Puppy Survival Thread: surviving into 2022

[LadyCatStark]

The other thread is full and I can’t see a new one! Hope it’s OK to start one. I’m actually barely surviving puppyhood, actually teenagerhood, this week 🤬😡😭.

@GuyFawkesDay

Muffin tin game is fab too. 1 X cupcake tin. 12 balls/toys. Put kibble or treats under the toys in a few of the hollows and let pup find them

Sounds fun too, will definitely try. 😊

Struggling today. On way back from second walk pup started jumping up and biting my arm and lead. It's a thing he does if he's not ready to go home. He's a 45 kilo lab (12m) so it hurts. He doesn't do it every walk maybe once a week but it's hard. This time he pulled my coat so it moved up my arm and he caught my bare wrist which is now bruised.

@wishfuldogowner

Struggling today. On way back from second walk pup started jumping up and biting my arm and lead. It's a thing he does if he's not ready to go home. He's a 45 kilo lab (12m) so it hurts. He doesn't do it every walk maybe once a week but it's hard. This time he pulled my coat so it moved up my arm and he caught my bare wrist which is now bruised.

I don’t know if you’ve ever watched Dogs Behaving Bsdly but there was a recent episode featuring a boxer (set in Wales) that covered exactly that. Just heading out to work so don’t have time to look up the episodes but definitely worth a watch

Only day 2 of her season and it's surprised me how much I'm missing going out for her walks.

@tizwozliz

Only day 2 of her season and it's surprised me how much I'm missing going out for her walks.

Hard being in “lockdown” isn’t it. Your garden never fees smaller… 😂

@Autumn101

Just found this thread and hope it’s ok to join x

We picked up our puppy on Saturday and I am definitely feeling a bit of post puppy blues I think - really emotional and overwhelmed! He’s very very gorgeous and loving but it feels like having a newborn, if I’m not watching for toilet accidents I’m feeding/playing/trying to get him to nap/not chew furniture - every minute day and night seems focussed on him!

I can’t wait to start puppy classes and shirt walks just to get out the house 😂

Hope I can join too - I'm feeling exactly the same. We got our puppy on Sunday and it's really overwhelming not being able to focus on anything else. Lost all free time and not getting much sleep. Someone tell me how long this will last! He's doing very well with potty training so that's a plus. I know it sounds pathetic but I miss chilled evenings with my husband! We sleep separately at the mo as one has to be downstairs with the pup for now.

@GuyFawkesDay

Honestly I sat and cried with tiredness and frustration and "wtf have I done" even though I loved the little oik. I promise it gets better and so do they!

This is me right now!!! Close to tears

Flora - I have pmed you. We can help each other along this massive upheaval!!!

I will keep quiet about undisturbed nights, but we got chilled out evenings on the sofa fairly quickly. Admittedly I ended up falling asleep too a lot!

@florafaunaforest once the pup can have a natural chew like a goats ear you will have peaceful evenings again. I think it's from 12 weeks they can have that sort of thing?

Yes, the crazy evenings don't last forever and you will sleep through the night again. In your own bed :) Strength to you, it's gruelling at first. If he is winning at toileting that is great.

@Aria20 he's just turned 12 weeks so I'm researching that asap!! I miss my evenings.

@Goawayangryman thank you! Very good to hear. Yes, feeling lucky on the toilet training front. Now to aim for sleeping through the night!

Confess that mine had a variety of natural chews from quite a young age 10 weeks but she is a big beast and we went for the softer ones like puffed pig snouts, jerky, slightly softened pigs ears, rabbit ears with hair, etc.

Ours also had chews from around 10 weeks. I'm 95% sure there were ones suitable from 10 weeks at the time on the site we buy from (not sure if they've changed recommended age). Though tbf I wasn't at all concerned when my parents 9 week old stole TerrorPups cow ear over Christmas, as long as they are supervised and I would remove when it gets too small at that age I would go for it cautiously.

Equally I watch TerrorPup chomping inch long leftover bits of pizzle upside down so am fairly relaxed.

May I join? Our new border collie, Jessica, is 10 weeks old. She has been with us since Monday, and we are all utterly besotted.

She also had her first chew today. I didn't check the recommended age, as I needed a bit of quiet to fill in some forms. She kept bringing it closer to check where I was, then, on making eye contact, hiding again (because a duck-flavoured "natural" fake bone is clearly something I'd snatch back from her with my bare teeth).

@SirChenjins thank you I'll have a look

FawkesPup is chilling on the rug with his ostrich bone. Been a good lad today so he's clearly lulling me into a false sense of security before the next teenage phase hits and he reverts to being the Hound of the Twatskervilles again!

Yes evenings do get better. One tip put all toys away except something to chew on. Antlers, horns are great. That way they aren't tempted to go into play mode.

@ABitBesottedWithMyDog

May I join? Our new border collie, Jessica, is 10 weeks old. She has been with us since Monday, and we are all utterly besotted.

Welcome!

Watched a couple of the dogs behaving badly last night. It does make me feel better but How do they make it look so easy?!! Considering applying now would be hilarious to watch graham asking for sit while my dog pretends he doesn't have a clue!! 😂

Morning everyone, hope you’re all well x

Just wanted a bit of advice from those more experienced puppy owners!

Our gorgeous little 9 week old has been with us a week now - he sleeps in a crate in the kitchen from 10ish to 6ish. He cries 2/3 times a night so we go down and lie next to him and he resettles relatively quickly. During the day he happily goes off to nap in his crate. His awake time he is very full on and we do loads of playing and time in the garden and I’ve with him constantly.

Is this the right approach for now? I’ve read so many conflicting bits of advice!!! I wondered if I should just have an air bed and sleep next to him all night for a while

Any tips for a car sick puppy? New puppy is sick every single time we go in the car - he starts drooling first (he doesn't drool any other time) and then is sick soon afterwards.

Do we just have to wait it out? Dh says we should just stop bringing him in the car, which means leaving him for up to an hour instead (school run). Will he just outgrow it, or does he need to keep coming in the car to adjust to it? Our older dog did not do this - he was fine straightaway.

Poor little lamb. It sounds mad, but our old dog wouldn't be sick if she was sitting on newspaper.

@Autumn101

Morning everyone, hope you’re all well x

Just wanted a bit of advice from those more experienced puppy owners!

Our gorgeous little 9 week old has been with us a week now - he sleeps in a crate in the kitchen from 10ish to 6ish. He cries 2/3 times a night so we go down and lie next to him and he resettles relatively quickly. During the day he happily goes off to nap in his crate. His awake time he is very full on and we do loads of playing and time in the garden and I’ve with him constantly.

Is this the right approach for now? I’ve read so many conflicting bits of advice!!! I wondered if I should just have an air bed and sleep next to him all night for a while

This sounds like the right approach to me, but you will get differing opinions. Our puppy is the same age and has now stopped crying at night, but we do have an older dog to keep him company. It's tricky, because you want to offer comfort, but at the same time you don't want to teach them that crying = attention. I used to go down and be in the room, but not make any fuss at all or do anything that would suggest it was no longer night time (kept lights off, etc).