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

Original poster

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

999 replies

WomblingKnobhead · 22/11/2021 22:00

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

OP posts:
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Goawayangryman · 07/12/2021 13:46

oh no, @pardonmytits, that's such bad luck. My delivery missed on Friday but that was because of a problem with their carrier.

In the meantime, we used Country Hunter tins, which were met with an OK response, or forthglade trays, or those Symply trays - expensive though.

I have an issue I need help with.

Dog had a fright this morning, something unfortunate happened near the back door to the garden - something fell on her and she was properly scared and peed in fear. I've now moved the offending item, but she is hiding at the other end of the house, and won't go near the back door and is clearly spooked. I've tried bribery (the very highest value treat I could think of.) but it's not working. she just cries till I move the treasure, far, far away from the back door.

And... puddles. In the house because she can't get to her toilet area. Argh!

Goawayangryman · 07/12/2021 19:26

She seems to have got over it now as long as someone goes with her past the #placewherebadthinghappened.

Poor old pup, she was so scared.

LadyCatStark · 07/12/2021 21:58

@Goawayangryman poor thing, Billy still won’t go near the baby gate as it fell on him when DS was putting it up. This is not a bad thing though!

Poor Billy did not want to go out for his last wee in the storm tonight!

Handsfullofholes · 07/12/2021 22:26

Not a good evening - a wee on the sofa when he jumped up and the first poo INSIDE for over a week Sad - second jab on Thursday and we CANNOT wait to get outside walking….

Goawayangryman · 07/12/2021 22:26

@LadyCatStark almost exactly same thing... Upended grille, wide slats, she got her paw stuck.
All seems forgiven now but the grille is not allowed nearby evil thing...

The storm was something else. Very blustery. I resented having to go out to buy provisions just now. Hoping all calm in the morning... Our days are so much easier with a good 35 min walk then.

GuyFawkesDay · 07/12/2021 23:02

FawkesPup was not keen on going for a wee either. Nasty alien things rolling round the patio in the wind. Ok once I got a torch for him....spoiled rotten, that dog!!

LostFrog · 08/12/2021 07:12

@Goawayangryman we have renamed the utility room the “scary cupboard” which is where we have to put all the things Frogdog is scared of (mop, dustpan, wellies, a rubber pig I bought which for some reason he HATES).. it’s like room 101 in there!

@Handsfullofholes that’s annoying isn’t it.. I thought we had turned a corner too but I think it’s more that we are catching more of them rather than him telling us he wants to go out. Also need to work on him pooing in the flowerbeds or on the path rather than in the middle of the grass, which he was doing but then stopped!

Getting better at his walk around the block though, with v little pulling - lots of eye contact checking in with me although he may have been saying “wtf are you nuts, it’s pissing it down”!

Didiplanthis · 08/12/2021 08:15

We are now having walking crisis as walking out from my house (only option at 6.30 am before school/work) which ever way we turn we have to walk past neighbours fields / houses and their dogs bark which puppy find terrifying and just cowers shaking and tries to run home ! She hates hearing them bark even when she is in our garden - she won't stay out to wee or poo if they are barking but I'm not sure what to do... she is genuinely scared !

tizwozliz · 08/12/2021 08:56

How big is pup @Didiplanthis? We live on a road that's fairly busy and we used to have to carry pup away from the house along to a quieter road for quite some time.

Didiplanthis · 08/12/2021 09:09

She is currently portable but there are dogs at pretty much every house all along the lane ! No sure whether I should just leave it for now..she is only 13 weeks. It just gets some if the bitey mentalness out of her before the children get up !

Stretchandsnap · 08/12/2021 10:53

Checking in - stretchpup has finally given into sleeping in his crate downstairs on his own - he is still stuck to me like my shadow if I allow him but I am just very grateful to be in my own bed without heart rending howling.
He just started lead walking last week and he either just sits down and won’t go anywhere or is taking off like a rocket. Long lead walks are more successful, I am just trying to get him a bit more confident as he is scared of all the other dogs, the bin truck, the man with a hat….

It feels like he has been here forever, not just 3 weeks (could be the tiredness talking….)

SamPuppyBlues · 08/12/2021 11:00

Good morning, was pointed to this thread. I would appreciate any help or advice please. :)

I have a poodle pup who is not a happy camper in her crate. She will scream indefinitely and I’m not a fan of “cry it out”.

I’ve done everything they recommend - crate is in a quiet place, has a cover, T-shirt with my smell, blanket from breeder, ticking clock and hot water bottle.

I’ve introduced the crate during the day. She eats her meals in there. She’s rewarded and praised if she goes in there of her own choice which she does! She is given a kong with cream cheese which is her fave when she’s in there.

Constant screaming if the door is closed! Aaaaah.

I’ve slept on the sofa to reassure her. Some people say this is a good idea but some people say not to do it because she’ll only sleep with me there - so what options do I have please? How long do I sleep on the sofa? I say sleep but I can’t actually sleep on it because it’s bloody uncomfortable.

I’ve had dogs before. Never had one with separation anxiety like this.

I adore her but I’m exhausted.

Stretchandsnap · 08/12/2021 11:17

@SamPuppyBlues - i have just been through this with my ALD. Just literally posted that we have cracked it after 3 very long weeks!

I had a trainer come round last Saturday and we solved it in 4 nights after 2 weeks of me on the sofa and no one getting much sleep. She said

  • in the day, carve out a couple of sessions of - pop him in the crate shut the door leave the room but wait outside and let them cry a little, the moment they are quiet go right back in with a nice treat and a big Good boy - then out you go again, door shut and repeat - you should see improvements really quickly
  • at night, she said we just needed to get on with it and break the cycle. I was so worried as in a terrace, so apologised to my lovely neighbours (who were absolutely fine) and we bit the bullet - the first night was agony, but he did quiet eventually after a hr
  • second night was quicker
  • third night, he moaned for 5 mins and went to bed
  • last night he went in and just went to sleep from 11pm - 6am

I also make sure I put him in the crate for naps with the door shut, away from me, as he cries for me constantly if I leave the room, even if the rest of the family is there.

So now if I go out of the room, even to go to the loo, pop in the crate, then back treat and good boy

Hope that is a little helpful

SamPuppyBlues · 08/12/2021 12:04

Thank you @Stretchandsnap
Knowing I’m not alone is a helpful start and that advice was awesome. Much appreciated x

LostFrog · 08/12/2021 19:33

We gave up with the crate because he will sleep happily in his puppy pen so I kind of felt that it was obsolete, but it does mean that daytime naps he is easily disturbed by people coming in and out. I do wonder whether we should give the crate another go because I am not sure how he will cope during Christmas holidays when we are all at home! Do those of you who use crates during the day find that they sleep longer for their naps?

TerrierOrTerror · 08/12/2021 19:49

Lostfrog - we found the opposite. We stopped the enforcing crate naps and gave in ofln the sofa front and went from one hour naps to her happily snoozing for most of the working day on the sofa. She's not a sedate breed either!

Original poster
WomblingKnobhead · 08/12/2021 20:39

Yep sofa life has won here. I have gone from no puppy on sofa, no puppy in the bedrooms to being able to leave him and sleep all night with him having free run of the hallway, lounge (and at night bedroom)

He sleep in his bed next to me at night and on the sofa if we are out.

A week ago he didn't sleep anywhere! and we weren't comfortable leaving him as he cried. We have caved and he is happy

OP posts:
GuyFawkesDay · 08/12/2021 21:05

Ours is a sofa boy in the day (he's snoring next to me now!!) but he's equally happy in his crate now, and will take himself off for naps on there sometimes too.

However, we did do it late (crate him at night) compared to many but it's worked for us

MrsHerculePoirot · 08/12/2021 21:30

We slept on floor/sofa with crate door open initially, then with door pushed shut then locked it all with us being there. Then we eventually moved back upstairs - it took about 6 weeks in total but no crying. We just took it in turns to sleep downstairs and the other one go to bed early. Now he is much older we’ve ditched crate and he sleeps on sofa/chair or his bed.

LostFrog · 08/12/2021 21:32

How lovely @GuyFawkesDay. I know we will get there eventually, it would be lovely to be able to have Frogdog snooze next to us! At the moment we have to put him down for naps and then it’s fingers crossed he stays asleep for long than 30 mins, we do ignore him and he will usually go back to sleep or at least settle but can’t imagine him actually choosing to switch off when there are people around!

GuyFawkesDay · 08/12/2021 21:54

FawkesPup tends to need to be put in for a nap during the daytime (especially late afternoon). But in the evening about 8pm he winds down and it a total cuddle monster.

Really interesting having had a good chat with our trainer on a 121 session she thinks the fact he's so level headed for a cocker is partly down to his food. I never thought about it like that before but maybe it does. He's very chilled for a cocker puppy.

GuyFawkesDay · 08/12/2021 21:55

How he spends every evening. My furry hot water bottle 😅

Puppy survival thread. Nov. Read this and buy a hamster instead
LadyCatStark · 09/12/2021 16:55

Billy is not allowed on the sofa.. so he jumps on anyway and does his comfiest fave to try to appeal to our soft side. DS and I would totally give in but DH is insistent!

Billy had a terrible fright today 🙈. A man with a ladder came to fix a roof tile on our neighbour’s house. He kept looking but then running away and was panting like mad. He was terrified and wouldn’t go outside until I went with him to show him that he’d gone. Funny little thing!

Puppy survival thread. Nov. Read this and buy a hamster instead
Handsfullofholes · 09/12/2021 18:01

How long was everyone advised to wait after puppy’s second injection before going for walks?

We presumed it would be one week, but the vet today said two. She didn’t speak much English so not sure if it’s 100% accurate or not.

certainshepherdpups · 09/12/2021 18:06

To join in with the discussion of frightened pups, my pup had a scare yesterday too. We walked past a house with Christmas decorations in the front garden, including some rather large reindeer decs. My puppy froze for a moment, then tried to bolt. If he hadn't been on a lead I don't know where he might have ended up! Poor thing.

My last dog was also wary of anything that looked like a person or an animal but was actually a sculpture or whatever. Something about the combination of realistic appearance and fakeness was very troubling to him. I guess my pup is similar in that way.