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

[WomblingKnobhead]

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

Love all the pictures of the pups in their holiday outfits.

Welcome to the thread @Shouldofgotahamster85. Can you distract your pup when he is barking? Will he focus on you or a treat or toy? As they get a bit older their confidence grows which is generally lovely to see, though it can also mean they explore the world in new ways (e.g., barking when excited!).

Thank you @certainshepherdpups

Yes he is very responsive so we can call back to us, would you recommended distracting each time he barks?

I’m certain it’s excited barking, it’s almost like wahooo I’m out exploring this is so fun I don’t know how to show that.

Likes meeting new dogs more wary of strangers at the moment. Fine with people he knows although does take time even at home when we have new people over they often get barked at initially although we distract and give chews to keep calm and occupied which usually does the trick

Mine is barking at next doors very barky cockapoo. And his own reflection. What a prat.

@GuyFawkesDay don’t you just love them

Yup. I mean TBH he's been far, far better on his walks this week (school holidays = mum's behaviour bootcamp) but oh dear lord do we know we have hit the teenage tw*t phase.

Mines quite barky but ignoring does work. He does a sad little whine when he realises hes being ignored.
Often the barking is cos he wants to play which I then yell at my son to play chase with him which is currently his favourite thing ever!!

I definitely think that ignoring can work, as can distraction. They really are like toddlers, aren't they?

My pup had a good day today, playing with one of his favourite doggy pals, running in the fields, and a short walk on the lead. He did find something disgusting in the field (I'll spare you the details) and it was difficult to get him to drop it though he did finally.

Hired the riverside dog walking meadow again tomorrow so I can tire out and practice more recall with Mr Selective Deafness. Will take the drying coat as he's 100% guaranteed to go in the river

I feel Frogdog needs a Christmas outfit. Maybe some sort of jaunty tartan bowtie. Although he got hold of my skirt yesterday and ripped it beyond repair so I am not really in the mood to buy him clothes

Serves me right for wearing a tiered chiffon mini skirt (albeit with woolly tights and wellies)

@LostFrog that's a shame about your skirt! Pup did rip a few of my dd's princess dresses which I guess similar material...not really puppy compatible...I also ended up with several pairs of tights snagged by claws 🤦‍♀️

No Christmas outfits for pup here but all your pups look cute and funny not liking theirs!

Skirts and puppies do not mix, neither do nice shirts, as I found out to my cost. 2 work blouses with holes in from those puppy days when he basically kangaroo'd and latched onto clothing. It does stop once the bastard puppy teeth are out.

Anyone elses pup bring them gifts? I get FawkesPup's stinky snugglepup brought to me every morning. It's super cute as that's his "stuffed fren" like the one from thoughts of dog

@LostFrog shame about your skirt. I have sacrificed a couple my favourite tops to Stretchpup. He is like a kangaroo crossed with a shark at the moment and has put holes in so many things.

He has also learned how to open the bin (annoying) and is tall enough to jump up and look at what’s on the table.

I feel like we are going backwards with training - he has stopped sitting at home and will not lie down. Sigh - we don’t start puppy classes until first week of Feb - worries it will be too late as he’ll be 5 months.

First night on holiday survived, new place and two extra people so she was very excitable last night, didn't eat any dinner. Hopefully calming down now. Has mostly ignored the Christmas tree here and only shredded one piece of wood from the wood pile. She enjoyed the morning buffet provided by the rabbits! Going to the beach in a bit

@Stretchandsnap ours was 5 months when we did puppy classes. I think it was ideal because we already had some of the basics there like watch, sit, lie down and so it really helped us cement them and actually get some confidence we were doing the right thing. And at 6 months he can go straight onto the bronze award classes so we are carrying straight on through the teenage days in the hope it'll help him not get too bad. Its definitely more hope than expectation though 🤣🤣🤣

That said he was fabulous on our walk this morning. Even had a comment about what a well behaved dog he was, which was lovely. He then came home and "helped" me plant a tree in the garden by digging the hole with me 😩

Enjoy the holiday @tizwozliz sounds lovely xx

@GuyFawkesDay Thankyou for that, makes complete sense. I am going to persevere with the training at home and in the park - he is on a long lead and that helps when he has episodes of selective deafness. I was lulled into a false sense of security in the first few weeks as he was like my shadow, but he now discovered that playing with other dogs is loads of fun and doesn’t always want to come back! Also the jumping on people - argh! Mud so much mud everywhere….

@Stretchandsnap Billy started puppy classes at 12 weeks and I think we’d have got more out of it if he’d have been a little older.

Billy has had the best morning. He met his 3 friends at the park and on the way back he met another lab that could have been his identical twin! He was playing out for an hour and a half. Of course he went to the pet shop for his chew after but he’s fallen asleep before he can even chew it!

Ada has also had a great morning. Brief moment of worry when she appeared to roll in something at a distance, but turned out just to be seaweed.

We did puppy classes from 12 weeks and it was an absolute nightmare, so glad when they were moved online due to Covid!

We started puppy classes when the pup was about 15 weeks old and he was one of the older ones. TBH it was mostly a waste of time and money since he already knew most of what was taught and the trainer was mediocre. They also didn't allow the puppies to interact at all. I am looking around for another trainer who might offer an intermediate class.

Charlie is settling in well and is a real charmer HOWEVER he is very nippy and has been quite bitey the last few days. I have sacrified a couple of old joggers. Please can I have advise on how to deal with the biting? He has plenty of chew toys, ropes, bones etc but the minute we enter the room, its our clothes he seems to have a special fondness for.

Sit used to work with him but yesterday and today, he has decided he doest give a fuck. We are keeping him in a fenced portion of the room to minimise damage.

Please help! He is only 11 weeks old!!

@AutumnNymph the honest truth is the biting and nipping just calms itself down. It helps when they can go out for a walk and have chews like pizzles but really it stops itself around 4 months when they lose their baby teeth.

For those with older pups I’d definitely recommend this new food from Aldi. It scores 85% on the all about dog food site and Billy actually prefers it to the Forthglade packs. I’ve offered him a choice of each and he’s chosen the Langhams one every time. Billy doesn’t want dry food anymore so he’s having these as a complete meal and his poos are smaller and firmer and I think he’s calmer too.

Thanks for the recommendation @LadyCatStark - we still feed mostly kibble but use wet as a topper sometimes so I'll take a look.