Puppy survival thread. Oct/Nov fireworks!

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New thread...

@LadyCatStark oh my god mine is the exact same constantly jumping up to look out the window and it's even worse as she's bleeding!! She doesn't do it if I'm sat on the sofa but obviously I can't sit on sofa all day lol

Also she has been so barky today!! Next doors old dog has dementia and has been howling loads and it's like mine is joining in whereas she used to ignore his noise!

Newboy isn't very well....

When I saw him this morning I knew he wasn't his usual chipper self.
His poos have been almost liquid, he's off his food and he's spent all morning napping on the sofa.

I wonder if he's eaten something at the park without me realising. One of the kids gave him a breadstick last night without me knowing.🤬

I called the vet and they're coming (they're mobile) to check him over this afternoon.

Few issues with DDs drain which appears to be possibly blocked. Appt tomorrow at 8.30am and DH away with elderly unwell parent so I'm tossing up leaving pup home alone for 2nd time ever (first time was yesterday when DH collected us from the hospital maximum 30 mins) but running the stress of unforseen delay or getting friend to come at 8.15am 😕

Sofa surfing ha!!! The dog that is unable to climb into the car is leaping over the armrests to get onto the sofa with DD and her new wound and drain...so don't ask me. I'm just here as crowd control today. Knobhead lead needed today. I'm going to have a new user name I think....

@BaconAndAvocado hopefully vet is able to reassure you

Ta da!!!!!! Wombling to reflect his joy at cleaning chewing gum, old cig butt's, takeaway cartons, drinks bottles, feathers, leaves and almost everything else and swallowing before I have time to retrieve.

I meet a lady on the beach whose spaniel has had two surgical procedures and numerous vet visits for charcoal or emetics because of his wombling. She now administers herself and told me she poured laundry soda into him the other night to force a vomit 😲

He has an infection and been put in antibiotics for 3 days.

He's just sleeping all the time and is very lack lustre when he's awake.

Aw @BaconAndAvocado hope pup is better soon. I'm sure it's nothing you've done/ lack of vigilance - they are just little bloody hoovers. Mine eats all sorts.

Poor pup, @BaconAndAvocado. Hope the antibiotics work quickly.

Brilliant update, @Aria20. Love the advice about phrases like "implementing strategies."

Yesterday our pup had a brilliant time playing with a year-old pointer/Weimaraner called Oliver. Fortunately Oliver enjoyed playing with him, though our pup still just hurls himself at any dog without much sense of proper manners. I know part of that is his age but I do want to teach him to behave better with other dogs, especially as he will be fairly big when he's grown up.

Oh hugs @BaconAndAvocado hope he's better soon. FawkesPup had ABs in half term for a snotty nose, was something grim up there!

He's also a womble. One dog recycling system for the local park. Particularly crisp/sweet bags, empty poo bags or really rancid old wrappers pulled out the shrubbery. Also wombled a wine cork too. Big park last week included a Gregg's wrapper and someone's snotty tissue. Luckily he's enough of a gannet to be tempted to swap for treats but I am pretty sure some small bits end up in his tummy. Dogs are grim.

He's had a lovely off lead play with Chester the cocker and Ted the doodle in the park tonight. Hoping he might be tired. Even recalled sans lead to me. Once. I'll take that because I did then get a 10m stay out of him lots. I think he was more worn out than anything else 🤣

I hope pup is back to himself soon @BaconAndAvocado!

Also have a Womble here, so far he’s only been in the garden, but we are free at the weekend (1 week post vaccinations) so I imagine it will get worse when out and about.

@BaconAndAvocado hope he feels better quickly!

I seem to be quite lucky so far my pup is too much of a fussy eater to try and eat random poo or rubbish found out and about lol. She sniffs stuff and I'll say leave it and she'll look at me like I wasn't going to eat that anyway! However, I'm sure she'd eat something like a sausage roll or left over sandwich if she found something like that on her travels as she loves human food!

Hello!
Can I join?
We’ve got a 14 week old labradoodle boy that we’ve had for 4.5 weeks now. Started our journey together with some vet problems so he only had his first vaccination last week (had to restart vaccination program) but we are finally allowed to go outside!!! Hopefully he will start accepting the lead soon!!

Hi again all - @Aria20 I couldn’t be happier for you! So glad all is sorted and DH has agreed. You can enjoy pup again now.

Has anyone else with a Labrador/ pulls like a train dog tried a figure 8 lead? Heard some good reviews, just wondering if anyone had personal experience.

Also pet insurance? Blue is insured with bought by many as is 1 of our other dogs. Can’t seem to find another decent insurance as my older dogs is due up soon. Wondered if I should just stick with or if anyone else has any recommendations, hers is a bit pricy as she’s nearly 10 (healthy as a horse only ever seen a vet once). Or do you think at this point just cancel it if it’s starting to get super expensive? Sorry I know this is a pup chat but maybe someone has some advice for me.

Lovely seeing the pictures of the pups!

Hi @Issywizzybelle! My pup is 14 weeks now and we’ve had him 4.5 weeks too He’s a cocker spaniel. He had his second vaccinations last week so we’re free to go in walks this weekend. Could go before, but all of us want to go the first time. Can’t imagine the DC will be bothered once it gets really cold…

On the vaccinations, did anyone get the kennel cough one? Our vet recommended it and a couple of friends dogs caught it from just being out on walks recently so I thought why now. But now we have to be careful around other dogs for a few weeks, as CamperPup could be shedding the virus! Rubbish timing for socialisation.

We have a lot of fireworks here tonight, but pup is snoozing through them.

I fell over in the mud walking him round the garden earlier, my left arm feels dead and I pulled my back. But, he didn’t run off when I dropped the lead! Small things to celebrate whilst covered in mud

@Camper82 I fell over in the park a few weeks ago - had let go of long line and pup ran and I didn't realise it had made a noose around my leg - it prob would have looked hilarious but it hurt so much as one leg went out to the side so twisted that and I put my hand down to catch my fall which jarred my shoulder, neck and back, I felt like such a tit! Luckily only my friend was in the park at the time so no one else saw my spectacular fall! Hurt for a good few days after so hope you don't suffer too much.

I have a long lead with multiple rings so you can attach to chest and top of harness, have full length, make small handle or wear around your waist and walk hands free. I like hands free but nearly had big accident going down steps when he ran in excitement to get to the beach. Almost face first...

@GuyFawkesDay do you wear figure of 8 around head?

@GumsAndTeeth I did not insure elderly dogs deciding to cover costs myself. So far it's been successful economics

@GumsAndTeeth we have a lab and no. We just have a double ended lead so I attach to front and back D Rings in his harness and then if he is pulling he mostly turns sideways and it is easy fir me to hold him. We’ve done quite a bit of work on loose lead walking so he’s generally not too bad on a pavement and having the lead double clipped also means it’s shorter which helps.

I can then change to the 10m longline or can unclip the front and clip it higher up to make a loop handle.

I’m fully force free/positive reinforcement so don’t use aversives at all so wouldn’t use one myself but know others do.

@MrsHerculePoirot I do the same as you with the lead and she walks nicely on the lead like that. Tried without the front clip and straight away she takes that as her cue of freedom and ends up pulling so that is only for once we're in park/woods!

Loose lead walking has clicked a bit this week. Regular solo walks on the beach at 6am when I've reduced treats and increased the stop until he's at heel technique endlessly, tediously and swearing under my breath and he's better. Next week who knows. I've also realised it's a year of repeated training and then some.

A friend is having him whilst we go back to surgical unit this morning and I was thinking of everything I'd tell her which made me realise he's come a long way but and it s a big BUT everything he's learned would be undone if she doesn't ask him to sit in same way, persist with heel before moving. I think I'm just going to hand him over and wish her luck.

Any ideas how I can stop him from eating the house? 🤬🤬🤬 I’m seriously reaching the end of my tether this week 😭.

@LadyCatStark can you prevent access if certain areas? With furniture or play pen type things? Then direct to something similar in texture - we’ve got some root chew, olive wood, coffee wood and he’ll now also chew some of the chew toys he wasn’t interested in as a puppy like those nylabone keys.

We also have tonnes of long lasting chews and will use those if needed. Would frozen kongs/frozen lickimats distract and soothe?

Does it happen at certain time or day or in certain scenario (eg when left alone?). Can looking at that pinpoint how to tackle it maybe?

@LadyCatStark eeek agree with @MrsHerculePoirot suggestions though. When mine kept trying to chew door frames (luckily I was there exactly when she started so she didn't get a chance to do much damage) I was able to quickly go ah ah and take her away and give her the coffee wood stick instead as I thought if it's wood she wants to chew she can chew appropriate wood lol. She went for the door frames a couple more times but I was able to redirect and she's lost interest in them now.... jumping on sofa to look out window whenever next doors gate opens is always a fun game several times a day!

It's separation anxiety o-clock here. Pup has always been crap at being left alone, even for like 30 seconds, and even though we did everything by the book from the off. .... now, if I go out to the bloody car to retrieve something she will bark on the door mat till I come back. Waiting for a break in the barking to come back in, praising the quiet, ignoring when returning for 5 minutes - all utterly useless! I have moments of feeling like a prisoner in my own home.

She also wakes up from sleep to follow me around the house. Argh. I use the pen for naps sometimes just to get a bit of personal space but she's taken agin that in the day as well.

As to chewing up the house I don't really have any suggestions ! I am guessing it is something they grow out of when they leave teething behind.

@MrsHerculePoirot @Aria20 the first time was in the evening, I thought he was outside in the garden but he’d come in and chews the wall by the back door. The second time is nipped to the shop which is literally a five minute job. I thought I could trust him now to be on his own for a few mins but obviously now he’ll have to go in his crate when I need to nip to the shop. This morning I was bloody watching him and he was only attitude for a second but he managed to make the small scratches at the bottom of the picture. This was the first time I’ve caught him at it so I was able to say no and distract him.

The only way of keeping him away from the walls would be a play pen I guess but he'd just jump out. Jumping is his favourite thing so it would just be a new toy to him 😂.

He has lots of chews, our house resembles the elephants’ graveyard! But I think I’ll buy him a new ostrich bone as that seems to be the most like wall 🙈.

I think perhaps his recent bad behaviour is due to needing to up his exercise. The weather has been awful here and it’s dark so early that, although he’s had a decent walk every day, he hasn’t had any nice long mooches for a while. He’s also reaching adolescence so probably needs more stimulation.