Puppy Survival Thread: Surviving into Summer 2022

[tizwozliz]

Discussion of all things puppy, highlights and pitfalls, good times and bad, successes and failures

Previous thread here

www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/4496297-Puppy-Survival-Thread-muddy-footprints-into-Spring-2022

Teenagers also welcome

@Prancingponies what a sweetie! What breed is your other dog?
@dinkydino123 sorry you are having a rubbish day. Puppies are exhausting!
@DMCWelshcakes yes our pup seemed to get hiccups a lot early on then they stopped. Not sure what caused them!

Trying to clean the house for visitors this weekend. So much dog hair everywhere and she's come into season too. At least she is not getting under my feet too much.

DDog is an italian greyhound cross chihuahua. He takes far more after his greyhound heritage: He loves a good zoom, then to couch surf all day.

Hello, everyone. I hope Friday is going well for all puppies and people!

We had a good week. My husband and I usually work from home most of the time, but this week we've started a new schedule which involves having to leave the pup on his own for about 3 hours a few times a week (though not 3 hours in a row). I was worried about how he would cope since he's used to one of us being here all the time. But so far he's been fine. I'm so relieved. He's an older pup, 14 months old now. I take him for a long walk before being on his own and he has a licky mat or frozen Kong while we're gone.

I hope things continue to go well (fingers crossed, touch wood). He used to go to a day care once a week but we stopped that in May because I think it was a bit overstimulating for him. Now that he's a bit more mature, it might be a better environment for him so I'm considering sending him again. But I'm not sure. He might be better off at home.

@dinkydino123 hope you're feeling better now - we've all been there! In a few more weeks, your pup will go through massive changes. Eejitpup is just like a small dog now. Here's the difference in my in 5-6 weeks. He had his first wash & blow yesterday & was such a good boy.

Today he's learning pretty well not to jump up so going to work on that over the next few days!

Oops, and the now!

Thanks everyone! We had a much better afternoon/evening so am feeling a bit more positive. I know we'll get there eventually!

@buckeejit so cute!

foxpup has been a bit of a knob today. Very bitey and Snapping at ankles.
We’ve been practicing walking at heel with treats which has gone well. Recall is pretty good unless there’s a rotten pear to under the tree or a chance to sniff Nextdoor’s dog. Average day has one wee accident. Lots of naps in the crate is making things easier though.

Pick up puppy in a weeks time.

Had another feeling ignorant moment. I kept hearing people refer to ‘kibbles’. Didn’t know what it was, expecting it to be a brand of dog food etc, or one of those words which was originally a brand, and now in everyday usage (such as hoover etc). Turns out it just means dried dog food. Doh!

Wow, Buck-Pup has grown so much. Very cute.

Well FawkesPup has been a total PITA away at my parents house. He's been in their pond twice, we can't fence it in so on lead only in the garden now. Slept on floor in my room, ended up on the bed as he whined and barked.

Went out for walks yesterday, he pulled like a train on lead, run off, it's like going back 5 months. I have to admit I had a little cry walking him this morning I was so tired. Luckily for him he behaved himself so he's redeemed himself a little.

Some days I do wonder wtf I was thinking getting him!

Oh god, I had a night like that last night. He screamed for 25 mins when we put him into his crate to go to bed. Then we woke him at 5 to go out, then he screamed till 6am at which point my husband got up and walked him for an hour. We've had him a week now and all the other nights he went back to sleep at 5am with just a whine. Turns out last night he'd pooed the bed. I'm not sure if that's cos he was so stressed with the barking or if he was actually needing to go.
I put him in his crate with a kong this morning and closed the door, he's been in there dozing and complaining a little bit but I find that if he's out he just paces up and down the whole time. Whhhhyyyyy??? Why did we do it?

@GuyFawkesDay sorry he’s been a pita. He sounds amazing most of the time. It’ll just be a holiday blip.

@Acorncat1 maybe he was upset as they hate messing their bed? Hopefully just a one off.

foxpup slept until 6:30am (DD slept on the kitchen floor until midnight but we’ll ignore that)

I don't know I feel like we'll never get there. I feed him in his crate, put toys in there, kong with food etc and he doens't seem to like it much. We cant' have him roaming around though cos he's not trained. I'm so tired and upset today. 😣

it seems to be getting worse and not better...I feel like we don't have a clue what we're doing...

I know he gets wired and needs way more sleep during the day, the pacing and whining kills me but he won't sleep. Eventually when he does go off one of the kids come in or I have to get up and do stuff or my husband has to take a work call which wakes him up again....

Then I feel so frustrated and guilty that he's not getting enough sleep and that he'd be much better if he did sleep.

@Acorncat1 that sounds hard and frustrating. Does he need to sleep in the crate? We never used a crate at night though we had one in the early months for daytime naps. My pup slept in a puppy-proofed room. The first couple of weeks he woke at about 5:00, and after that he was fine until 7:00 or even later. Could you have him in the kitchen/another room or a pen at night? I know there are different schools of thought about leaving them to cry, but if he seems distressed I wouldn’t leave him in the crate. It’s also true that puppies are individuals and some are just better sleepers than others (like babies!). Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw. I hope today gets better for you.

@Acorncat1 this stage won’t last forever. Hope tonight is better. I cam empathise about the DCs waking the pup up. It’s very annoying. Have you tried white noise to block the sounds out?

Quick question - Currently puppy proofing house (having a baby is easier!). Do we need to remove books from lower shelves?

Our pup was never interested in the books.

I'm hating this. Pup is a nightmare at home but lovely out and about. Her siblings are much calmer and she is bigger. The biting and constant harassing the other dogs and cats. Our dog trainer said if the cats tell her off she won't chase etc- that's not the case she keeps trying to play bite and chase. Does anyone else have a cocker pup? Or dog? What are they like?
Our other dogs are so easy!

How old is pup?

I have a cocker and he was a very good puppy (mostly) but always liked a chase. Absolute arsehole as a teenager. Starting to get there now!

@NotaFR I have an 18 month old spaniel - she's pretty good at home and chills a lot now. But if she sees a cat when she's on a walk - my arm is yanked off and she wants to chase! I can't say if this would have calmed down if she lived with a cat as I don't have a cat but maybe yours will get used to the cats...

She is about 14/15 weeks. My main worry is that she won't grow out of this with the cats/dogs. In which case I'm not sure how doable this is. Our cats are used to dogs, and in fact put the dogs in their place. This is different though it's like she doesn't care.

@NotaFR is she overtired? Do you use a crate? My cocker pup is very bitey when tired. She needs enforced naps multiple times a day other wise she’s wild. Well rested and she’s lovely.