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 did wonder if it was teething. He's been ridiculously bitey today. My hands been savaged!

When I gave my pup egg she was sick a few hours later so I haven’t gave it to her since.

@Hollypups thats interesting, I did a Google search and it did mention high protein foods are the most common allergen for dogs. I’m going to give him just kibble for a few days and hopefully it will die down.

@Rowgtfc72 our pup is 15 weeks today and is definitely teething, he chews everything at the moment, I can’t let him out of my sight. He goes try to chew on hands but thankfully he usually does stop when I tell him to.

Also noticed this morning that he has wax in his ears, he’s a cocker spaniel so it’s hard to see into them. Have seen a few ear cleaning solutions recommended online, does anyone here use anything for their dogs ears or just water on cotton pads?

Coco is being hard work today - refusing to nap properly, refusing to go to loo outside (she wants to run around exploring the garden or sit and eat worms instead). Poo and wee in the kitchen. I’m just really over having a puppy today! Flitting doesn’t really seem to help matters either. Gah! I think Mondays feel especially bad as my cleaner comes on a Monday - house is clean for 30 seconds before being covered in mud and grass again - and I have work to do which the puppy quite simply won’t let me do!

@Cocopuff Haku loves to just be in the garden constantly too. He actually took a 4 hour nap after his school-run-walk which was awesome as I have no work this am so I just lounged around watching tv but now he’s absolutely manic!

have bought the Bob-a-lot mentioned unthread and a new intermediate puzzle game in the hopes of exercising his brain more in the evenings. Prob should start adding in more training in too - what’s everyone doing at the moment? We’ve been working on heel, sit, down and drop but maybe more of the fun ones like roll over and paw?

We’ve also had a bit of softer poo, he’s had bits and bobs of different things, probably why. I was asking my vet about raw diet and said I’d heard it meant tiny inoffensive poos. She said that a lot of this may be down to a very consistent diet, and recommended I just stick to the kibble we are on without adding lots in. I haven’t done that well at this so far!

Wow citygirl a 4hr nap sounds amazing! Pup had his first outside walk today and was not keen, he kept plonking down and didn’t want to go anywhere, not how he is in garden at all. I guess a lot to get used to. I remember someone mentioning a fearful pup, has that improved?

@Beginningless i think that’s good advice. I’ve been reading on a cocker spaniel Facebook group about people mixing meals up for their pup so they don’t get bored and so I’ve been giving him bits and pieces in each meal, cheese, egg, veg etc but I don’t think it’s good for this tummy. I just feel a bit bad giving him the same meal 3 times a day every day!

@MrsWhites Have you considered a slow feeder?

Something like this?
slow feeder

@MrsWhites we have a similar issue with the ear wax but I've been too worried to go near it! We have vets on Thursday for second vaccine so was going to ask them what's best to clean. My sister has said she uses a baby wipe and just softly cleans round the ear but not inside. I can report back once we've asked the vet if you like!

Massive step back for my pup… she was pretty much house trained and hadn’t had any accident indoors in the house for about 6-8 weeks.
Always used her doggy door bell… well not at all today since the fireworks last night. She’s pooed outside but had her wees all day by the back door! Not once has she wanted to go into the garden today. So frustrating.
I’m so used to her ringing her doorbell that I haven’t had the need to take her out every half hour anymore as she tells me when she needs to go out usually.

Hopefully tomorrow is better as Iv had more wee by the back door today then I had in the whole first month of bringing her home!

Ugh sorry @Hollypups was it your puppy that got the fright on bonfire night? Could be related?

does anyone know how much it matters that our puppy loves to just be outside in the garden? He potters or he’ll take a toy out or something to chew on, seems quite happy to be left to his own devices but is that just teaching him outside is fun time on your own? Trying to entertain him inside but he constantly asks to go out. During the day not so much of an issue but he asks to go out at night/in the evening constantly too

@Hollypups wondering if it's not just the fireworks but a regression thing?
Dieselpup seem to have forgotten all his housetraining this last week. He's 3 months old on Sunday.

Today marks two weeks since we bought pup home. I was wondering what you do to entertain your pups during the day? I've been having a feeling of Groundhog Day today with our days consisting of playing, training, eating and sleeping and then repeating this throughout the day. I'm hoping that once we can go out for walks next week the days won't seem so long. Also, do you feed before or after a walk? If you feed before, how long before a walk and if you feed after, how long after? Have you bothered with a harness or just a lead? Pup doesn't seem interested in his toys when he's in his playpen, is this normal? The toilet training and biting seems relentless. Really not feeling it today.

@CockapooMadness you can still take your puppy out before vaccinations, just don’t let their feet touch the ground. We took Haku everywhere we could to get him socialised, usually in the middle of the day so we’d go for lunch somewhere, if there was a market we’d walk around that carrying him, found a coffee shop opposite a supermarket where he could get used to the sound of trollies, down to a restaurant that backed onto a harbour so he could see and hear boats, also great for getting them used to car journeys.

once he’d had his first set we took him to my mums garden for new sights and smells and a friend brought their vaccinated dog over so they could plaY - I even took him on the train just two stops and back again on my lap to get him used to trains!

all that getting out and about exhausts them and gets you out of the house too and apparently it’s REALLY important to socialise them well in those first 12-16 weeks

ARRGH! DLab pup is 4 months and is in 4 meals a day, the first of which should be around 6am. Obviously the first morning of the clocks going back he woke at 5am so I pushed it back as far as I could but since he is a walking stomach he gets so frantic that I can't hold out for too long.
Things got better for a couple of days but then got worse and this morning he woke at 4.40 😫I know this will pass but just wanted to see if anyone else is struggling?

@CockapooMadness It does feel like Groundhog Day at times. Upthread I posted my routine (and Haku (?) ) posted hers).. Sometimes I feel guilty looking forward to when they are asleep!

In the awake times, I give RiverPup toys, usually a cuddly and something to chew. We found it was easier to limit them, else they got over stimulated. Also to rotate the toys so they remain fresh.

We also chuck him outside, sometimes he’s out by himself, other times we play with him.

We take him for one or two 20 minute walks. We’ve been warned not to overdo it, as their bones etc are still developing, and labs can have problems.

Also do training, both inside in the house and outside. Most days I try to walk him around the lounge and kitchen, practicing ‘heel’ etc (off lead).

However, sometimes, I haven’t got a flipping clue how to keep him entertained, and which I could stick him in front of CBeebies for an hour or two!

@PseudoBadger Riverpup is a similar age. We only do three meals a day. His feeds are 6.30-7ish, 12-12.30ish, and 4.30-5pm ish.

Thanks @Riverlee he is actually 4 months on Thursday so will move him to 3 meals tomorrow

He will be furious!

Does anyone have a particular dog whistle they'd recommend? Pups are doing brilliantly with recall but feel like a whistle would be beneficial to save me shouting "Daisy, Dora" 😂

I've got an acme whistle for Sunpup (nearly 12 weeks) it's great! At puppy class today he recalled to me like a little bullet! I started using it as his cue when he was running towards me and rewarded with chicken. Now if he hears 2 whistle blasts he literally runs as fast as his little legs will go to get the good stuff. Just hoping it's reinforced enough when he hits the terrible teens!

@PseudoBadger we have early waker too and the clocks going back has been so hard! Day starts at 5/6 am and seems to go on forever! We started off not giving breakfast straightaway but leaving it an hour so pup isn't thinking breakfast time as an instant reward for getting up! I'm trying to keep pup up until 11pm and DH is setting an alarm for 4:30 for wee and back to bed ( pup not DH)
Also we are ignoring any whingeing at 5:30/6am now we know pup doesn't need wee, and DH is getting him up at nearer 6:30. Hoping to push back the 4:30 gradually. I have also increased his food so hunger isn't waking him up, as he's growing so much and isn't fat at all! He's a lab too so constantly starving!!!

@CockapooMadness yes it does feel like Groundhog Day!
Can't wait until we have a dog not a puppy and maybe get my life back!
It is getting a little easier now Sunpup is on the ground. I'm doing a plan of socialising which I think is for my benefit as much as his! Garden centres are good lots to see, and some bits outdoors so doesn't matter too much if weeing happens! Tomorrow we're going on the bus, and train the next day.
We're doing puppy classes so I'm going to structure the day with little training sessions too. I've tried to arrange dog friends to call.
I used a sling when he couldn't go down and went to supermarket, shop down the road, schools etc.
otherwise you just sit in the house deflecting a little bitey machine, or watching him sleep.

Our puppy wakes just after 6 - Dh and eldest two are up at that time for work and school but I distract her with snuffle mat, bone, training, toilet trips etc until 8.30 when she gets her food and is crated for a nap, then rinse and repeat with food around 11.30/12, 2.30/3 and 6/6.30. Try to break up the day with a quick walk in the sling around the block or to local dog park or nearby shop. She has her second lot of jabs on Thursday when she’s 11 weeks (kennel cough the week after) so I can start doing more after that including looking into puppy classes. We are doing some training with a dog behaviourist and starting puppy training soon - will look into puppy classes to socialise her with other dogs.

“Can't wait until we have a dog not a puppy and maybe get my life back!”

We wake RiverPup at around 8.30pm to do his business (and to ensure we get a full nights sleep!). He’s in a lovely mood then and will come and lay next to you. It’s lovely, and is a glimpse of the calm, cuddly lab we’ve been wanting.