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

@tizwozliz how did you teach those pivots etc? I need to introduce some new training things as our existing repertoire is not stimulating enough to tire her out!

We just used a lure. So assuming you can already have her sitting by your side I just turn 90 degrees and lure her round, and reward when she turns and sits. I've seen other people on line training it with a kiddy toilet step but I don't know how that works tbh.

In the garden I can use a food lure, out and about I lure with the tennis ball (I do a few reps then throw the ball as the reward).

Clockwise was straightforward, counter clockwise has taken quite a bit of work.

This is where we're at right now
flic.kr/p/2nELJxz

Finish is still a bit too enthusiastic!
flic.kr/p/2nERNHp

Fourth night with our pup and she slept through for the first time. I needed the sleep!
Yesterday’s house training went a lot better. She snuck one wee in the house, but everything else was outside. The DCs are really taking on a lot of the load with her which is amazing.

However, she’s discovered rabbit poo which is apparently delicious. We’re constantly taking bits of stick out of her mouth. I wouldn’t trust her not to make a run for it and she’s already too fast to catch. She likes chewing shoes, the shoe rack, Barbies and toy cars.

Ah field caviar! FawkesPup loved a bit of rabbit poop!!

Try a damp teatowel, knot it and freeze. Best teething toy ever. Ours still loves a knotty cloth to shred.

I have this one and it’s brilliant! Dog proof too 😄

I keep the dog food bin under the stairs. With the hoover. It's enough to put dog off trying, he's very apprehensive of the vac monster!!

Any type of poo is a delicious snack for a pup! Mines favourite is cat poo 🤮 been trying to persuade my cat to use her litter tray (it’s where he can’t get to) but she keeps going in the garden, he always knows and does a manic run to get there before me!

We had a major win today, walking through our regular woods and he was snuffling up ahead. All of a sudden two horse riders appeared from a side path in between us. I must of done that walk 1000 times and have never seen horses! I called him and he came straight back totally ignoring the horses and waited patiently with me while they went past.

Well done Autumnpup!

FawkesPup is continuing to do well post neuter, and I am starting to notice a difference in his behaviour I think. He is definitely marking far less on walks, and is better on walks too. Now: this could be because he's been on short lead only for a week or so but he's just stopped trying to pull. Today I stopped to tie my shoelaces and he just sat down and waited for me. Getting less of the silly mouthy/pulling play instigation daftness too.

Be interesting to see if this carries on when he's allowed to be a proper dog again tomorrow!!!

Great work autumnpup and Fawkespup 👏🏻

thanks for the tips @GuyFawkesDay

good day for Foxpup too. Improvement with house training (Only one wee inside today) She’s was very tired today and slept for 2 hours straight this morning. I think when she wakes up she would go back to sleep if left, but the DCs get her out to play as soon as she opens her eyes.

We were using bits of scrambled egg as treats yesterday and i think they might have given her an upset stomach. Or the rabbit poo actually has probably done it!

@GuyFawkesDay yes mine did the best loose lead walking during season and post spay as she was restricted haha. I hope it continues for you.
@Autumn101 great news the horses didn't scare or excite him!

Mine behaved beautifully at the local dog friendly farm today walked nicely and sat to say hello to sheep, alpaca, pigs and ponies. The only time she wanted to jump and play was with the goats as they were doing agility shows and she clearly fancied a go herself!

Eek here's hoping it continues!! He's been like walking a little old lamb round the village!!!

You guys are all seeking sooo far ahead of where me and my pup are. I timed a quick bite to eat in the pub with her nap this evening.
She was an angel, slept soundly in her crate, I obvs disturbed her coming in and she raced out for a wee.

But my entire house stinks of shit. But can I find it!!! I'll probably go to bed and discover it's one of the bastard cats!!!

Interesting reading all your comments. Off to see potential pups again at weekend, and get to choose actual pup next week. Excited but daunted by it all. Those so much to learn! Currently reading ‘Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy’ which has lots of good advice.

However, feel a bit overwhelmed with what to donwhen. How soon do you start training them? What do I need etc? Puppy proofing the house etc. Guess I felt the same over twenty years when first pregnant with dc.

Honestly, very like a newborn. Complete with the weeping and WTF have we done moments.
I did little bits of training from day 1, just things like sit and watch etc. But mine is a super busy spaniel and LOVES training.
For me you need:
Crate and pen. Buy pen second hand and sell once they're older.
Collar, harness and training lead (halti 2 ended one, just buy this one and save a fortune!)
Biological wash powder for cleaning up after accidents
Things to chew on
Clicker if you are going to clocker train. I'd do this from day one if I had another puppy!

We are really struggling with the crate in the daytime at the moment. She will go in there at night time no problem but day times are a completely different ball game. She howls the place down. We have left her for a few mins here and there while we go out to test out how she gets on and it's been a nightmare.
We leave her with a filled kong but it doesn't seem to help. Wonder if a play pen attached to the crate might help her to feel less hemmed in? Does anyone have any advice??

@GuyFawkesDay off to Google ‘clocker train’…

Cocker training is dead simple. Instead of saying yes or good or whatever, when dog does right thing you immediately click and treat.

It's so much clearer for the dog as there's no variation in work or tone and obviously same noise no matter which hooman is training too.

@mizzblizz we used a pen with a roof on top rather than a crate where she slept very happily and peacefully at night for the first 6 months or so until we ditched it and she moved to the sofa! She wasn't interested in using her pen during the day at all and we gave up trying. She napped on a piece of vet's bed in the kitchen and it was never an issue. I'd be cautious that she doesn't get any negative associations with the crate if it's going well otherwise.

@tizwozliz that's some great pivoting! I'm going to give it a go. Also how shiny is your dog!

How does everyone keep their pups put of the dishwasher? We’ve been doing “leave it” with other things which she listens to, but the dishwasher tastes too good and she ignores us.

@Riverlee having a newborn is good practice for a puppy! Enjoy looking for your pup.

@mizzblizz does she have daytime naps in her crate? If Foxpup cries when she goes in we sit with her until she falls asleep and I only put her in when she’s tired.

Foxpup slept 10pm-5am last night. DH is doing bedtime, DCs are amazing with her during the day so it’s been a much easier week than I’d expected.

@ilovesushi yeah that's what I'm most bothered about - she sleeps so well in it at night that I don't want her to start resenting going in there. I think she would be much more settled just sleeping on her mat in the kitchen when she's alone. We tested this and walked to the end of the road and when we came back she hadn't moved an inch. I do worry about her chewing the house to pieces though when we start leaving her for longer periods!

@Nugg did you find the source of the shit smell? I remember once smelling it and couldn't find it... the pup had sneaked upstairs and done loads of little poo piles in my bedroom and the hallway and trod it down the stairs! It was awful as cream carpets. I had to get the vax out!

@Foxgloveleaf yeah she has some daytime naps in her crate and she's fine if we are there with her. Doesn't settle for long amounts of time though. She would maybe sleep for half a hour in her crate but if left to sleep on her mat in the kitchen she would sleep for 2 hours!

@mizzblizz ours never liked the crate during the day either so we used to leave her in the kitchen with stair gate when we had to go out. Thankfully she wasn't a furniture chewer so as long as no shoes or kids toys were left she didn't damage anything.