Puppy survival thread. Cold nights in the garden ... yeah...no

[MakeMeCleanTheHouse]

The foghorn is sounding frequently and I suspect that's why I'm up enjoying the ambience of a foggy garden at 4am.

Hoping @BaconandAvocado is fast asleep and all the others with wide awake pups.

@tizwozliz Billy has followed you 🥰.

I’m really naughty and I give Billy all sorts of extra food. In fact he has some of our tea (without sauces, onions etc) every night!

Today was a big milestone for us as I left him out of his crate on his own for the first time while I nipped to the post office (just at the end of our street). He didn’t eat the house while I was gone 😂.

I popped into Home Bargain as my first work appointment of the day (and actually my first face to face proper visit in 18 months!) had forgotten and gone out 🙈. I bought Billy a toy rabbit with crinkly stuff inside and a squeaker. He was so pleased with it and he won’t let anyone else hold it. After he’d played with it for a bit he came up to me and started madly licking my face which I’m taking as a thank you 🥰. At the rate that he’s chewing it though, I’m going to have to go back and get some spares!

@LadyCatStark great news that the house was still standing when you got back!!

We have the same toy rabbit from home bargains, huge hit here too!

@Cathster I did have to stop myself from breaking into a run on the way home 😂. Defo need to stock up on them. I did nearly spend £20 on a giant caterpillar so I consider myself very reserved!

Makes mental note to go to home bargains.

Will follow on IG once it's back up!!

FawkesPup is a gannet he does sometimes get tidbits from the table, he had a tiny bit of gammon yesterday and he stole a pizza crust from one child's plate on Friday night (just the crispy bread bit and he was really begging for DHs omelette on Saturday 😂

@GuyFawkesDay Billy is a monkey for stealing pizza crusts!

I've had nearly 3 hours of nipping, jumping, barking, I've tried everything at my total wits end. Gave him a chew that he loved but it absolutely bloody stank so put it back outside. House stinks now.

AwesomePup gets quite a lot of table scraps. DH has got into the habit of putting his plate down for pup too lick it clean at the end of each meal, which I'm not too thrilled with as we will sometimes have things he's not supposed to have. Dd2 feeds him the bits of her dinner that she's not keen on, so he gets a lot of carrots and broccoli

I'm not going to give pup any food from the table because I think it will encourage counter surfing, begging and snatching food as he is a lab! DH feeds his terrier all sorts of extras and she has just had salmon mousse on her kibble whilst pup had plain Arden Grange mixed with Eden. His poo is a biological hazard and is a conundrum because he poos far more than he eats... I'd like it to be firmer. Not completed move onto Eden yet so need to try that first.

We decided to 'fake' leave him today so into crate with ostrich bone, DH took terrier out, I went upstairs to the study and DD into her room to do uni work. He lasted ooooh 5 minutes?? Howling...,then he was a bitey horror whilst I tried to work (1st day back and a tsunami of emails)

Mine loves sandwich crusts as dd always leaves her crusts! If she barks and begs/jumps up she gets no left overs but if she lays down quietly while I'm making dinner/lunch I let her have some, I'm hoping she catches on to this...

We had similar toys from home bargains and they were very popular... note the use of past tense... pup managed to rip into them, get the squeakers out and basically ruin them. I will buy some more when I next go though as they were cheaper than pets at home and lasted a few weeks at least.

@MakeMeCleanTheHouse same here - no feeding our food from the table. We have trained a settle on a mat and he lies there and we feed kibble to reinforce. If he can have any leftovers (rare as I’m super paranoid of him being a lab too!) then he will get these after we’ve left the table. It was particularly good when we had people round yesterday as I was worried he’d be a bother at dinner otherwise!

I want him to know that when we eat (at home or out) he should lie down quietly so ultimately I can take him to pubs etc…

Feeling totally overwhelmed today. 2 puppy training classes and so much to practise, plus need to need practise leaving him, nipping, barking, jumping, waking in the night, accidents.
It all feels so hard.

FawkesPup doesn't get fed from the table, we put anything he's allowed into his pen. He runs to it expectantly!

At mealtimes he does settle under someone's feet (but with the occasional snarf round for crumbs or fallen items!) but if it's a good that might harm him then into the pen he goes with a chew to distract him whilst we eat.

I mean he still sits by you eyeing up whatever you're eating and tonight we found him ON the kitchen table for the first time too 🙄😱

I've tried using indoor puppy pen but he tips it over! It's a material one pop up one. I didn't want anything that had to be up permanently. Any suggestions?

We've got a metal one that you put up with thin metal stakes to connect them, like this

Easipet Heavy Duty 6 Panel Dog/Pet Playpen Run Enclosure Whelping Pen Metal Cage (Small) 74384 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074H54H6Z/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_S5A77201Y15ECBVX17K8?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I think it would require a brick wall to contain my huge lad.

@cheeseisthebest short sessions are best for training and work out what is a priority. Then just focus on one and only add next priority in when cheesypup has started to get bored

Thank you.
I struggle with recall. He just looks at me!
Stereotypical stubborn shih tzu!

@GuyFawkesDay

We've got a metal one that you put up with thin metal stakes to connect them, like this

Easipet Heavy Duty 6 Panel Dog/Pet Playpen Run Enclosure Whelping Pen Metal Cage (Small) 74384 ]]

Thank you I just don't have the space for anything like that. Somehow need to weigh down the one I've got.

This is the one I've got.

Agree, 5/10 minute sessions repeated during the day seem to do the job here. We've taught "chin" this week so he lays his head on your hand useful for eye drops or ear cleaning

@cheeseisthebest recall we had to really ham up the excitement level when he came back to proper party levels and use the primula. Worked, even if we did look and sound like absolute lunatics in the park!!

I just don't feel like I've taught him anything. Sorry, having a really bad day!

We've got this play pen. Amazon Basics Foldable Metal Pet Dog Exercise Fence Pen - 30 Inches (76 cm) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0758CTVVR/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_975CJVNDS69976266YXS?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21. It's really easy to fold up to put it away, and it's tall enough that our lab puppy doesn't try to jump over it. I'm sure he could knock it over if he wanted to, but it doesn't seem to have even entered his mind. He noses at the join, but if it's locked then he just lies down on his bed and goes to sleep (or looks at us balefully waiting for us to let him out). It does take up a chunk of the living room when it's out, but it folds flat when we aren't using it.

Yep we were party animals shrieking 🤪🤩🥳 GOOD BOY!!!!!!! 🥳🤩🤪 as if he'd saved a party of drowning children and was returning triumphant and heroic ...when the truth is he was in the garden looking for a slug to suck on.

@cheeseisthebest it will come slowly. I have despaired of bigboy walking to heel and don't get me wrong he's still auditioning for sled pulling but a tube of primula later and he does check himself and come to heel anticipating drops of liquid cheese. If I train for too long he gets bored and tired and I get demoralised. I usually do a few short sessions and initially it seems like no progress but suddenly you realise he is more attentive and anticipating the cues.

Thank you.

Our recall has totally gone to shit at almost 8 months... no excitement or treats or toys is more exciting than running off to play with another dog! She does come back when I whistle or call but then runs off again! I hate the long line but it looks like I'm back to using it for the foreseeable.