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

Glad you got a decent sleep. The tummy could well be a combo of everything, keep an eye and see if it settles. He is ridiculously cute btw!!

New pups often have explosive tum, could be too many treats or a combination of things.

Re: car, FawkesPup used to whine and howl a bit. I think a lot was to do with the fact that as a tiny pup vet= jab, away from mum, stress.

We did short trips with treats somewhere FUN. So for us, the big park, to the market on Saturday to get treats. He then started to realise car = fun stuff is coming, yippee!

Now he travels like a pro.

Thanks all. He also did a sick and brought up what looked like an undigested breakfast.

He seems OK in himself though and is happily splooting under my desk as I work.

Questions about mealtimes for your dogs - what times do they get fed?

Have used this hot weather to cut down to 2 meals, early walks have meant he’s not had breakfast until 8.30/9 (usually 7) and then I’ve given him a Kong or licky mat through the day with yoghurt/peanut butter etc and then dinner at 6. This is working well but once we all go back to school/work timings won’t fit really. We go out for a walk about 8/8.30 usually and often not home until 11ish (long walk and stop at a cafe or call in to my sister). If I fed him at 7 I don’t think he could last until 6 so maybe I should do dinner at 4.30/5?

He is incredibly greedy and always acts like he’s starving and will eat anything so pushing mealtimes hasn’t been easy!!

We have no set meal times. She gets 3 meals a day but breakfast can be between 6:30 and 8:30, lunch between 12 and 2 and dinner between 5 and 8. This doesn't seem to bother pup at all, she seems to have no concept of mealtimes but then she is not very foody.

No set meal times here either. Having seen my SIL's dog pester them for a good 90 minutes before their dinner time (6 o'clock every day), I was keen to try to avoid that.

Our pup isn't hungry first thing so tends to have her first of three meals about 11 or 12, another mid/late afternoon and the last after our tea. Might drop to two meals soon.

No set mealtimes here either.

We've gone back to enrichment feeding with him being less able to walk so Kong wobble with breakfast in which is picked at during the day.

Frozen dinner in Kongs, snake etc so he has 3 smaller snacks throughout the evening.

@mrsfeatherbottom - yeah that’s pretty much how I imagine he could end up, he is such a greedy boy!

From responses so far I think I need to change it up more. Honestly he’d eat a meal every 20 minutes if I offered it……..

I also have 2 cats who instinctively know when it's 8am and 5pm (even when the clocks change), so I imagine DiddyDoggo will have to fit in with them.

Hi all. Can I join? Currently had our springer spaniel pup for 10 days and boy it is hard work!
We've had a puppy before and I swore I'd never do it again but hubby managed to grind me down and I gave in. Now mourning my puppy-free life 😭😭

Pup is the cutest little thing and is simply being a puppy so no resentment towards her (that's all aimed at hubby right now!) I feel like I'm Googling the shit out of everything right now and overthinking it all. Lack of sleep not helping! Sorry for the pity post 😢

@mizzblizz she is so gorgeous! You’re making me broody for another one…..

My springer is now nearly 9 months - I found it so so hard to start, he’s our first dog although we both grew up with dogs. Was exactly like having a newborn again! It gets so much easier so quickly x

@Autumn101 I really needed to hear that right now, thank you 🙏🏼 what would you say was the turning point for you? We had a cocker spaniel pup before but that was 17 years ago and I can't really remember when he started settling down.
Hoping this 'baby shark' phase doesn't last too long. She will be 10 weeks old tomorrow x

I would say it got hugely better from around 16 weeks - he started sleeping reliably all night, the nipping calmed down and we started letting him off lead on walks. Typical springer he just loves to run!

I definitely had some puppy blues, really anxious and on edge. Now I wouldn’t be without him, he’s an absolute joy in my life

@mizzblizz ah she's so cute!

@Autumn101 mine won't eat breakfast until after a walk and a nap so she usually has brunch/lunch instead between 11-1!
Then dinner she might eat half of it about 5pm and the rest after her evening walk. She's also not a foody dog though! (Unless it's human food!)

@Autumn101 thank you, that's really encouraging. I'm on countdown to 16 weeks now! 

@Aria20 Thank you! She's absolutely adorable, but then turns into devil dog

Thanks @tizwozliz I threw the bag away and dispensed it into a container so will check next time I buy it!

My pup is 11.5 weeks and has 3/4 meals a day no set times as yet but loosely breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner....if not particularly having a hungry day we skip tea and train for treats or lick mat etc

She's grown massively in the 2.5 weeks I have had her!

Can I ask re grooming please. I e a recommended cocker specialist who will hand strip when the time is right, she's already very fluffy and I'd like her to get used to going, when would you start this?

@Nugg lots of groomers offer a puppy groom just to get them used to being handled and washed, claws clipped etc you can normally book this once they've had all jabs. It's def good to get them used to it young.

We started at the groomers as soon as she was fully vaccinated- not clipped, just shampooed etc to get her used it. It cost £20 (normal price for her cut/breed when she's an adult will be £55)

@Aria20 @mrsfeatherbottom thank you have sent a message to ask - she's not allowed out til a week on weds - getting her used to harness and collar and lead atm

@Nugg ahhh still tiny!

We picked our pup up yesterday. So far not too bad. The house training is hit and miss. We take her out at all the correct times (after nap, after food etc) We spend ages waiting outside then she comes in and wees on the floor.
It’s been impossible to reward any outside wees because she’s hardly doing any

@Foxgloveleaf when you come in don't put her down on the floor, keep her in your arms, wait a few mins then go back outside and put her on the floor outside and hopefully she'll go! Use a cue word for toilet as she's going. Then lots of praise/treats.

We had that at the beginning so we ended up having to stay outside with her, no matter how long it was until she did a wee. It was nice weather and we had the bi folds open all the time and I think she got confused about inside and outside so we started keeping the door shut and that helped.

@Foxgloveleaf we've just been through the exact same thing. We learnt her cues and when she started circling we would quickly take her outside. We would then sit and wait as she would get distracted and then not go! But we knew she needed to do something so just stayed outside until she did it. We gave her a tonne of praise and now, 10 days later, we are having very few accidents in the house

@mrsfeatherbottom that's interesting as my door has been open all day and my pup has done 3 pees on the floor - I couldn't work it out now I realise. Will continue taking her as she does let me know usually