Puppy Survival Thread - as we approach Fireworks night for the first time…

[Riverlee]

Apologies if someone has already started a new thread. Couldn’t see one when I had a quick look.

As it’s a new thread, why don’t we all (re-) introduce ourselves. Ie. Good excuse for more cute puppy pictures!

I have RiverPup, who is now a 15 weeks old black Labrador.

Two pictures of when we first got him, and more recent.

I'd love the link! We're a couple of days away from the first month of petplan (free) running out and I've been meaning to sort out ManyPets @MrsWhites 😊

Also, I get to join now! We brought home our lurcher Robert 3 weeks ago and he is a delight and a terror with the saddest eyes in the world!

Joining for solidarity. I have a 16 week old Chorkie who is a landshark at the moment! Could do with somewhere to chat and share puppy stuff!

Hello can I join in please? I have a nearly 11 week old Cocker Spaniel pup who is doing brilliantly but my god it's hard work! Could do with somewhere to share... Photo for cuteness... She's doing her treat face here...

@AltKat87 let me know if you want me to send you the referral code then. £40 Amazon voucher comes in handy with all the doggy stuff you end up having to buy 🤣

@Bicnod our pup is a cocker spaniel, he’s 17 weeks now! Quite similar looking to yours!

Welcome @MoonlightMedicine and @bicnod. Cute puppies.

what’s a Chorkie - Yorkshire terrier and ?

Welcome to the new joiners! Super cute pups.

Took Coco (13 weeks tomorrow) to no 3 sons football drop off and for a tiny 10 min walk on the path in the park where he trains. It rained the whole time and poor pooch was soaked. Not a great experience all round. On plus side she did a poo on the pavement (and I was prepared with a bag!) so does now know she can go on pavement… looks like lots of rain ahead so she’s going to have to get used to getting soaked

Welcome new puppies and thanks for the cute photos!!

A chihuahua, sadly

@MoonlightMedicine Why sadly? I bet he’s tiny. One thing I’m glad about RiverPup being a lab, is that gp he’s getting to big to fit behind certain things, despite trying, although in the flip side, can now reach new things, like kitchen work surfaces.

Welcome gorgeous new pups! We almost had another whole chew swallowing incident. Second week of puppy class and he was barking like crazy at everything. Teacher gave him a dried beef strip to calm him and it nearly went down in one, she had to help me pull up the half swallowed end from his throat 🤢. Definitely no more chews for this pup he is clearly a liability that way, sounds like other pups have more sense!

Has anyone else got an issue with barking? I’d say he’s doing well if it weren’t for that. He’s so loud it’s very annoying. We also have some issues with refusing to walk. Seems quite fearful this week, of things he wasn’t before. Oh and puppy class said to not let them off the lead until they are 1! We have already done it a fair bit as he’s so much happier to trot along beside without it, oops. 1 seems excessive, what do folk think?

@Beginningless this is the best time to let them off lead because they will run back to you at this young age ( in theory!) it's when they are teenagers they stop doing this! But if you need extra security a long line ( not retractable) is an insurance policy!
Sunpup 13.5 weeks is quite barky at classes but can be distracted with treats. He only barks when the instructor is showing us something and the pups are expected to sit quietly he's fine once we are doing something. He barks at us alt home when he's excited or when he's frustrated trying to get something he can't reach like DCat!
Trouble with pup classes is you can't just shovel treats in their mouths for a whole hour!! Although being a Labrador pup Sunpup wouldn't mind if you did!!

Our trainer also said get them off lead while they’re young - Haku actually pays much more attention to me off the lead than on!!

no barking issues here I’m afraid, only occasionally when he feels left out. I do have a friend who says she trained her lab not to bark….

So interesting you are both saying this - everyone else I’ve canvassed opinion with has said the same - I might ignore then. I also think mine listens better off lead and doesn’t want to let us go far. But he seems a bit stressed by other dogs (lots of barking) so don’t want him to get in a situation that’s hard for him. Poor thing, I feel like it’s living with a foreigner, I just don’t understand his language some of the time and he’s trying to communicate things but I don’t get it! Like the barking at dogs - folk have said ‘oh he just wants to play’ but it really doesn’t feel like that to me. Sometimes yes but it feels more tense, he looks quite stiff.

Riverpup isn’t a big barker. He’ll bark at things - sweeping in the garden, and hoover (but not the rake!), and will bark in the crate when he’s protesting or need a wee (sometimes). He’ll also will bark at something random in the garden - sound of other dogs, leaves blowing in the wind (daft dog) etc.

Billie (15 weeks) is on a 10 m long line but with free reign. So she thinks she’s off. Lots of recall practice. Lots of treats for coming back to check in. I like the extra security of being able to grab or stomp if she goes off. I’m terrible with it though. Husband is a lot better. Most dogs need long lining through adolescence so I’m happy with the compromise. She’s like flying a kite on a short lead 😂

Mostly the long line is to stop her going up to dogs I don’t know will be ok with her completely unfiltered terrier play style. It’s not fair. She will recall from them but the long line is there to prevent should she not. My elderly dog was bounced by puppies who ‘just wanted to play’ and it was unfair IMO. When she was old and doddery she got knocked over a few times and she looked so sad. So I won’t do that to others.

I’ve had him off lead this morning and it was lovely, lots of recall practice and no barking at the other dogs he met, until the very end when we were nearly home. Yesterday afternoon walk was totally different. So I’m thinking maybe tiredness is a factor in the stressy behaviour.

I might try a long line New. And good point about how it is for the other dogs. For the moment it feels like we need to anticipate the situations he’s likely to bark and try to head it off as it’s hard to stop him once he’s worked up and I feel like it’s becoming a habit. There’s so many different reasons he barks tho I think - he just seems to be by nature a very loud dog, argh, we have work to do.

Coco barks randomly - she barks at the hairdryer (really doesn’t like it) and some other dogs that scare her, trees, squirrels etc - fortunately she’s only little so her bark isn’t too loud!

I am months away from being able to try a longline, let alone recall when out and about. It takes us the best part of half an hour to walk around the not particularly big block as Coco is either into sniffing or stopping!

I was just feeling facetious :) people keep telling me how snappy chi's are. I adore him really.

How’s everyone this weekend.

Puppy training has knocked RiverPup out for the day. He slept an hour before, an hour after. Then had lunch, and slept for a couple of hours this afternoon. Hope he sleeps this evening!

Haku is an overtired Numpty this evening, like he doesn’t know what to do with himself - in and out of the garden, on and off the sofa, has eaten LOADS! But dealt well with us having a large group over for dinner on Thursday (18 people!) and a loud Pre teen sleepover last night so maybe it’s just that tonight is boring with just us 4 wanting to slob in front of the telly!

last of our 1-2-1 training tomorrow, we really like the trainer so hoping we can join some of his puppy classes. Has anyone had any luck signing up to the KC good citizenship classes?

Poorly puppy again.
He's been sick 3 times. Had diahorrea 4 times and has taken himself off to his crate looking thoroughly miserable. Never done that before.
Little bit worried as he's only 4 months old.

@Rowgtfc72 oh no.

i hate to say it, but it sounds like the symptoms of parvovirus.

symptoms

Can you call an out of hours vet?

@Citygirlrurallife not heard of the kennel club scheme. Off to Google.

So dh stayed with him till 11 when he had a wee, a normal poo and a drink.
I've just got up at 2- normally get up at 330 for work anyway- perfectly normal puppy. Scary how he could go downhill so quickly and then bounce back.
When he had this 3 weeks ago we stopped putting wainwright's food in his food ball. Started it back up Friday.
Having read the reviews of it it's now in the bin.