Page 26 | Puppy survival thread. Oct/Nov fireworks!

Goawayangryman · 09/11/2021 18:27

Normal. And really don't worry. We are first timers as well and it's been great. Nowhere near as challenging as I thought.

cheeseisthebest · 09/11/2021 18:56

I didn't sleep the week before we got ours I was so nervous. Biggest mistake I've made is not leaving him and now I can't leave him for even a minute!

LostFrog · 09/11/2021 19:24

Thanks!! Mostly worried about ds (14) who is really not on board.. but he is 14, and therefore programmed to disagree with everything. Dh mostly works from home whereas I am out at work during school hours so I think he will bear the brunt initially tbh, it’s payback time for the 3 maternity leaves I took!

Goawayangryman · 09/11/2021 19:32

How they are before the dog arrives is no indication of how they will actually be after. In my extensive study involving a teen and a pre teen. My teen was the one advocating for a dog. My preteen was .. ambivalent verging on scared. It turns out that the teen is much less involved and attached than the pre teen. They are unexpected best friends.

Your DH is going to have fun managing even older kids' needs, and the puppy. Definitely payback...make sure to arrange for many nights on the tiles after work with your colleagues ;)

bargelights · 09/11/2021 19:36

I definitely had doubts before we got our puppy. Not really due to the work involved but more because I was still feeling so much grief about losing our last dog, even though he lived a good long life and we waited a long time before even contemplating having another dog. If DH hadn't pushed for a new puppy, I probably would have waited even longer. But I'm so glad he convinced me to go ahead. I think we will always grieve for our wonderful dog, and the new pup hasn't replaced him at all. But we absolutely adore the pup for his own wonderful self.

BaconAndAvocado · 09/11/2021 19:43

Goawayangryman my 13yo and 15yo are exactly like yours.
In fact the 13yo used to be extremely frightened of dogs.

cheeseisthebest · 09/11/2021 19:43

3 times now dog has weed on the same bit of carpet. Argh!
He has had a lovely haircut todsy though.

Puppy survival thread. Oct/Nov fireworks!

casinoroyale4ever · 09/11/2021 20:04

I'm remembering my lovely old boy more with the pup, I've had one or two pangs of I wish it was him again, and what have we done both before and after picking him up but just like kids you have to roll on with it.

casinoroyale4ever · 09/11/2021 20:15

That's a beautiful dog cheeseisthebest - ahhh the accidents, I'm not looking forward to that when the pup gets upstairs.

GuyFawkesDay · 09/11/2021 20:24

Oh @cheeseisthebest look at those eyes!!!!

I am so glad we got the pup now. I'm now sure DH is bothered still but he does see how much he's helping me with my anxiety and I love my walks with him. The kids weren't that bothered but it's been a lovely bonus that he's helping my sensitive/shy DS a bit. He sits and chats to the puppy.

Bless him he is such a lovely sweet pup and I can see the really super family dog he will turn out to be once he's matured. One of our friends had cocker spaniels all his life (mum bred them) and he reckons we were really lucky to get him as he's such a lovely dog. And even though he's not got papers he'd be a super stud dog if he passes on his temperament. Not sure about that but it's nice to hear.

WomblingKnobhead · 09/11/2021 20:41

@bargelights

I definitely had doubts before we got our puppy. Not really due to the work involved but more because I was still feeling so much grief about losing our last dog, even though he lived a good long life and we waited a long time before even contemplating having another dog. If DH hadn't pushed for a new puppy, I probably would have waited even longer. But I'm so glad he convinced me to go ahead. I think we will always grieve for our wonderful dog, and the new pup hasn't replaced him at all. But we absolutely adore the pup for his own wonderful self.

This = me. I felt devoid of joy or excitement on collecting him.

cheeseisthebest · 09/11/2021 21:06

That's lovely guyfawkes.

GuyFawkesDay · 09/11/2021 21:18

Yeah he's been lovely today.

Tomorrow I may regret saying anything nice about him 😂

cheeseisthebest · 09/11/2021 21:27

Mine just won't settle. He needs to know where I am all the time and if I'm in a different room he follows me. He seems so worried

GuyFawkesDay · 09/11/2021 21:31

Mine is still like that but only when he knows I'm near? If I'm upstairs and he's not he still sits at the gate and whines & howls for me.

He's absolutely fine and dandy when I go out to work. Weird.

LostFrog · 09/11/2021 21:44

cheese I hope that’s a short lived phase for you, that must be exhausting. Does he manage ok at night?

cheeseisthebest · 09/11/2021 21:54

Lost frog we've had him over 3 months now. He is finally OK at night cos he sleeps in my sons bedroom so he's not on his own.
I've not left him home alone yet. Still!

GuyFawkesDay · 09/11/2021 22:01

He might surprise you. For all his howling we find ours is fine home alone!! He's done 30 minutes with a frozen Kong and is happy.

I not allowed upstairs to shower though

cheeseisthebest · 09/11/2021 22:14

I do think part of it is me and my own anxiety. I find it quite stressful when he barks, partly because my husband tuts and rolls his eyes!

GuyFawkesDay · 09/11/2021 22:17

Yes!! I get "oh his barking goes RIGHT THROUGH me!"

Well yes, it's not fucking Mozart I agree but maybe I don't know how to change it?!

LegsMiserables · 10/11/2021 00:03

Just like that here too with my DH. He's working in a home office in the shed, which means I haven't managed to leave LegsPup much yet. We are only just coming out of lockdown and DH can't leave him barking for even a little bit while he settles. But yesterday he (the puppy, not DH) managed 30 minutes in absolute silence and today I left him for 40 minutes, where he whined for the first half on and off for 2-5 seconds at a time and then settled in silence for the last 20 minutes. (I had the sleeptalk app recording his noises). So I think I'll just have to do it in really small increments.

The DH management is a tough one. I love the posts up thread about using business language on them. I"m going to talk about "implementing strategies" later on. (Just need to research some strategies).

LegsMiserables · 10/11/2021 00:05

The other thing I'm finding (as a total dog novice) is that he has a good sleep in the morning, so that's the time to try new stuff like leaving him/ crate training etc. In the afternoon he's a bit unsettled, so not the time. It's like when my kids were babies. The morning sleep was always really easy, so it was the first one I tried without patting to sleep, or unswaddled etc etc. Is that the case or have I just had 2 good days with the leaving him?! Will stop posting now. Procrastinating a work thing.

MsAwesomeDragon · 10/11/2021 06:26

AwesomePup has a really good sleep every morning too, apart from his daycare days where he plays with other puppies all morning until he conks out about lunchtime apparently. Other sleeps during the day are less reliable.

He was playing with a mini-him yesterday. I was sent a photo of AwesomePup settled on a bed with his little mate (smaller fix red lab) lying all over him. AwesomePup looked very much the mature dog tolerating a puppy, which is a bit disconcerting as he's normally the annoying puppy bouncing in everyone else's face.

BaconAndAvocado · 10/11/2021 08:32

I leave Newboy for an hour every day and will start to build that up.

I don't have an app or camera so I don't know what he gets up to but he very very rarely barks so I don't think that is what's happening.

I also occasionally pretend to be out but spend an hour upstairs (reading, tidying etc) after opening and closing the front door and I haven't heard a peep.

So far, so good.

LegsMiserables · 10/11/2021 09:21

That's awesome @BaconAndAvocado
I'm going to work tomorrow. I've got a dog walker/sitter coming to meet him and take him for a walk as DH is annoying has a big work day at home. Hope it works out; it will give me a bit more flexibility if someone can help out some days.