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

We had a great night, pup slept in crate until 4.30 without making a noise, pawed at the door so we let him out for a wee. Went back in and then slept until 6.30.

But I must admit I got a big overwhelmed last night and had a little cry, pup had just had a mad hour, jumping up and not giving DS a minute so he got a little bit wary and I starting worrying about how I will manage mornings, breakfast, getting ready for school etc whilst keeping him calm. Anyway I’m trying to be more positive this morning and realised that if he’s unmanageable he’ll have to just go in the garden or in another room for 10 min whilst I sort DS out.

The sleepless nights do getting better. River Pup was waking every few hours, and I need my sleep. One person advised bring his last feed slightly earlier, and making it slightly smaller. We also took the water bowl out of his crate.

Now RiverPup tends to go down around 6.30pm (can be earlier), and wakes around 8.30pm. Sometimes he wees/poos straight away, other times we keep him up until he does. Sometimes he goes straight back to sleep, other times like to lie and knaw something for half an hour or so. He then sleeps through to 6.00, will do a wee, and then on a good day, will fall back to sleep.

Love the pics of all the new pups!

Hollypup went to the groomers on Friday and looks like a big puff ball.

On another note a friend bought these for the pup but I’m not sure if she can have them… Iv never gave her anything like the hard stuff in the middle so I’m unsure … it has a stick white centre.

She’s lovely.
whats happening with the toilet training?

@HollyJollyXmas57 - the centre is rawhide. I don't personally feed anything containing rawhide.

I haven’t given it to her and I haven’t bought her anything like that myself. They tend to be the things I stay away from when I’m looking (although I’m not sure why I stay away from them).

Do you because of blockage/choking? I had a quick Google.

Currently trying to keep pup awake so we can at least get a couple of hours sleep tonight.
Fingers crossed.

@Rowgtfc72 know that feeling. Our monster usually needs to go out and do his business between 7-8pm, but hasn’t tonight, so we’re expecting a disturbed night.

However, spent a lovely hour at the coast today. First time seeing the sea. The waves, which were huge and noisy didn’t bother him. He was quite happy when people came up to pat him etc.

Isn’t amazing how many people talk to you when you have a dog!

@Riverlee we've been in pets at home today. Didn't think dh and the pup were ever going to get out of there.
Diesel is fast asleep. Again. My shift tonight.
We live by the coast and are looking forward to taking him to see it. My old dog loved the sand but not the water.

I went to a big garden centre with my dad the other day…. The amount of people that stopped me was getting ridiculous towards the end. My dad even walked off and left me at one point.

A lot of people seem to like dogs 😂 This is my first one and Iv never stopped anyone with a dog/puppy myself so I wasnt expecting as many people to be stopping me when out 😅

How does everyone do evenings/bedtime for the pups?

Hollypup seems to be awake til around about 8.30pm-9 ish and then crashes out on the sofa with us.
She will get up with me if I go and make a cup of tea after that and il normally let her out for a wee then again.

When I go to bed around 11pm-midnight she is normally fast asleep and doesn’t move when I get up but I wake her up and take her in the garden for a last reluctant wee and then she goes in her crate to morning.

Should I be waking her up when I go to bed to take her out or should I put her straight in her crate? She doesn’t really like going out at that time but she sleeps through once in her crate til morning so keep making her to avoid accidents.

I think that’s sensible @HollyJollyXmas57 our evenings are always a little different depending when Haku naps and how awake he is if/when he wakes. He’s been crashed out since about 7:30 and just woke up so I think DH is going to just keep him up then take him for a final late night wee when he (DH) is ready to go to bed - his shift tonight!

we had a very busy weekend with my in laws down, took Haku everywhere, market day in town, out for lunch, on an autumnal walk, to the pub! I’m taking him on the train to London tomorrow which will be interesting - thankfully he’s not a barky dog so far and seems to hold his wee well when we’re out so I’m hoping the train ride will be reasonably smooth and we won’t be getting any public transport once we’re in town.

also had a 1-2-1 training session which was great and tired him out too - trainer advised we don’t put him on a lead when we go out on the rec or to the park because at this age he wants to be with us so we should take advantage of that to build recall, so then we had a lovely 20 mins or so running around with him on the wide open space

hoping DH has a good night with him - they’re both a nightmare when tired 😉

Pup so far has slept all night. He's next to me on the sofa. Tried to put him in his crate 5 times and he howls. Nobody really slept last night and dh is up at 5 for work- he drives a fork truck so needs to be alert. I got an hours sleep before pup woke up.
Fortunately took the week off work but I'm going to need more than an hour a night!

@Rowgtfc72 sorry you had a rough night. We are getting through until 4.30, quick wee and poo and then back in until 7 which is great but my god he has tested my patience this morning.

I’ve been in tears 3 times since we got him because he has these manic times where he just can’t even think about behaving, he’s jumping on everything constantly, we aren’t allowing him to be on the sofa because when he’s up there he doesn’t give DS a second of rest, constantly climbing on him and we feel that DS needs a safe space to relax without being bothered but for a good hour this morning it was constant jumping up on one of the three sofas we have in both downstairs rooms. I feel very overwhelmed, I’m a stay at home mum and I feel like this is my life now, constantly fighting with a crazy dog!

He's had two hours in his crate this morning because I put a cushion off the sofa in there. Dd had a friend round before school, took him out to show her and he went back in and back to sleep. He came out on his crate on his own went out for a wee and is currently chewing my table and anything he can get his teeth round.
He's on our sofa but has to be lifted on and off but he's put in his bed at mealtimes.
Twenty years since I had a puppy. I remember it being this hard, hence the puppy is dhs.
I've taken the week off work as I know he can't do his job on no sleep.
We work opposite shifts so I will always be the first to him in a morning to do feeds , wees and walks and will be the first one home to do feeds wees and walks.
I think I've lucked out there.

We have a playpen for the hour in between our shifts ( won't need it for 8 weeks as we've sorted things out to get him used to it) but it's a safe space for him.

It is hard but once they're trained and not so small anymore dogs are the best thing. Lost mine 4 years ago age 16. She'll never be replaced hence puppy belongs to dh.
If we put the hard work in now we can reap the benefits later, which is very twee when you're tired and frazzled from manic puppies but it will be worth it.

@Rowgtfc72 that all sounds encouraging for your pup.

Ours has calmed down after school run, he’s taken himself off for a sleep in his crate now (just as I was about to attempt our first walk!). Was just having a chat with my mum and I said I don’t recall my sister being so frazzled with her puppy but as my mum said, ‘that’s because she just let him do whatever he wanted, it’s stressful now but you’ll have a better behaved dog in the long run’, so very similar to what you have just said - it’s worth putting the work in now.

We’ve made a good start on sit, he remembers it most of the time (apart from hyper hour when I don’t think he’d remember his own head if it wasn’t screwed on), also think I’m making a bit of progress with ‘leave it’, when he picks up something he should have I’ve been dropping a piece of kibble and saying leave it, he chooses the kibble so I then pick up the thing he shouldn’t have - usually a slipper - anyway, earlier on I said leave it and he dropped it and looked for the treat before I offered it. Not sure if you can treat them too much though so maybe I’m making a rod for my own back??

Twiggy arrived yesterday and has quickly made herself at home! We've already had all poos and most wees outside and she slept 9-1.30am and then 1.45-5 in the crate. But god I'd forgotten how much hard work it is! I've already felt tearful about what I've let myself in for but I remember feeling like this with DDog1 and it soon passed! Speaking of DDog1, she is not keen on the pup - growls at her and walks away but mostly ignores her. I've given her lots of love and a space to escape to but I'm worried I've ruined her life

I don't think you can treat them too much while they're so small.
Diesel isn't even booked in for his second jab yet only had his first one last week. I think he'll be more chilled when he can go out more. That's a while off yet.
My last dog wasn't housetrained, no recall and not properly socialised. Exdh never bothered. Putting some effort into this one.

@Citygirlrurallife I’M impressed you played in a park off-lead. I’d be scared RiverPup would run off, distracted by an interesting smell for example. I think Haku is similar age to RiverPup (13 weeks) and a similar-ish breed (lab).It’s nice to be getting out and about with them.

@Rowgtfc72 Does he howl or whinge? I found putting him in the crate, and then sitting next to the crate making reassuring noises helped. Eventually he settled a lot quicker and we could move away. I watched a really good Mcann video on YouTube which helped me with crate training,

@MrsWhites How long have you had WhitePup. We found RiverPup was manic at first and then settled down. He’s still like an overactive toddler at times, but we seem to have established a routine now. Also, dogs have zoomie moments, where they become f1 dogs, charging around the garden or lounge (I hadn’t heard about this pre-pup).

@JessieEssex Twiggy is cute. What breed? Boston terrier?

@Riverlee she's a Border terrier x Norfolk Terrier

@JessieEssex was going to say border or Norfolk. Bonus she's a bit of both!

@Riverlee he whinges in his crate so I've tried crouching down and being soothing but he's wise to that. He's had 5 naps in his crate today and took himself in once so crossing fingers for a quieter night.

@JessieEssex My first pup went in with an existing dog. My two yr old Jack Russell was absolutely terrified of the tiny puppy.

@MrsWhites sorry you’re finding it such hard work - it felt very similar at the beginning for us but now Haku doesn’t jump or get overexcited unless he’s genuinely not had attention for a while - we also started clicker training and hes super responsive to that

@Riverlee yes very similar - Haku is 14 weeks and a retriever. Our trainer said just take him out and let him go, he’s the perfect age because he wants to be with us so do it - we actually had him on a long lead to start with as I was nervous but he was having so much fun running between us that I took it off and he even had a play with another dog, apparently 5 months is when they start running off and not coming back if you haven’t established recall

What would a Norfolk/Border be called in the modern terminology (as opposed to mongrel)?

BoNo?
NoBo?
BorNor?
NorBor?
BoNor?
NorBo?

@Citygirlrurallife Puppy training classes start this week, so hopefully we’ll have RiverPup trained soon.

@Riverlee we actually got a trainer to come to us for 121 yesterday so our whole family would be doing the same thing