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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups

997 replies

Riverlee · 07/10/2023 14:01

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
93
FoxRedPuppy · 08/10/2023 20:47

I mean to say, I’m getting a crate from a friend, but considering just having a dog bed next to my bed and crate downstairs. I’m not sure I have the above for a crate long term upstairs.

DoggyNewbie · 08/10/2023 20:52

@AnnieSnap I'm definitely not being smug, I'm sure he'll make up for it during adolescence 🙈

@Lougle he was weighed at 10 weeks and was a smidge under 8kg. He's definitely quite a bit heavier now though. Back to the vets for flea/wormer on Friday so I can update then (he'll be 14 weeks by then). I swear every time he sleeps he grows bigger haha!

DoggyNewbie · 08/10/2023 20:56

@FoxRedPuppy Freddie is gorgeous 😍. Sounds like a good plan re crates

Lougle · 08/10/2023 21:01

Wow @DoggyNewbie he's lovely. It will be nice to compare how they grow 😉

tizwozliz · 08/10/2023 21:27

@Lougle

She's 4.9kg now at 10 weeks

Grace was smaller than that at 10 weeks, she was tiny compared to her big sister at the same age.

Lougle · 08/10/2023 21:31

@tizwozliz that's encouraging, thank you.

Original poster
Riverlee · 08/10/2023 21:54

Welcome all the pups, old and new, and loving all the photos.

For those with the really young, there’s a reason puppies are so cute! It can be hard, tiring, relentless, painful but it does get better. Puppy blues are a real thing we’ve all shed tears (and wondered why have we done it). However, we’re here to support one another, the good, bad, and ugly.

I have Riverpup, who I’m not sure is technically a pup as he’s fifteen months old now. Possibly we hold the record for the most vet visits. We were there again last week with an infected something on his jaw. More antibiotics!

Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups
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Unluckycat1 · 08/10/2023 22:19

Aww more little puppy pics ❤️🥰

I've been told they're puppies until they're 2 numerous times @Riverlee (and a dog walker told me the magic age is actually 3 today 🙈) Poor Riverpup, I hope he feels better soon.

NoWordForFluffy · 08/10/2023 22:48

I thought I'd lost you all!

Welcome to the newbies...I love new puppy pics! 😍😍

FluffyPup was 1 yesterday. He got two new toys and an ostrich bone, which he seems very happy with. 🦴

Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups
Original poster
Riverlee · 08/10/2023 22:57

Happy belated birthday Fluffypup. He’s a gorgeous colour!

Phew, if dogs are pups until they are two, or even three, I can stay a little longer.

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Original poster
Riverlee · 08/10/2023 23:00

Just noticed the toy you got him. We got one for RiverPup’s first birthday as they supposed to be slightly tougher. Not Labrador tough unfortunately! Can’t remember how long it survived, but got destroyed fairly quickly.

Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups
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NoWordForFluffy · 08/10/2023 23:02

He goes through 'tough' toys very quickly. The soft ones like the doughnut last though. It's odd!

feelingalittlehorse · 08/10/2023 23:04

Lougle · 07/10/2023 21:13

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

Hazel is just 😍😍😍

feelingalittlehorse · 08/10/2023 23:14

I’d like to join please 👋
Feelypup is 10 and a half months- I read all your other threads but never commented- mainly because I felt like everything was going down the flusher with this one! Seems to have settled down now, and she’s a real joy but oh my god the over excitement 😬 training classes have been, energetic…

@Lougle mine was 4.5kg at 10 weeks old. She is much smaller than my other two, but actually is a nice size. She’s 24kg now. A lot more manageable.

Original poster
Riverlee · 09/10/2023 22:27

@feelingalittlehorse can we have a picture of your pup please.

OP posts:
feelingalittlehorse · 09/10/2023 22:50

Snoot alert!

Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups
ilovesushi · 09/10/2023 23:00

This is my good girl (lab goldie cross) with her nutty friend (cockershark) who belongs to my mum. And a photo of her at about 8-10 weeks.

She's two and a half now and the very best dog in the world. She was a bitey overexcited nightmare as a puppy though always very cute and adorable. The wise and supportive words of puppy owners a few steps ahead of us on this forum got us through the worst of it. I promise it does get better!

She is an absolute dream now - sweet, cuddly, laid back, calm but also playful and active. Respectful of the cats who tolerate her. Recall is good as long as there are no deer around. We play flyball competitively and do agility just for fun. She was always a brilliant sleeper but after a couple of years sleeping downstairs she has perfected the silent tiptoe upstairs and now mostly sleeps on our bed which DH is not too impressed by but makes me happy.

Off to look at all the beautiful photos and read up about all the pups now! ❤

Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups
Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups
ilovesushi · 09/10/2023 23:21

@Unluckycat1 one of the hardest things to train for me was getting our dog to walk calmly past other dogs and not mug them. She still adores other dogs but is less fixated on them. When she does walk past a dog calmly she'll look at me to see if I noticed and am impressed - I always am!

I had to do a lot of focussed training specifically on walking past other dogs. I'd yell ahead to other dog walkers "We're practicing walking past other dogs" which helped my nerves about the whole thing more than anything. I would use super high value treats like sausage to keep her focus on me and would clip her on and off the lead a lot. I still always carry a tuff e nuff tuggy toy to whip out in emergencies to get her back to me. If I see an on lead dog I either clip her back on or make sure she is walking close to me so she doesn't get any ideas about playing.

Is it more a lack of confidence on your part or are you genuinely worried she won't recall? I've had moments where I struggled to get her back but most people are okay as they can see you and your dog are still a work in progress and are trying to get it right.

FoxRedPuppy · 10/10/2023 07:56

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed already and the puppy isn’t here yet! I’ve had a puppy so I do know what it’s like (maybe that’s why!)

Things ok my mind are whether to crate train or not (didn’t go that well last time), whether to have puppy next to my bed or sleep on sofa. And whether to use a harness or just a collar.

How do you all secure pups in the car?

Pineapplemonkey · 10/10/2023 08:05

Can someone help please? Mabel (8wks 3 days, mini schnauzer) is being fed her breeder recommended food (James Wellbeloved puppy) and as per feeding guidelines.
She's only eating about half (or less) at a sitting though and doesn't seem that interested in it after about 30 seconds of scoffing. She just wants to get on with the important task of playing with her toys. I'm worried about her not eating enough and she doesn't seem to drink that much either.

She had her first vet check yesterday (+first jab) and vet says is very healthy and a great weight so all is good there. She's peeing regularly (goodness know what though!) and pooing a few times a day (solid, neat piles) but I'm worried she's not eating the recommended amounts, in fact nearer half the amounts.

Can you tell I'm a first time dog owner?!

Anything I can do to make her eat all each meal or should I as long as she seems fine, just leave it?

ilovesushi · 10/10/2023 08:20

@Pineapplemonkey I integrated our pup's kibble into training and games, so lots of rewards with the kibble for sit, stay, lie down, come etc. I also scattered it about the garden for her sniff out. She still prefers snuffling round the garden for kibble to eating it out of a bowl. You could also try hand feeding.

If you are looking to switch her food later on this website gives a nutritional rating to various brands https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

AllAboutDogFood.co.uk

The UK's number 1 dog food advice site. Independent dog food reviews, feeding guide, ingredients glossary, retailer locator and much much more!

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

Lougle · 10/10/2023 09:04

@FoxRedPuppy I have crate trained using Susan Garrett's crate games DVD. We also have a pen around the crate for the day time and she sees that as her 'base'. We only have her out of that area if we can supervise her fully.

Lougle · 10/10/2023 09:16

@Pineapplemonkey the range in adult weight of a miniature schnauzer is huge, relatively. She could be 5kg or she could be 10kg. How much per day are you feeding? I also wouldn't be following any guide that says a puppy should be fed twice per day. At 8 weeks she should be getting 4 meals per day. So you could give 4 × 25g as a starting point. If she's hungry, add a little. If she's leaving some, take a little away.

Hazel is already 5kg at 10 weeks. She has 4 × 60g in a mixture of formats: puzzle toy/Kong wobbler, Susan Garrett's 'It's yer choice' game, clicker training with a settle mat, scatter feeding in the garden, attention loops (reward when she looks at me, then throw kibble away from her so she has to get it, then reward for returning attention to me), crate games, lead walking in the garden, etc. We've only given about 3 meals out of a bowl since she arrived with us.

Pineapplemonkey · 10/10/2023 09:30

That's really helpful both of you, I didn't think to use kibble as part of games, will do that starting now!

I asked the vet about feeding based on her expected weight and he thinks she'll be nearer 10kg rather than 5kg based on the size she is now. I'm trying to give her 40g of kibble 3 times a day, I gave her a scrambled egg yesterday and she loved it and definitely ate it all quickly!

She is currently chewing to bits 'Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy, ironically open on the chewing biting pages 🫣

tizwozliz · 10/10/2023 11:17

Our older lab barely ate for the first week or so, probably about a quarter of her allowance (and has remained fussy). I wouldn't worry too much initially (easier said than done). She also turned her nose up at all my plans to train using kibble.

At that age I'd be expecting to feed 4 times a day rather than 3 though.

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