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

Plant pots, boxes and empty 500ml plastic bottles are the fave toys here!!

He is currently favouring this one to snooze in. DD added a fleece for him!!

So cute. Its taken ages to persuade a reluctant pup into the crate. I suspect DTAS approach would be to not do so but I'm really trying to find a way to get him to sleep all night safe in another room to me. He likes the crate but he doesn't like the lack of choice

I'm doing a little dance, we made it from 10:30pm - 6:10am (although I was awake from 5:30 listening for him!

Cannot wait to take Pup to the beach, but as our local(ish) beach is West Wittering, I'll wait until the schools are back!

With regard to feeding @opalescent - it takes her five minutes? Sweet Pup could be a lab he inhales it so quickly (going to get a slow feeding bowl this week). SP is still on four meals at 12.5 weeks, but I think the middle two are starting to move together, so we'll try three next week.

I second plant pots, SP 'hunts' his own from my stash behind the greenhouse, but I heartily recommend David Austin Roses plastic pots (niche, I know) the only ones he hasn't shredded - they are bigger than him!

Didn't settle until gone midnight, up at 1.20am and then a little slow to settle plus a half chewed snail needed removing (he hid deep in the crate to try and sabotage my efforts) and then up at 5.30 and finally awake at 6.15am.

Yawn

I'm so desperate to get to the 2nd vaccine where he can go out properly. I'm sure this will make a difference

Oooh success here, bed at 10:30pm, took him for a wee at 11:30 as he woke and whined but I was still watching TV on my tablet in bed so could have been a cuddle request. Then at 3:15 wee and poo.....woke at 6:15! Even better when he did go back to bed I sat by the crate and stroke him for just a minute or two and he went straight to sleep. No whining and pining or arsing about playing

I feel like a new woman 🤣

@SweetLathyrus That's great news. A little interrupted sleep really makes all the difference!

@MakeMeCleanTheHouse I'm desperate for second vaccine too. My pup is having hers at 12 weeks on 7 September. It seems like a lifetime away at the moment. It will be so much easier to tire her out when we can go for a walk! I do think it can't be good for them not being able to go out properly for such a long time. I've been carrying my pup around for socialisation but she really wants to be on the ground and grumbles a lot at being held.

Same here @MightyMeerkat. I tried taking him into town to the market again yesterday and it was like carrying a rather fighty octopus.

I am SO looking forward to an unbroken night. Have noticed he's definitely holding his bladder now, the wees are much bigger and less frequent during the day. Still not always outside if I don't remind him frequently but going to use chicken bribery today and not kibble/praise and up the stakes. Hoping that might tempt him to haul himself outside for a pee.

@GuyFawkesDay My pup is the same. I left the back door open and so she could wander out when she wanted to but she still went to the toilet on my kitchen floor twice! And frustratingly when I take her out, she doesn't go but waits to go inside when my back is turned! Toilet training seems a lot of two steps forward one or two back each day. It's a shame because it means I'm having to confine her to the kitchen unless I can supervise her all the time.

Hello after some advice please

I've a 7 coming up 8 month old staffy

Since about 11 weeks old he has been amazing at recalling to whistle

Until now

Now he chooses to ignore me, returning eventually when he finished sniffing or seeing a dog or what ever has taken his fancy

I'm no longer letting him off lead in places there are dogs as if I seen a dog on the lead I can't trust he would return to me rather than run over to the dog

Any advice on how get him to focus back on me and return rather than please himself. I always give him a treat for returning to me and praise him

Thanks a lot

We've had several wees accidents this weekend. Went a whole week with no wees inside. Had me up at 2 and weed on the floor. It's just so grim outside, wet grass slugs, worms. He doesn't like it and neither do I! When he didn't go outside at 2am I put a puppy pad down for him but he just chewed it!

@Indoctro You have a teenager - they all go through a little gobshite phase I fear. They do grow out of it though. In the meantime, use a longline attached to a harness with gloves for yourself to protect your hands, not to reel him in, but to stop him buggering off any more. Keep going to training classes if you do, if you don’t I’d consider finding one as dogs change so much over the first two years of their lives. And don’t worry - all the work you did on recall is still in there somewhere and once your teenage dirtbag grows up, he will remember it.

@Indoctro mine is 6.5 months and I can already see the start of this but I'm assured it's a totally normal teenage phase. As annoying as it is....

@spudlet - we have a 14 week WCS starting 4 weeks of crate rest following a very harrowing incident which resulted in a broken leg. We brought her home from the animal hospital yesterday and I can’t imagine how we are going to get through the next 4 weeks. She has had to have an elbow implant and some pinning - the operation went really well, but she is so used to lots of exercise/scent work that I’m worried she’ll struggle with so much enforced down time.

We’ve bought a playpen and lots of new interesting toys and she seems to be coping relatively well so far - her sleeping crate was too small and she looked so sad in there - at least in the pen she can interact a little better and we can stroke her more. Would really welcome any further advice you or others who have dealt with crate rest at such a young stage could give. She’s allowed out in the garden to toilet but just wants to play and starts leaping around.

Ah the teen phase. I am not looking forward to that!!! Selective deafness and ignoring you.

Have discovered an excellent way of slowing down him eating..... Take all the kibble and fish it out bit by bit as a game of "fetch" chucking it across the kitchen floor. I'm feeding him in the gyro ball at lunch. His eating rate is insane. He only gets 30gm of his kibble plus meat so it's gone in seconds.

Oh @3isthemagicestnumber poor puppy!

Have you got kongs and puzzle feeders? They might help her use her brain. Or games like a bun tin, 12 tennis balls and hide food under a few.

@GuyFawkesDAy- I know. It’s been the worst, we’ve had dogs for 12 years ourselves, and 30 years in my family and never had an injury. It’s been so traumatic, just pleased to have her back home with us and recovering.

Yes - I’ve got Kongs and bought a puzzle feeder yesterday - just want to check in with the vet (next appointment Tuesday) re using paws to get at. The tennis ball suggestion is a great one, we’ll definitely try that. Thank you.

@3isthemagicestnumber poor baby that's going to be tough

There's a Facebook group called canine enrichment that might be able to offer lots of advice and ideas.

@3isthemagicestnumber Oh no! Poor puppy and poor you as well

I made Spudpup a snuffle mat - I’ll find a link in a minute but it’s basically a tiny rag rug in which you can hide kibble or hard biscuit treats which they then forage out. Spudpup really likes it, I haven’t done a full meal from it as I made it too small but no reason you couldn’t as long as it would all fit (and you could always split the meal up anyway). I think lots of scent and brain work will help you. I hope your pup feels better soon

Snuffle mat link - this is how I made mine

www.battersea.org.uk/about-us/news/diy-dog-toys

Big news here - DS brought himself into the kitchen unprompted to give Spudpup a stroke! And now we are all in the living room together. DS is not willing to descend from the armchair, but Spudpup is chewing his buffalo horn and everyone is relaxed. Unheard of.

@Spudlet 'gobshite phase' . Really great progress with DS.

@3isthemagicestnumber that is awful, and they are not the easiest breed to persuade to be calm. Blue Cross has some good advice, wearing out her brain in the way to go.

Sweet Pup is asleep in the crate with Puss, having complained about me being in the garden - poor baby, now he knows what it's like to be kept awake!

F