if any are better than others

When I try sit- my pups bum does go down, but her front feet are up, pawing at me because she's so excited! Is that still a sit? I don't know how to get all four feet and bum on the floor.

Oh FFS he's just run through the flower beds like a total loon and he's appeared with a limp. Nothing in paws....pulled muscle?

How many times a day are you feeding your puppies? Mine is 10 weeks and I'm feeding her 3x a day. She is having skinners dry, with a bit of butchers wet mixed in, and she adores it! She won't touch dry kibble alone, since I introduced the wet.

If she clears the whole lot in 5 minutes, is that a sign that she needs a bit more?

3x a day too. He's on Eden dry with some chicken/salmon/JR Pate to add interest. It always feels very meagre but he also has lots of training treats (mix of kibble and other things) and appears to be growing like a triffid.

I worry he's not getting enough or the wrong food as he snarfs it in a couple of minutes. Going to need a slo feeder bowl when he's older.

We feed four times a day as that's what the breeder did, I think it's recommended that often until 4 months. Often a meal is combined with training, she rarely gets a full meal in her bowl.

We were doing 4x a day when he was tiny but gone down to 3x now and increased grammage just going off the bag! He still wolfs it down even with a slow feeder

We are definitely in full knobhead mode today. Might be my fault for very slightly altering routine but we've been bitey, disobedient, nearly pulled me over three times and barked through a cafe breakfast. Normally he's good out and about.

3 meals a day here too. Harrington's dry turkey and rice which is what the breeder used. She wasn't really eating it though so I've added water and a bit of wet food. She'll now eat some and goes back to graze a bit. I'm minded to take her bowl away though to try and get her to eat it all in one sitting.

Since we started with the Lily's kitchen salmon treats, she spits out the kibble if I use it as a treat when training 😂 She'll only work for the good stuff!

Pup gets very excited when the treats come out to do some training. She jumps up and initially couldn't sit still. She's getting it now though that she only gets the treat when her bum is on the floor. Lie down is a bit trickier!

Off to order bitter apple spray. Also ordered a play pen, after 2 weeks with just me and pup, I'm about ready to crack up if I don't get a break!

Thanks all, that's really helpful

@GuyFawkesDay do you think the bitter apple spray would work in the garden??!!

4 times a day and sometimes not interested. Feels quite bony to me but gaining weight

Twice a day eukanoba kibble. Was three but we knocked it down about a month ago

Just got doggo some tough toys from wilko. Timer is on

Three times a day Arden grange kibble, a bit of liver crumble on breakfast, an occasional dried sprat or two on lunch and a third of a wet puppy pouch or little foil tray thing on dinner.

The wilkos crocodile is fab and tough. Although it's nice orange spiney bits are not spaniel proof

We are on kibble (Arden Grange) 3 times a day.

I've just taken delivery of our first Butternut box with a view to doing half and half. I know it's recommended to introduce gradually...but is it best generally to serve the cooked food as a separate meal or mixed in with the kibble do you think?

Where can I get the bitter apple spray and which enzyme spray would you recommend?
3 meals a day here he grazes though but I do chuck it after an hour.

I got bitter apple on Amazon and am using the simple solution enzyme cleaner, which I bought a bottle of to refill the first bottle and have now put it in the spray mop as it's much easier!!!

Enzymes spray for weed, the rspca one worked for us. Got it in Aldi but wilko have it too I think

Wee not weed

Got a nail grinding tool in B&M. His claws are so sharp. Need to round them off a bit, my arms are shredded!!

Thank you.
No fun taking them out for the toilet in this weather!