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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

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

995 replies

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 26/09/2021 04:07

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
73
ashmts · 30/09/2021 11:17

@Equimum First walks are such a learning curve. It's totally normal that the training goes out the window in a new environment, our trainer told us to expect it and to practice things in gradually more distracting environments. So house, then garden, then driveway, then street, then on a walk. It takes aaaages. If she's not weeing on the walk take her to her normal wee spot before you go back indoors. Or should that have said car crate? Our first walks weren't very adventurous, just round the street, so she could go in the garden if she didn't pee on the walk. And ignore the dog walker, either he's forgotten what it's like to have a puppy or his dog was such a nightmare at loose lead walking he gave up. It's not responsible to have dogs off the lead in every area. Tbh he should have popped his on a lead when he saw yours was on lead so he's in the wrong here.

Aria20 · 30/09/2021 11:22

@Equimum ignore that person!! I very much doubt he never used a lead... a new puppy isn't just going to trot along beside you and not get distracted or wander into the road no matter how much training they had! Of course it's hugely exciting on the first few walks as it's usually their first chance to explore and meet other dogs up close.

Maybe for the next walk go somewhere really boring and at a quiet time without many other dogs so you can practice getting her to listen to you out and about but it will come. My spaniel is nearly 8 months and she still gets overexcited and ignores me often on walks and I certainly wouldn't trust her to walk on pavements near roads or with lots of other distractions without a lead even though her recall is alright it's not perfect if other dogs are around!

Equimum · 30/09/2021 11:24

Thanks for the reassurance ashmts, and yes, it should have said car crate. We took her in the car to a big, but fairly quiet showground, as it felt a bit safer for her first walk.

That's an analogy I understand well MakeMeCleanTheHouse. I so remember al the old ladies that used to tell me their child had never had a tantrum, or always sat beautifully at the table.

PollyRoullson · 30/09/2021 11:25

*@BaconAndAvocado * just to say do not worry about night time poos. It absolutely will not mess up your toilet training.

If you are getting 8 hours sleep and have a poo to pick up I would go for that over relenting and having your pup in your room. I promise that as your puppy gets bigger they will stop the nightime poo regardless of what you do.

Equimum · 30/09/2021 11:26

That's really good advice Aria20, thank-you. I'll maybe try her in a field near our house tomorrow. If I time it right, there won't be anyone else about.

GuyFawkesDay · 30/09/2021 11:28

Yeah, I reckon there's not a dog in the world who's perfect.
Even the super trained gun dogs I know have days where they are PITA!!!

Keep going one and all. Each day is a move forward....even if it's the step back after the 2 steps forward, which is how I feel like it is? We have progress in one area, regression in others, then it switches and changes. So yesterday awful toileting and biting but amazing recall and loose lead walking. Today will be different goods and bads. Am just hoping one day the goods will come together 🙈

BaconAndAvocado · 30/09/2021 11:37

PollyRoulson Thanks for that heartening piece of advice 😊

I set my alarm for 4am and yep, came down to another 2 poos and a wee.

It's really, really good to know that Newboy will one day instinctively NOT do nighttime poos in the kitchen!

Is that because:

  1. His bladder and bowels will probably increase in size and so be able to hold on for longer?
  1. He'll be more tired out from walks (which we obviously can't do at present) and will just just sleep over through?
Original poster
MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 30/09/2021 11:40

Separation anxiety is going to be our big fail I think

I need to leave him now....but he's chewing everything passing his muzzle...sofa....table....cushion...my elbow.... its not really vicious chewing but just idle oh look what happened to fall into my mouth!

I really can't see how it will ever happen that he's left alone

OP posts:
Aria20 · 30/09/2021 11:55

@BaconAndAvocado their bladders def get bigger and able to hold on longer. I remember feeling like I'd always be getting up at 4.45 but it gradually got later and was about 5.45 by 5.5 months which wasn't so bad as DH alarm goes off at 6 anyway and now she'll sleep until 7.30 if no one else is up but most days she's up by 6.45 as she hears us all moving around.

Aria20 · 30/09/2021 11:59

Mine was being a real pain this morning. Some mornings she still seems tired n will just lay on her mat half asleep half watching everyone getting ready for school/work and other days she's attention seeking barking and jumping on sofas, trying to steal shoes/school bags from by the door.

This morning was one of those days and normally I trust her in the front room while I quickly do school run - it's only 15 mins, but this morning I could tell she'd be into mischief so I put her in the crate and she whined/made a fuss. But after I took her for a play in the park with her dog friend and she slept beautifully on her mat for 2 hours while I was working on the computer so it's always swings and roundabouts!

tizwozliz · 30/09/2021 12:40

We're going back downstairs to the sofabed to try and sort the overnight wakeups. She's back to whining every couple of hours, she easily settles with fairly minimal prompting, i.e. saying go back to sleep but I can't really cope with the interrupted sleep

GuyFawkesDay · 30/09/2021 12:42

DH texted me a pic..... FawkesPup asleep in his pen in the kitchen. It's never been a huge hit with him despite trying to make it fun, but recently we've started feeding every meal and Kong and putting his chews in there (looking at you t rex ostrich bone).

Today DH couldn't find pup.....he'd taken himself in there for a nap. Bearing in mind he normally sleeps in the study near DH or near me when I am at home, this feels like a minor breakthrough.

Off to pick up his bigger crate this weekend so hoping we can start to move him into the pen with his crate downstairs and eventually lose the pen and he can have the kitchen diner/utility overnight to potter in with his crate open.

Still feels eons away but every step is a bit closer.

Lifeishitsometimes · 30/09/2021 12:46

I'd say that is major progress, @GuyFawkesDay!

Lifeishitsometimes · 30/09/2021 12:57

I just managed to get into the loft for 10 minutes without her barking the house down. I consider that a success (low ambitions !!)

BaconAndAvocado · 30/09/2021 15:16

Newboy had his jabs today so I can finally make plans to go out with him from next week.

I spoke to the vet, who is also a behaviourist, about him pooing in the kitchen at night when we're asleep and he obviously can't get into the garden.
She said that because his daytime housetraining is going to well that we can carry on like this and, in time, the night time pooing will naturally stop.
I'm so relieved!
I honestly don't mind cheating up some poo (temporarily) if it means I can sleep!
She suggested using puppy pads for the night times only and that this wouldn't be a step back.

TheBigMacDougal · 30/09/2021 15:16

I was thinking this morning I can’t imagine being able to leave Mac pup to his own devices for eons! I do manage to give him 5-10 minutes on his own sometimes while I pop out the room to do something, but trusting him for a couple of hours… 🤨

My hope is that at some point he’ll be big/calm enough to have days at home with DH while I’m in the office. He goes to daycare the one day I’m in currently, but him pottering/snoozing about the house and popping to see DH is the dream.

bargelights · 30/09/2021 15:39

My puppy is doing very well in many respects. One area we need to work on is his tendency to be bitey/mouthy, especially when he gets excited while playing. I blame DH in part, since he is less vigilant about responding to the mouthiness (and gets him worked up with exciting games of tug, etc.). Also loose lead walking is very much a work in progress. He does brilliantly when there are no distractions, but anything interesting (a leaf, a stick, a car going by) makes him forget everything he has learned. 😀

He’s adorable and I absolutely love him. I didn’t expect to become so attached to him so quickly (we’ve had him for a month now).

BaconAndAvocado · 30/09/2021 15:52

@bargelights

My puppy is doing very well in many respects. One area we need to work on is his tendency to be bitey/mouthy, especially when he gets excited while playing. I blame DH in part, since he is less vigilant about responding to the mouthiness (and gets him worked up with exciting games of tug, etc.). Also loose lead walking is very much a work in progress. He does brilliantly when there are no distractions, but anything interesting (a leaf, a stick, a car going by) makes him forget everything he has learned. 😀

He’s adorable and I absolutely love him. I didn’t expect to become so attached to him so quickly (we’ve had him for a month now).

bargelights I know exactly what you mean about becoming attached so quickly. Newboy has been here 4 weeks on Saturday and it feels like so much longer! And despite him turning my previously quite independent existence upside down, I couldn't imagine life without him 💕
Cathster · 30/09/2021 16:06

Well we are almost 1 week in to pup being at home with us and apart from a minor WTF have I done wobble yesterday, things are generally going OK.

She is now getting more confident in exploring the house now and has discovered the cats' food bowl, so we keep finding her with her nose in that!

DH has been on the sofa at night times whilst she is asleep in her crate downstairs, only needed to take her out once or twice so he is going to attempt sleeping upstairs tonight... wish us luck!

BaconAndAvocado · 30/09/2021 16:22

Cathster
Best of luck with the sleeping upstairs.
I did 3 weeks on the sofa and it was blissful reuniting with my bed 😂

MightyMeerkat · 30/09/2021 16:28

Can I ask you about your pup's poo??! My pup is pooping about 5 or 6 times a day. She is having 3 small meals a day. This seems like a lot of poo! How often do your pups go? I'm presently feeding her dry biscuits - Harrington's which the breeder recommended - with a bit of wet food - Lily's kitchen - but I'm wondering whether to try something else? Because she is going frequently her poo is soft going on sloppy on most occasions. Oh and I think she's teething if that makes a difference.

tizwozliz · 30/09/2021 16:38

Ada has always pretty much done one poo per meal. So when she was fed 4 times a day it was 4, now it's 3 times a day

bargelights · 30/09/2021 17:04

And despite him turning my previously quite independent existence upside down, I couldn't imagine life without him.

@BaconAndAvocado, I completely agree. Despite the constant supervision and all that goes into raising a puppy, I just adore my boy so much.

TerrierOrTerror · 30/09/2021 17:17

@mightymeerkat when our pup was first home she was doing 10-12 tiny and really soft poos a day. It didn't improve for us until we switched her food.

Now she's 1 it is anywhere between 2 and 5 a day, but that also depends on her schedule of feeding as we don't have rigid mealtimes. It's usually 3, although the other day she went three times on her admittedly long morning walk (and yep, only had two bags...). I would say quantity of poo doesn't necessarily worry me, but quality does and if its not pickable I would consider switching food.

Also for firming up poops, a bit of cooked (not raw for this!) carrot works wonders.

MrsHerculePoirot · 30/09/2021 17:56

@TheBigMacDougal I felt exactly the same as you - that I’d never trust PoirotPup or be able to leave him. We didn’t leave him until he was over 5 months actually and by then he was nice calmer and was sleeping alone downstairs and not in his crate. I left him as I had to drop my kids somewhere I couldn’t take him in and there was going to be a 5 min window between my husband leaving and me coming back. We had video monitors set up and knew he slept at this time.

I bought a coffee and sat in car and watched on camera when I came back and he was just asleep on armchair. So I watched and waited and watched and waited. He moved about a little but not a lot and clearly was fine so after 45 mins went back in.

We left him here and there for short times and kept an eye on camera and he ha never been bothered. We have now left him for just over two hours and he just takes himself off to sleep.

For me is I think building a secure relationship and lots of flitting in the house helped and meant it wasn’t an issue. So what I’m saying is you will get there and don’t feel you have to rush it if you don’t want to.