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.

I just use ones that are similar to this https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_grooming_care/nail_paw/clippers/13361?variantid=13361.0&abd=true&gclid=CjwKCAjwv-2pBhB-EiwAtsQZFOcPsMHK9o95O2Pr_GaC3s45dlHWcoEhHdkwu31aOBXESlPhx5YuMBoCjfkQAvD_BwE as her claws are so soft. I have to have DD2 holding her, then I clip a claw and treat, clip then treat, etc.

Carrots have been a staple since our pup was 10 weeks old. Chopped into batons they don't make a mess, also frozen ones help with teething. We use them now but bigger batons. Also Swede and cucumber.

Hi I'm new to this thread. So we bought a cavapoo (mum a cavapoo and dad a mini poodle so shes 75% poodle) in the summer. My older dog absolutely hated her. Older dog had been with our other dog for years before other dog sadly died last year. Anyway that was quite stressful then at 12 weeks old puppy broke her leg! Straight across the thigh bone. So she had operation with pins inserted and nuts and bolts on the outside. Crate rest and slow gentle walks after a few weeks. Well that's been so hard for a pup that wants to run and play as she had been doing. Last week the pins became infected and the were taken out. It's been 5 weeks since the break and shes 90% healed but vet wants her on complete cage rest for 2 weeks. Then assess and another 2 weeks of gentle walks. It's so so hard! It's never been this hard with any other dog, horse or cat that we've owned. I know puppy stage is hard and that's acceptable but throw in a broken leg and a hyper puppy and it's madness. Anyway I'm so glad she was insured as so far we are £3000plus in! So hello everyone ha ha. Nice to see your posts and please can someone send me some sanity!

This is Florence. In her doggy pushchair this week in a dog friendly antique centre! She hates the crate and always wants to be where I am so it's really draining at the mo x

I'm also new to the thread but have been lurking for weeks 😳

We've got a working cocker puppy (I say we, it's my son's dog....my son who's just gone on holiday for a week....) and he has turned my house and our lives upside down. And not necessarily in a good way!!

We thought we'd have a cuddly pup but we have a shark who loves to bite - proper bite - especially when he's over tired. He also pulls on the lead, runs riot in the house and generally has us all dancing to his tune. I think we've been too soft on him and not done enough training - especially when I read about how people have trained their pups to sit, stay, walk nicely etc. we have his first puppy training on Sunday and he's 4.5 months old (took my son weeks to book him in!!).

Anyway just to say solidarity with all of you dealing with puppies- I was definitely under researched before he came home!! And yes whoever said it - it's much worse than dealing with a baby!!

Some gorgeous new pups 😀 I use a Dremil on Florapup’s claws and keep them nice and short. She doesn’t like it, so it takes two of us - hubby to feed a series of tiny bits of cheese and me on filing. I can be more precise than I could with clippers and she’d dislike those just as much!

That does sound overwhelming @chimichangaz . 17 weeks isn't too late to turn things around. Have you been taking him out to socialise him? I hope the puppy class is helpful. When I went to ours yesterday, there was a whole range of behaviours from the dogs. Some were quite ready to learn, others were a bit reactive, and others clearly hadn't learned anything yet. They'll take you from where you are.

Here’s monster Mabel after prancing around in the rain and digging in the soil all day, do not be fooled by the butter wouldn’t melt expression. She’s torturing me with her inability to toilet train and love of biting my face 😫

Oh yes, he's been going out since his vaccinations so he's quite well socialised although there are gaps (children for example). We've also paid a trainer to come to the house and she came for the second time last week - even she said he might be more challenging than other puppies. Tell me about it!! I sometimes wonder if there's something wrong with him as he goes SO CRAZY!!

I've just fenced off part of the garden and used some of the leftover panels as an indoor pen since yesterday and it has made a huge difference! I can eat and watch tv in peace and he can still see me so doesn't whine too much.

I must admit I have been in tears a few times when it's all got too much.

I have to say I'm not finding this as hard as a baby, but that's probably because eldest DC was an absolute nightmare of a newborn and I got no sleep for months (ended up having a psychotic episode!). It's about on par with DC2 as a baby, but mainly as I'm getting sleep 🥱

We've no puppy classes yet, we're on the waiting list for several. Got vaccines tomorrow but not the lepto 4 until 2 weeks after that - do you think I can take pupper out before the final lepto 4? I'm keen to get her socialising as I'm aware she's already a bit older than other dogs.

Working cockers are high energy. They need to be worked, brain and exercise. And all fun dog breeds are very bitey.

I haven’t been able to find any puppy classes with space near me. One doesn’t have space until January! Il keep looking.

@Dogdaywoes we took Hazel out in the buggy a few times. We just avoided paws on the floor. It's all a judgement call.

I'm surprised to hear that there is a lack of courses. I'm in Hampshire and it seems like everyone and their proverbial dog is offering puppy courses.

We had a whirlwind day today. Currently we are in the middle of total zoomie hell and I’m locked in a padded cell room with her to let her burn it off.

Positives today: lots of ‘in your bed’ and good behaviour, nice sniffy walk, no accidents (I let her go a bit longer after the initial whine, just to see what she would do- still no accidents , and went to the door for an extra insistent whine- I feel this is proper toilet trained, and not just good timing) - all good pup,

negatives today- I carried her to school, it’s only 200m down the Road. Bad idea. She was so wriggly and squirmy and I ended up letting her walk because I physically couldn’t carry her. Never again.
My Boys were playing football outside which was great fun but then she wouldn’t poop after her dinner and then I had to go to the supermarket and dh and ds to training, so she went in the crate. She was fine but since we have been back she is 110% cray-zee. It’s thrown her routine all out and she just went bonkers. Combined with trying to put shopping away and feeding children and decompressing after work. I feel like a frazzled mess.

she seems permanently hungry. I’ve just done her an extra meal/snack on her licky Mat to help calm her and she’s enjoyed it so I think she was possibly actually hungry and not just Labrador hungry. I need to revisit the raw food guidelines as I thought we had it sussed.

so a day of 2 halves.

also, can I just say this here? My cat- I love her, she’s a soppy old thing, a beautiful ragdoll, but my god, she is behaving like a grade A knob head around the dog. She’s not scared, she’s ridiculously over confident, and poor Maggie just cannot control herself. Last night she sniffed the full length of the dogs sleeping body. She seems to sense when it’s zoomie time and just strolls in with a swishy tail. It’s honestly the worst part of puppy ownership.

We managed to get booked into puppy training but finding daycare is a nightmare. Most places full and those that weren't were miles away and wouldn't consider him until he's neutered! So we don't have any. I work from home but he's not the sort of dog to lie quietly at your feet.

Case in point, I’m outside with the dog and look who is waiting behind the curtains ready for when we get inside

@chimichangaz have you tried the pawshake app or the rover app? There may be someone there. I’m going to meet a lady tomorrow off the rover app who offers a dog day care in her home

We have cats also. I'm finding having two dogs is a challenge for training Hazel. They play fight when they're together. It's important but I long for them to snuggle up together.

@thenewaveragebear1983 thanks for that. We'll have a look.

@Lougle its hard isn’t it?
we have 2 old grouchy Tom cats who have no interest in a stinking lolloping hound whatsoever, plus the ragdoll princess who I actually think could be best mates with the dog, except they can’t agree their terms. Dog wants to play, cat wants to play (but nicely). Cat wanders around all swishy and mysterious and dog is just a buffoon who bounces and snorts and embarrasses herself. They just aren’t compatible.

Maggie (puppy) looked at me earlier as if to say ‘but she smells so tasty mummy, please can i just eat her a little bit?!! Please??????’

how do we train this out??? She will, just, come to me for a biscuit if the cat is there, just about. But it’s not feasible long term unless the cat dispenses biscuits! Help me!!

At the moment, one of our cats is training the puppy with lots of growling, hissing and swiping if she gets too close. The other is staying away.

@Dogdaywoes - when our pup had her vaccines vet said we were fine to take her out to safe areas straight away, just to avoid water and anywhere near bins (presume lots of rat activity round these) and really busy places for another 2 weeks until vaccine immunity kicks in. So I'd think you'd be ok taking pup out to some places prior. I found advice varies but I think if you're selective about where you take them the benefits of getting out outweigh the risks

@thenewaveragebear1983 I feel like I have done it all wrong with our cats. We have 2, both 11. We've kept them completely apart which I thought was the right thing to do, but Charlie is literally growing by the day and is now about 4 times their size! I think with hindsight they should have 'met' properly when he was still a tiny pup. He gets very excited when he sees them, play bows and prances towards them and they just hiss and growl and leave at the first opportunity. One of the cats in particular likes to hide on a chair under the kitchen table. If she just stayed quiet Charlie would ignore her, but no, she growls which alerts him to her presence and he then barks. 🙄

@DoggyNewbie we introduced ours on day 1, literally the first thing we did. We’ve had visitors bring dogs round so we figured it was no different to that and this one just stayed.
the ragdoll is an indoor cat which doesn’t help things, on days I’m working I put her upstairs with her tray and food and everything is a bit calmer then. She (and RD’s as a breed) are exceptionally companionable and they do have the makings of a possible tolerance, if not friendship, but she won’t leave when the dog is getting exuberant. It’s like she is winding her, and me, up and then she’s “oh just look at yourself, what an embarrassment to your species” 😂

puppy was a bit spooked last night, she wouldn’t settle, she was overtired and bitey so we put her in the crate while we watched tv and not a peep from her, she obviously just needed her nest. I’m determined to have a good quiet day today. This is our 3rd weekend with pup and the previous 2 have been busy and a big change in routine for her. we’re going to visit the dog lady so hopefully I can get that arranged for my work day and that will be a weight off my mind.

last weekend I found jobs to do in the kitchen and garden and the pup just pottered about with me, and I will do the same today. The garden needs a full sweep of treacherous and chewable plants and toys and clothes pegs…

I think that’s one of the reasons ragdolls are in for cats as they just don’t perceive the danger enough.

Fox pup still doesn’t eat as much as I’d expect. I weigh out his whole daily amount now in a tub, ans use it for training and stuff too. It’s still tricky to get him to eat it all. He likes his snuffle mat and king so I don some that way. But he seems to be more of a grazer. This is leading to a regular 3am poo though!

he’s also quite slim, although vet didn’t mention anything. He’s gained 1kg in 2 weeks. I started putting a bit of water on the kibble again.

OK we're on Day 3.
Wins:
Except for one rookie error this morning no accidents since day one and he really gets the toilet training now. We're out there a very short time before he produces the goods (so to speak).

Didn't bat an eyelid with the hoovering up.
No car sickness.
Eats very well.
Drinking well.
Sleeps as soon as I put him in the crate.
Accepts that if he gets mouthy (which he frequently does esp when excited) I will leave the room for a couple of minutes.
He has made the connection between getting something right and a reward. Knows the treat pouch.
I've gone back to the beginning with trying a collar and I'm following Steve Mann's guide, laying it on the back of his neck for a few seconds and then taking it away and treating immediately.

The big win was last night - he slept from 8pm til midnight and we went for a wee. Then from midnight until 7.30 this morning not a peep. I wonder if it's the vaccination making him a bit sleepy though.
He's lovely and delightfully comical, hauling his puppy blanket around the floor and back into his crate if I take it out.

I know it won't always be like this and I have had then end of my slipper chewed off plus a bitten big toe when I took my eye of the ball but I'll take that 🙂

It's so helpful reading other people's experiences, I get alot of reassurance from this thread and it's my go-to community!!