Puppy Survival Thread: muddy footprints into Spring 2022

[tizwozliz]

Discussion of all things puppy...

Previous thread here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4451767-Puppy-Survival-Thread-surviving-into-2022

Teenagers also welcome

@mrsfeatherbottom - yes, we still get times where 'pup' (she's nearly 1!) just loses control, it's normally an over tired evening thing. We had a good few months where it wasn't an issue but resumed again over the past 6 weeks which is super frustrating.

I've been busy ordering presents for her birthday next week - spoilt doggo.

She also has a trial night at the dog boarders next week which I'm a bit nervous about as she's definitely taken a step back in terms of settling in the evenings.

I think I broke my dog this evening. We were playing fetch but for a change I took 2 balls. He got very, very tired very very quickly, as he would hurtle back to me and throw one ball on the ground only to tear off after the next one. He's now been sleeping for over an hour, which he doesn't normally do at this time of day when people are around to play with/pester/sit on.

@mrsfeatherbottom when AwesomePup used to do that we put him in his pen to calm down. We might have used a crate if we were using one, but separating bonkers pup from the humans was a necessity. I think I used to scatter treats/kibble on the floor in the pen at the same time so he was getting something calming. 9 times out of 10 he would be asleep in just a few minutes.

@tizwozliz AwesomePup turned one a few weeks ago and he got very spoiled. He thinks the best present was an ostrich bone. I think the bubble machine was great, because that keeps him busy chasing bubbles long enough to get a few jobs done in the house without him "helping"

The problem with putting her in the crate is that she'll then poo or wee (it appears to be a kind of dirty protest).

Weirdly, she'll happily take herself off to bed in her crate during the day and is great in it at night but if we put her in at during the day and close it, she hates it.

Have you got a puppy pen or a gated room you could put her in instead? Just so she's getting less attention and she can't injure the humans, especially the children.

Pup is in the bad books today, she covered herself in something stinky (not quite sure what) and chased deer. Fortunately, there was somewhere we could send her in for a swim so got the worst off before we got home.

She spotted the deer before we did but ignored and went into the field opposite but as soon as the deer spotted us and decided to run off though she was off after them. She stayed in sight and came back once they got to the field boundary but I don't want her chasing at all.

I feel your pain with the deer! We haven't tested this chasing response after deergate. He will recall off pheasants and rabbits but I dread meeting the white bummed bouncy ones!!!

Sympathies @tizwozliz deer are hugely exciting for them. Our neighbours dog caught and killed a young deer in the woods beside our house 🤦🏼‍♀️

I've recalled her off a deer when she was much younger. It definitely wasn't happening today though. I don't think she'd actually hurt them, I'm pretty sure it's all about the chase, but don't want to put that to the test. These were roe deer and she definitely had the edge on them speed wise.

That sounds frustrating @tizwozliz . Deer do sound very exciting for a young dog.

We had our first mantrailing session today. It was lots of fun but I'm going to say that AwesomePup is NOT a natural at it. He had a great time eating the long lead, he charged off in completely the wrong direction nearly pulling me over in the process, he peed on one of the other people's car, he pooed where we were all putting harnesses. He did eventually figure out what the game was and thinks it's great that people give him sardines when he finds them. He's slept at evening, not even bothering about our dinner or his ostrich bone. I don't think he'll ever get a job finding people, but we're all about just having fun. It would be nice if he stopped peeing and pooing in inappropriate places though.

Pup has gone for a trial at the dog boarders today. Not sure how that's going to go.

Morning everyone. Have any of you experienced a bit of regression with toilet training around the 5-6 month mark? A couple of times this month I have been faced with a poo in one of the rooms. I WFH so he is walked twice a day, fed at routine times, and out in the garden regularly so do you think it’s just that he’s maybe been ‘caught out’? Not really sure how to prevent/stop it, any ideas would be most welcome!

Good luck @tizwozliz hope it goes ok. Mac pup loves the boarders he goes to as they always have other dogs to play with.

Also, we had our own deer gate when Mac was 6 months. He did not recall and got lost for 2hrs in a small woods. Glad she didn’t go far. They’re my worst nightmare as he’d definitely still chase.

@GuyFawkesDay did I read on the thread you feed Fawkes pup essentials food? Mac doesn’t really care what he eats, but saw they have good ratings and aren’t that expensive. Is it just kibble though? Can’t be bothered with wet food and wasn’t sure when I looked as they call it croquettes or something odd 🤔

@TheBigMacDougal - can't imagine losing pup for 2 hours, I've since measured, she ran approx. 100m before returning. No other dogs at the boarders and apparently she's been barking most of the morning :-(

Essential is just kibble, but the kibble size varies according to bag size. So the 3kg bags have different sized kibble to the bigger bags. Kibble in the 3kg bags look like this

I don't think mine would ever catch and kill either - she just loves to chase them! It's a bit of a nightmare 😬

@tizwozliz thats hard if she’s been barking. I suppose it’s stressful for them being somewhere different. Did they suggest anything? Maybe other sessions to help her settle?

She settled down after a walk at lunchtime apparently. I haven't had any emergency come get her messages yet so hope she's behaving. She didn't eat much of her tea, but that's not that unusual for her, especially in new environments, even if she's with us.

Will have to see tomorrow whether she'll be welcome back :-) Otherwise I'll be going on my own to my cousin's wedding. Between this and finding something to wear wishing we'd said we couldn't go.

We only need boarding from a Thursday evening to midday Saturday so hopefully it will be ok, it's not like we need to work up to leaving her for a week or anything at this stage

@TheBigMacDougal yes, he's on it at the mo. Gets good ratings and I have a discount code for £15 your order if you want?

I'm in two minds about it. FawkesPup is having a fussy phase, he's just a pain with food unless it's got wet on it. I might as well just buy cheap kibble.

Just seen a German brand cold pressed food I might get. It's ridiculously priced. 86% on all about dogfood. Markus Muhle is the food.

Pup is home again and dog boarder happy to have her back. The test now will be whether she's happy to trot in there again!

How is everyone doing? My pup also had a trial day at the boarders last week and he seemed to enjoy it and do well. We've been working quite a bit on recall since he became a teenager and decided it was much more fun to ignore us. We have seen progress which is encouraging. Today at the park he played really well with his doggy pals Luna and Kora. And when it was time to go he came right away. Somebody said, "What a well-behaved dog." I thought to myself, "If you only knew. . ."

We are now able to go for walks with wolfpup, he is 14 weeks and growing fast. We went to the park with him on the long lead, he is good with his recall so far and seems to enjoy being out. Its just a shame he is only allowed out for such a short time. Vet said 15 mins a day, I thought it was twice a day but they said no.

@PugInTheHouse he's gorgeous. Is it because he's going to be so big you can only do one walk for his joints? We were told 2 walks of 15 mins at that age and that off lead running around in a park or garden didn't count as they are at their own pace...but mine is a smaller breed

@certainshepherdpups I often get those comments as mine automatically sits and waits to cross a road etc but she's being a sod at mo for ignoring me again!

@Aria20 I have no idea, she told me 15 mins includes play at home, thats so difficult to monitor as obv he plays with our other dog. We have been driving to the park and letting him have 15 minutes of play at his own pace, he's not that hectic so it seems fine.

I am going to research further as I was told previously 2 x 15 (but then obv other pup is small breed). I am not even sure she was a vet now, I have a few concerns as paid loads for a best start package and think she was an assistant. She couldn't confidently answer my questions, especially about his limp (which has now gone) which worries me.