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

[WomblingKnobhead]

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

TerrorPup appears to have learnt the art of a lie-in at the age of 16 months! We had only gone past 7am on about three occasions previously but pretty much everyday since we've been off work it's been 8am or later. We were late for something today as I usually rely on her getting us up at 7am so didn't set an alarm.

She's also just been a star with another Central London trip. Tubes she is ok but still uneasy about. She'll take treats but isn't as relaxed as I'd like, so we need to try and do more regular but shorter journeys I think. But definitely now having moments wondering where my puppy has gone, we got a settle on her mat (because this princess won't lie on bare floor) whilst we ate our lunch at the table next to another dog, with lots of other dogs walking by. Tbf think it was a bit of a fluke but I'll take it!

Spending time with a puppy this week has made me realise quite how far we've come. The bitey days where I cried more than I didn't cry seem a long time ago!

We get lie ins too. Last wee at 10pm and then upstairs and don't hear a peep until we all get up which some days this week has been 9am!

I'm grateful every day for that!

@TerrierOrTerror @cheeseisthebest. you give me hope - i needed to hear that.

I needed to hear this too. I haven't cried for a couple of days but I have been close.

Trying not to worry about next week when we're both working (albeit wfh) and how we'll juggle her. Current plan is big walk before work and another at lunchtime and pray she sleeps??

(still can't upload photo)

@tizwozliz mine is still wanting company at night. 3:30am he was whining. I let him out in case it was the loo but he sat by the door looking at me like I was mad, so I shoved him back in his crate and let him whine. I've discovered if I make noises like I am snoring he settles?!? Literally 2 minutes and he settled again.

I think he wants to be near us but it's tough luck so I am working back to full overnights in the crate. No more getting up and letting him cuddle up on the sofa with me. He's absolutely fine, just wants cuddles!!

Then he's been in the world's most disgusting smelling ditch on our walk (nice and stagnant) and rolled in fox poo again so he's had a very long and thorough bath with added ketchup massage.

I do find if I feed him and snuggle up on the sofa afterwards with him he sleeps til 8:30am. Which will do for now. But I dream of being in bed til then!!

@GuyFawkesDay - yes Ada settles again quite quickly, sometimes all you need to do is talk to her over the camera but I don't know how we eliminate needing to see us in the night time. If we leave her to whine she just gets louder and more worked up and we have attached neighbours.

She's not generally a velcro dog in the day time, quite happy to nap away from us.

I am wondering if it's a bit of a secondary fear period? He was fine all night til a few weeks ago?

We've never had really consistent overnight sleeping so for us I'm not sure it's a fear period. We'll have a week of good sleeping, then back to square one.

We've just been to Go Outdoors, Ada jumped up at half the mannequins! That's our main aim for next year, to stop her jumping up at people.

Sushipup is doing okay. She can't go out for walks for 5 days - arrgghhh! - and has to wear a little plastic bag on her foot on top of her bandage when she goes into the garden. She is still a bit sleepy from the sedative thank goodness so happy lounging on the sofa for now.

Recognising toy names is a great idea! She definitily knows monkey, teddy and ball already. I'm thinking about finding a basket she can pop them in when asked. Maybe I am being too ambitious and maybe she will just eat the basket!

FawkesPup definitely recognises ball, snake, toy. Ask him to fetch a toy when he gets hyper bitey (asking to play) and he fetches a tuggy type thing) so I'm pretty certain he gets it.

He's got an itchy rash on his inner thigh and ballsack tonight. Think he might have had nettle stings and then scratched himself raw?

@GuyFawkesDay ouch! Hope the rash is less itchy today?

Stretchpup is obsessed with eating stones, twigs, leaves and soil. We are trying to teach leave, but apparently they are far more delicious than anything we can give him.

Consequently he was sick yesterday and vomited but loads of leaves and then had really bad diarrhoea (nice!). He isn’t that interested in food today, but have offered some plain rice and egg (no boiled chicken), so will see how he gets on. There always something/someone to worry about as a mum!

Happy new year everyone, Billy’s diving head first into 2022b hope the poorly pups feel better 😘.

@LadyCatStark. thats a fabulous photo!

@LadyCatStark fearless! We are back from a sniffy stroll on lead by river so as not to need another bath before in-laws come over tonight! They aren't really doggy people so going to be interesting!

Happy new year all!

Poor fella has licked/chewed an area about 4" across almost bald. It feels hot to touch too, but that could just be the irritation.
He's had piriton to take the itching away and who knew but you can use germolene on dogs! It's got a local anaesthetic and antibacterial agent so hopefully the combination will make it better. Poor lad looks like he's been plucked like a chicken on one inner thigh, and it's really obvious because he's such a fluffy lump. If it's still bothering him then I'll use the video vet via the insurance to ask what to do next. I'm absolutely positive it's a reaction to something, he had similar rash on his tummy when he was tiny. It's either nettles, a plant in the back garden (I have my suspicions, and will remove it) or something in the farmers field but it's on such a specific area it makes sense to be nettles or plant related.

Poor boy @GuyFawkesDay. I hope it clears up quickly.

AwesomePup had a really good day today. We had a great, long walk down by the river, which was really full and he was in and out of the lovely muddy water like a mad thing. I had him on the long line but dropped it most of the time and just stepped on it the couple of times we saw other people/dogs. We did manage to break the front clip off his harness though when I accidentally stepped on the lead when he was running full tilt. He looked very confused as to where his lead had gone, so he came back to investigate.

Happy New Year everyone! I keep checking in and forgetting to post.

I had a tip shared with me the other day: to use mane and tail spray on Mac pup to help get mud off him. It doesn’t stop the mud going on, but it does come off easier! Plus he smells lush and is all soft 😂. Tempted to try it on my hair too but not roll in the mud.

Other than that we’re all doing well. His sit and stay is coming on. Keeps worrying me about his recall but is mostly very good at coming back close if not quite by my side for a treat.

Hope everyone has a lovely 2022 and pups all
come on well.

Happy new year everyone ! We managed our first short sniffy walk yesterday . Poor pup was exhausted at the end of it and slept so well! We will do another one of “an hour to get the harness on” and 10 mins of walking thing with him again today to start building sole kind of routine. He got a lot of attention from the neighbours and loved every bit of it.

Hope everyone has a 2022 which is more predictable , less drama and filled with laughter with our pups.

@AutumnNymph what harness have you got? We found FawkesPup hates the ones that go over his head. We have got one which fastens with clasps now and he's learned to lift the right paw to get it on and no stress or nipping or wriggling away from it. I think for us, the floppity spaniel ears and getting those in/out of the harness were a bit of an issue 🤣

FawkesPup's baldy bits are better, still licking at them this morning but it's far less red. Carrying on with piriton and germolene today and if it doesn't improve a lot I'll book the video vet. I think it's turned a corner though. I may also purchase a blow up cone of shame just in case, as it's nighttime he's licking it the most

Have cried today but hoping that's not a sign for the year ahead.

Hoping to get OH out on his motorbike and meet him for a coffee and a walk later. Change of scene, fresh air and some miles on the paws.

@GuyFawkesDay could you link to the kind you have ? I think we have the same floppity ear deal going on.

Happy New Year everyone!

Wow @LadyCatStark you have an olympic diver on your hands!

@motherofawhirlwind hope you are ok and managed to get out.

Frogdog has his first puppy class tomorrow, should be interesting as he is becoming increasingly nervous around other dogs. Had to pick him up today because a cocker spaniel came up wanting to play/sniff at him and he thought it was trying to eat him. Then the little girl it belonged to tried to stroke his head and he bit her . Luckily not hard and neither she nor the parent were bothered but I was mortified. Now every time he sees another dog I am having to pick him up because he is literally trying to climb up my leg.

He has also worked out how to get out of the cat flap

Hope Fawkespup is better and you get to the bottom of it. God knows ours has eaten a bit of every plant in the garden now including supposedly poisonous ones. He is especially partial to agapanthus leaves . He has also tried to eat a bauble, a marble, some placemats and nerf gun bullet today.

Oh no @LostFrog

Our dpup is also nervous around other dogs so we practise walking past and ignoring or sitting and focusing on us as they pass depending on where we are/ what the other dogs like. Also a toy to distract helps

We had two big dogs went mad as she passed them on her 2nd walk, she walked passed beautifully bless her then they starting really aggressively barking and launching towards here even I was scared so we are building back up slowly.