Puppy survival thread. Nov. Read this and buy a hamster instead

[WomblingKnobhead]

Or a rabbit, or a goldfish, or a cuddly toy.

Please tell me it will get better (preferably soon !!) 13 week whippet... has more chew toys of varying consistencies than I cam count which are put away and and brought out to vary them, but totally uninterested in anything except furniture and jumping up ripping holes in my clothes. We have baby gates, we ignore..she has plenty of rest and stimulation.. she is not left alone for more than a few minutes unless sleeping. But I am really struggling today...

@Aria20 Billy has the large one and it’s still in one piece unlike most of his toys!

We’ve put our tree up today and so far Billy has been very good with it. He’s just had a go at nosing the baubles to make them swing and now he’s just sitting and watching the lights. I’m proud of him for being such a good boy.

@Didiplanthis yes it gets much better 🥰

@Aria20 - I think it likely depends on the dog. Ada hasn't chewed through hers, but a visiting lab friend took a chunk out of it in about 2 mins today

Yes it gets better! I have a seven month old whippet and those early days were intense. Whippets are famously difficult puppies, but easy adults, so swings and roundabouts. But yeah, the jumping, biting, stealing, destroying, having to be monitored every second...they're so quick!

Now he's pretty much happy to chill on the sofa, have the odd game, and a nice walk in the middle of the day. He goes to bed at 6pm and today got up at 10:45...the laziness is really developing nicely ☺️

@FazedNotPhased I really wanted a whippet but we have a cat as well and was warned against it.. so we went to the other extreme and got a springer, which as a breed is essentially dh in dog form

@LadyCatStark hope you feel better soon, I am dreading getting ill but feel so run down with Christmas/puppy/work stress I know it’s inevitable. Hope you can get some rest!

Not having the best day here, Frogdog barked at my parents when they called round and they are not dog people so could tell they were pissed off, when he stopped and came and sat next to me quietly I gave him a treat and said good boy (for calming down) they got huffy about it because in their eyes he hadn’t been good… I guess I got that wrong.

Also, recall was non existent in the garden because literally everything else was more interesting than me! I think the problem is that we are only calling him when we want him to stop doing something, need to practise it when he is happy to come.

Oh and the jumping up!! He just will not stop with the jumping and the snapping. And it Took me and dh about 5 mins to get the bloody harness on him because he was twisting round and trying to bite it. He can go for a walk now but I can’t see how that’s going to work. Do we just try round the block and see how it goes?

@LostFrog how old is FrogDog? I remember my lad being a total PITA for harness for a while. We got one that doesn't go over his head as his floppy ole spaniel ears were getting stuck. The good news is at 6 month he now sits whilst the harness goes on and off.

And I would have done exactly the same re: barking. Reward the behaviour you want to see.

FawkesPup has had a lovely long walk with his bestie and is now dozing on the rug in front of the Christmas tree 💕

Sunday afternoon as it should be

Similar picture here @GuyFawkesDay

We went for a lovely walk with friends who have a 10 month old lab. They came back to ours afterwards. Not entirely sure what Ada made of having another dog in the house, but their pup had a great time investigating all the toys in her box and finding a fish skin chew that Ada must have discarded some time ago.

Was really interesting to see them together again, they're totally different dogs despite both being black labs. Ada is much more adventurous despite being a few months younger.

Lovely pics.

Holee ball really well used her. I have some material torn up and fill with kibble, twist and wrap inside ball....peace and quiet.

We bought a huge bed for pup. Terrier has a gorgeous large nest lined with soft cushions and a real lambs fleece.....but she has decided his bed is hers

Ok day one after a six year break from puppyhood ( my Newfie is 6 and a half) this beautiful boy is Stanley and I'm worried I can't remember what to do!!! Any hints or tips??

Forgot pic!!

Oh @Fooshufflewickjbannanapants what a cutie! That's not a Newfie though, what breed is Stanley? Great name BTW!

Stanley is gorgeous. What breed is he? I'm sure it will all come flooding back to you. Sleepless nights, biting terrors, constant chewing, etc it's quite memorable. Is your older dog well trained? I've heard that can help with the puppy training, like the older dog teaches the younger one what they should be doing.

Ooh gorgeous little pup. Thing is I found the biting/sleepless/barking/wild behaviour so much easier knowing it was for max 2 or 3 months... Human babies on the other hand, we are talking 2.5 years at least.

How is your Newf. With the new little puppy?

What an adorable pup @Fooshufflewickjbannanapants.

Today my pup met a little 3-month-old puppy. He was so gentle with her. Usually he enjoys some rough and tumble play, but I guess he knew she wouldn’t want to play in that way. It was very sweet.

This is our Newfie with him 😂 he's a gsd and getting mothered to death!!

Thought I'd best add a picture of puppy when in off mode !

I haven't found the off button yet!!

Oh those photos are gorgeous. Newfies are such sweet, sweet dogs. Lumps of loveliness. My uncle had 2, not a bad thought in their heads.

@Fooshufflewickjbannanapants

I haven't found the off button yet!!

Its brief, usually inconvenient and frequently defective ! Bit like my puppy really...

FawkesPup had a sweet moment today. Garden centre for chews etc. Busy, and you'd expect. Little tot (18 months?) Saying "doggy" and she pottered over to him. According to her Dad, little person dog obsessed so I said he loves kids and she could say hi. I held him close to the harness and.....He sat and was fussed, licked her hands and face and was just a total poppet. Then had a fuss from little girl's Dad.

I swear they know.

I have a 10 month old pup. I love him. But he's worse than a toddler. He tore holes in 4 pairs of my trousers today - I have been hiding them in the bath of the ensuite for weeks because he likes a good chew once they've been worn (dogs really are horrible) and then I bring them down and put them straight into the machine. I let myself get distracted this morning with them in front of the machine and now I'm 4 work pairs down...! Could have killed him!

@GuyFawkesDay how lovely, you must have been so proud!

Took Frogdog for his first walk today. We managed to get once around the block, stopping dead every time he pulled or went ahead to lure him back to heel. Took half an hour. It must be 300m, if that! We must have looked like right knobheads!

@Sowhatifiam that sounds v expensive!

@LostFrog I think at that age I used to let mine sniff all the smells and didn't worry about loose lead walking when actually out on walks. We practiced heel walking at home, then once he was a bit more used to the outside world we started insisting on the heel while we walked places. It's not bad now he's 8 months, although he's being an arse at the minute and heel has gone to pot as well as recall. We're back to massive rewards for everything, as he's an adolescent 😢