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.

What do you when they have that really irritating time when they just want to nip your ankles and jump up and bark? Won't even settle with a chew. Always around this time of day and it's like an overtired toddler! Even gave him an early tea bit he wolfed it down and just carried on. He needs a nap.

Yup. Same here. Nice field walk about 4:30. Dinner at 5:30. Ate it in about 1 minute, with the slo feeder bowl then begged for kids tea.

Now terrorising ankles and sleeves

We did the crumbling treats on a mat thingy, then some primula on licky mat. He has calmed down a bit.
Trying not to tempt fate but he has been consistently sleeping through now, 10pm till 7am in his crate. Woke one night for a wee but is more easily settled than used to be. Most nights nor waking for a wee at all and when my daughter gets up first in the mornings she said he's half asleep when she opens the crate door.

I've quartered up a cold carrot lengthways. That's helped.

He insists on going for feet and my kids won't wear slippers 🤦‍♀️

@GuyFawkesDay thanks, will be interesting to see how much fawkespup is at his age as we’re about 3 weeks behind you. I’ve been looking at adult weights of springer/cockers and beagles and they are quite different, from 16-25kg fully grown so I’m thinking as long as he’s active and happy then we can’t be far wrong.

I’ve had to stop wearing my slippers as they were fluffy and he chased me all Uber the house to get them! 😆 He’s not so interested in my flip flops!

@567and me too, I purposely give mine a little less than dull rations of kibble as he has chews and treats as I'd rather he was a bit lean than a bit chubby.

Once he wakes up I'll weigh him. I'm not sure he will fit on the scales now 😂

@567and My sprocker spaniel was the smallest in her litter. She was 3.3 kg at 8 weeks and 6.6 kg at 12 weeks. Not sure what she is now at 15 weeks and she won't sit still on the scales!

45 minute sniffy walk and he's still hyper. In desperate need of a nap!

@BaconAndAvocado

ashmts I completely forgot to set the alarms last night!!! The eight hours were sooo good though and kinda worth the kitchen floor gifts 😂

Jinnybean is your pup sleeping in your bed with you or sleeping n a basket/bed in your bedroom?
I'm so tempted to have Newboy in our room but DH doesn't want that.

She sleeps in our bed 😂🙈 she takes herself to the bottom of the bed lol

@GuyFawkesDay I find me or the kids wearing slippers is even more of an invite to chase or nibble feet! I had to stop wearing mine when we first got her which was fine as it was April so getting warmer, but in the evenings now I feel it is nearly slipper time...

I am not wearing my slippers and definitely feeling the need for them now. They are really fluffy though and I know he’d be beside himself excited, I had to put up with him jumping my woolly socks when I got them out a few weeks back 😂

Mac pup is a sprocker (1/4 springer and the rest WCS), he was 8kg at 16 weeks last week.

Pup slept through all night until 7am last night. He has done it before but we've just had a run of waking around midnight...linked I think to us relaxing the 'not on the sofa' rule. It became obvious he woke and expected to spend the rest of the night on the sofa. He is looking very very comfortable and relaxed on it now

Mine just goes and sleeps on the fireplace, want cuddles on the sofa!

I saw this and thought of a few on this thread

Hello All could do with some advice regarding my pup. She is half Pug and half Cavachon (so Cavalier x Bichon Frise). We have had her since 9 weeks and she is almost 8 months old now. Our Cavalier King Charles sadly passed away nearly 2 years ago so we are not inexperienced.
She just can't seen to get the hang of toilet training! I suspect it might be because the breeder used a tray with artificial grass on, so we got the same - she was not too bad and mostly went on that with some accidents - but to be honest it smelt really bad, and we thought moving it outside into the garden would be a good way to get her to go outside (where we would prefer and where the previous dog would go). So we did that and eventually removed the tray but left the artificial grass outside. Now what happens - and it doesnt seem to be getting better - is that sometimes she will wee and poo outside - if we basically make her and stand over her and hit lucky with the timing - but she LOVES to pee on the living room carpet! But also rarely she will poo in random places in the house - yesterday on the laminate floor hallway - immediately after I had her outside in the garden and encouraged her to go! Likewise I stood 20 minutes today outside encouraging her because I knew she would need one. She just wanted to play. Came inside and BAM - weed on the lounge carpet. She knows it is wrong but can't seem to get that she should go outside to go toilet. (She also very very rarely goes when on a walk, often saving it for the lounge carpet when she gets back!).
Yes we praise when she does it outside correctly and give treats.
Yes we clean the inside messes immediately, we have odour removal sprays from Pet stores, and clean frantically.
She seems to equate a carpet (or mat especially - we had to throw away the back door mat as that was a favourite) with toilet.
I think you get the picture - any advice!

@Gedms as you say, the breeder and yourselves have taught her to go indoors on a soft surface. So that's what she's doing. Can you clarify what you mean when you say, she knows it is wrong? Have you gone absolutely back to basics with toilet training? Out every 15 mins, loads of praise when she goes? How do you react when she wees on the carpet? When she poos in random places, is it under supervision or is she hiding it? Can you remove access to the lounge until this is resolved?

@MakeMeCleanTheHouse hahaha love that picture!

I agree this is learned behaviour: toilet indoors on soft mat. Mine was used to tiled floor and the only place we have struggled with is hard kitchen floor.

She needs to have only have opportunity to pee outside so I would keep her outside until she has urinated or carry her indoors. Basically remove every opportunity to repeat the behaviour because it's just reinforcing it. Definitely block off access to the high target areas indoors (we used clothes airers) and furniture or boxes to barricade areas.

Take her outside when you think she needs to go. If she messes around for too long, come inside but carry her or sit with her on your lap. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Once she pees outside praise lots and immediately return indoors and let her run free. Mine didn't want to pee in the garden sometimes and we kept him out there until he did. He learned that the fastest way back indoors and left in peace was to pee outside.

Basically carry indoors unless she has peed in the last 30 mins. Let out into garden every 30 mins. It won't take long to make progress. Give it a day or two to see progress before allowing her to run free indoors (I.e. carrying) but keep access to high target areas removed for weeks!

@Gedms when she doesn't go in garden and you know she will need one, do not put her on the floor in the house keep her in your arms or on lap for 5 mins then carry her back outside and see if she goes, loads of praise etc. Stair gate off the lounge at mo to stop her going on the carpet.

Ooh I'm wondering if this is our problem at the moment. FawkesPup has taken to toileting inside occasionally after being on the right track. Now I know it's cold and wet but he often goes on the patio, which maybe feels the same as the hard flooring inside?

I think I'll have to get braver and lead him down onto the lawn and try and encourage that!

Sorry, no advice Gedms, but I really hope the tips here work quickly for you.

We took Bella for her first walk this morning. She was super excited to see lots of dogs but seemed to completely lose her ability to listen or follow any instruction. We didn't my get her to sit once, and she kept trying to jump at everyone. She had no interest in my array of treats, including cream cheese, which she normally loves! She also chose not to wee, then immediately did a huge one when we put her in her care crate. It didn't help that another dog Walker pointed out that he had never used a lead with his spaniel, and she has always listened because she was so well trained!

Sounds entirely normal to me @Equimum - everything is so new and exciting to them. I'd take it as a positive that she was confident being out and about not hiding behind your legs

@GuyFawkesDay I ended up lifting my pup from patio to lawn because it seemed to be the only way to get him to accept the inevitable

@Equimum it's like parenting. Memories tend to be polarised into either rose coloured or traumatic experiences forgetting the grey areas in between where a lot of development occurs