Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups

[Riverlee]

Thought I’d start a new thread as the old one is at its limit, for new and older pups.

please come and share your tales of success, woes, concerns and questions, and of course, photographs.

Little pup turned 6 months this week, how time flies. Now 18.2 kg and lost the last of her baby teeth in the week so growing up fast.

Generally a star ⭐ at gundog classes, a complete contrast to our older one!

She's a really easy pup in general, although she did drop a toy in the toilet this week 😂

Hello again!! And hello to all the black labs, still got a soft spot for you all.
Nearly a year and a half here and Fluffpup is turning into a lovely, mellow, lazy dog that still just very happy with life. Crikey - life is so much easier now this year than last year.
Here she is judging me for still being on my phone when it's time for bed.

I'm 3 weeks in with my border pup....... please tell me when it gets easier ? Had a down day today, I miss my old life 😞. It just feels like it's never going to end !

It does get better - pinkie promise! I wailed and wailed for a few weeks, then sobbed and sobbed then cried. I absolutely hated it at the start. But things fall into place and you do get better at understanding each other. Now I'm at the stage of wanting another but will any other dog be as awesome as my big bundle of fluff?!?
What helped me was a routine. Sleep for an hour or so, out for a toilet, play for an hour, out for the toilet, sleep for an hour and do on. Plus toilet trips inbetween. That meant she was never overtired and bitey and I got a chance to do some work. Play lots of games to develop a bond snd work their brains. Licking and sniffing are calming for them so lickimats and snuffle mats are a godsend. Plus at the start I think 10 mins of sniffing is equivalent to an hour of running. Always have treats on hand to reward the good and just ignore the bad. You will get there!
If there is anything specific worrying you just ask here. We've all been through it.
Oh and picture please.

Here he is..... good job he's cute 😏

Ok, so lickimats are on the list, thanks for that. I suppose I'm struggling to keep him entertained, he's very bitey which I suspected is him being overtired, he fights the tiredness. I know I need to establish a proper routine as it's a bit all over the place, I need to write something down and stick it on the fridge. For the past few nights he's been waking up when he can hear someone using the loo and is very vocal! Can feel my anxiety rising as worried he'll wake the neighbours up.

I really can't imagine a day when I'd want to go through this again and I think you must be suffering from amnesia to even consider it 🤪

I bought home my 8wk old mini schnauzer Mabel today 😀 I’ve never had a dog before so I’m feeling scared and out of my depth (obvs I did a lot of research, too much some people say!)
We got home late afternoon after a journey of over 4hrs, she was so good in the car, not one single accident of any kind and she slept for most of it. The minute we got her home, I took her straight to the garden where she peed instantly and 5 mins ,after did a big poo. So far so good I think. She had a run around, played with some toys, gave her some food which she wolfed down and then had a sleep next to me on the sofa for an hour. Every hour or so she starts making whiny noises and I go to door, open it and she runs into the garden and does a wee and just now went out for another 💩 She then comes back in and wanders round making whiny noises but I have no idea why! Do puppies just make a lot of noise for no apparent reason, I can’t figure out what’s wrong with her (if anything)
Now I don’t know whether to give her a third meal or not, logic tells me it’s too close to bedtime but I don’t want her to starve either! I hope this gets easier, now I’m worried about bedtime 🫣

Hazel is 10 weeks today. She's doing really well but toileting is still a work in progress.

Yay I’ve been waiting for someone to start the thread again, thank you @Riverlee. Pup is nearly 14 months now, I remember a time in the early days when I was wishing time away so that he would be over teething etc, but now it just seems to be whizzing by and I wish it would slow down. Welcome to the new members it does get easier.

Hi, just here for a quick catch-up. Welcome new members. My last post was before I left 4-1/2-month Florapup for 3-weeks for a pre-booked holiday. I worried about leaving her with the Pet Sitter due to not wanting to leave her, but also because (since she us a big, strong breed) I was being very careful with her training. Turned out I was right to be concerned. Despite my careful instructions about walking her, when I got back, she pulled like a train (before I had done everything so she hadn’t had the opportunity to realise she could really pull). Needless to say, this has been taking some (difficult) work to address. She has nearly pulled me over 3 times. Fortunately, I managed to stay on my feet. Being 64, it’s a big issue. Her most recent walk was much better thankfully and I think we’ll be back on top of it soon.

I have another trip, 10-days this time, booked for January (both these trips were booked before we even thought of getting her). No doubt that will set her back. I feel like I should never book another trip. Well at least until she is 2/3-years-old 😳

Hi! So pleased to join! Charlie has been with us now for just over a month and he's so lovely. Very mouthy but super gentle with it (not that we encourage it). He's 13 weeks now and has grown SO much already! Have been having a trainer come every week as he's not able to go out out til Tuesday following his vaccinations. He is very excitable though

Ah thanks for starting a new thread @Riverlee I've really missed the puppy survival chat, I fell so behind that I fell off completely.

Unluckypup is 10 months now. In many ways she's an easy dog, patient, friendly, not very needy, mostly just curls up close to me (she's asleep beside me as I type). But I am finding some of her behaviour out of the house challenging. She's still dog obsessed, lies down when one approaches (so is lying down on walks a lot) and even if they're on the other side of a field/road etc is hyper fixated on them. I know puppies are very sociable but I would have thought this would have calmed down by now. She's also got what I assume is a prey drive, fixates on birds, squirrels, foxes. Nearly caught a rabbit yesterday and was on super high alert afterwards. I would love a crystal ball that could assure me that this is a teenage phase because I do find myself despairing sometimes. She needs to run but can't be off lead except for enclosed fields atm :( luckily we have a free one close by, but for all other walks I feel sad that she's stuck on a lead. Eg the beach pic, she was the only dog there on a lead, but all the other dogs were minding their own business and I just know she would have run over to say hi and was worried she'd upset a reactive dog. I'm starting to think having two dogs is the answer, as if she's with a friend she will stay focused on them. Seems an extreme solution but maybe some dogs just aren't happy being an only? Sorry for the essay!

@AnnieSnap good luck with the pulling! Was florapup the English setter? Unluckypup doesn't pull too much, but when she does nothing seems to work, I was trying the walk in the opposite direction trick this morning which is supposed to focus their attention on you and gave up in the end (she wanted to get at a magpie).

Wow @Pineapplemonkey your puppy sounds toilet trained already! Clever doggy :) I hope your first night went well.

Lovely to see the pups, both old faces and new ❤️

@Unluckycat1 There she is!! I know many guesses have been made to her heritage but I'm sticking with saluki/rough collie/German Shepard.

It's only in the last few weeks that Fluffpup is a little less fixated on dogs but I still carefully manage the situation. Fluffpup is rarely off lead too. I do still try at recall but she'd be straight up to another dog. She doesn't have that bad dog manners so less worried about her making a nuisance of herself but she adores children and I could never ever risk her approaching a kid. So mainly on lead for us plus a day at doggy day care or an enclosed field or long line.
Welcome all new pups. I'm seriously dog broody now. Waiting for a gap in the torrential rain (Scotland) to head out for a soggy walk.

@Unluckycat1 night went okay thank you, I put her in a crate next to my bed just before 10pm and she slept straight through to 6.45, again, no accidents. I tried to convince her to go out for a wee around 2am but she had zero interest in leaving her bed so we both went back to sleep!
Took her straight outside at 6.45 where she instantly peed, ate some breakfast and then did some weird yappy noise started shaking. Turns out a cuddle fixed that and she went to sleep on my chest.

She's 8weeks and 2days old, is she still likely to be teething? She being very chewy

@Unluckycat1 I'd say the prey drive is more to do with her being a sight hound. My parents greyhound was known as the rat catcher, impressive but a bit brutal 😬

Hi @Unluckycat1 Florapup is a Weimaraner. Not yet 6 months, but big and strong already. I have to get on top of the pulling before she’s full size 😳 The pulling is uncomfortable of course, but it’s the sudden lurching forwards that nearly has me off my feet!

I agree with @userxx that the prey drive is probably because she is a sight hound. She certainly looks like a Saluki. The behaviour around other dogs should settle, but you may never get her past the prey stuff with birds, squirrels etc.

@BigBundleOfFluff ooh that's reassuring that Fluffpup is getting a little less dog focused, maybe by two they'll be able to be off-lead some more. Yes I should have added children to the mix, though she doesn't fixate on them unluckypup does really like them. I guess part of having a bigger dog is the fear of them knocking a child over. I did actually see a lurcher knock a small child over on the beach a few months ago (by accident!) and the poor child was so scared and upset, and probably hurt too.

@userxx @AnnieSnap she was a rescue puppy whose heritage wasn't fully known. I initially thought she was only a quarter sighthound and that any traits would be diluted, but it seems like she's probably more like half (she's started developing bulging thighs which look suspiciously lurcher like) and the sighthound traits are pretty dominant 🙈 I'll be sad if she's always a flight risk, but am coming to accept it might be the case. Good thing I'm fond of her.

@AnnieSnap ooh yes, I remember florapup now! Gorgeous dogs, I can't remember the last time I've seen one in the flesh.

@Pineapplemonkey sounds a perfect start! Can we see a pic? I love a schnauzer :)

@Unluckycat1 she's absolutely beautiful her face and bulging thighs 😏

@Unluckycat1 of course! This was in the car on the way home

I’m waiting for something to go wrong, I was mentally prepared for mess and lack of sleep and nothing ever goes right for me usually. She not very obedient and doesn’t seem to recognise her name but she’s only a tiny baby, I’ll give her some time!

@Pineapplemonkey she’s so beautiful. So young, she won’t understand anything at all yet 🙂

@DoggyNewbie Charlie is gorgeous. I hope you know how lucky you are that his mouthing is gentle at 13-weeks. Florapup has had my arms in ribbons with a backdrop of bruises and another member had a Manager approach her at work with a suggestion of counselling because she thought shewas self harming 😳

@Pineapplemonkey it will take a while for her to learn her name, don't worry.

@DoggyNewbie how much does Charlie weigh? Hazel seems quite small for a lab. She's 4.9kg now at 10 weeks.

Yep, I definitely look like I've been self harming 🙈.

Florapup’s biting has improved dramatically. Still a little bitey at times, but not longer injurious. My most recent injuries (photo) are from her jumping on me on a walk, hitting into my arm (protecting myself) hard, like a wild lunatic 😳

Can I join, although our pup doesn’t come home for another week. I’m bricking it. Iva had dogs before, I love dogs, but puppy’s are awful 🤣

Tbf I hated the newborn stage with my dc too. He’s a cockapoo, and tonight we finally agreed on the name Freddie for him