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.

Thunder shirt I was wondering if this might help you @BleakGarden , but actually, @Pineapplemonkey maybe your pup would enjoy wearing it, too?

We just went for a little walk to the car park to practice some recall. Today I put her in a sit, then told her to wait while I ran away at full speed then called her. She loved it! The first time she followed me but then she got the idea. The car park is handy because it's at the end of our estate, through a cut way, but it isn't used much in the evening or weekend afternoons.

Thanks @Lougle yes I was looking at thunder shirts around bonfire night! She was fine with fireworks but it might be handy out of the house. She's on Zylkene which I thought was helping but now I'm not so sure. And she's wearing an adaptil collar - the jury is out on that too!

That's a good point @FoxRedPuppy there is a GSP rescue and if we could keep her while they look for the right home that would be perfect. I actually feel a lot calmer knowing that's a potential option.

Thanks everyone! I'm feeling a bit fragile, I've cried a few times and I've already poured myself a glass of wine. She's just so lovely but the world terrifies her. Fingers crossed the behaviourist can help. My older dog is very tuned into heightened emotions so she's been sitting on me every time I well up. She alerts me to my arrhythmia in the same way, I must give off the same vibes for both

@DoggyNewbie mine have a nutty hour after dinner (witching hour) and pup gets the mad zoomies when she needs to poo!

Glad it's not just Charlie with the after dinner zoomies!

Thanks @Lougle. Have you any collar recommendations? Charlie hasn't worn one much as we've just tended to wear his harness when out so I'll need to sort that out. Also do you have a routine for when you take Hazel out? It's tricky to fit in walks around the kids and often when he's been a dickhead about having his harness on and I give up he'll often take himself off for a nap! So I'm obviously trying to do it at the wrong times 🙈. I didn't think it would be this difficult!

@DoggyNewbie it's actually a legal requirement for your dog to wear a collar and tag if it is in public. Even if he's wearing a harness he has to also wear a collar and tag. https://www.dfordog.co.uk/blog/dog-identification-id-tag-uk-law.html

We just have a cheap collar with a tag that has our surname, address, and phone number. But I've seen the Ezy Dog collars and they seem nice.

I don't have a specific routine but I do have set things that I do. So she has to sit at the doorway, wait, then hear 'Ok' before she can walk through it. We don't start our first step until she is in position beside me, etc., and she always has to sit and wait for 'Ok' at the edge of pavements before we cross the road.

Tbh, I haven't walked her very regularly. I am not keen to get into a situation where she decides that it's time for a walk. I just make sure that if we do go for a walk, it's consistent with expectations. Even when I use the long line, I expect manners and no pulling on the line, and I expect her to come to me if I call her. But tbh, at this age, she is quite happy to trot beside me even if she's wearing the long line, because I hold the kibble. I expect it will change in adolescence!

Thanks, I'll have a look. His tag is attached to his harness currently which from what I can gather is the requirement (ie they must have a tag. The law was made when harnesses weren't really a thing I guess). But sounds like a collar will actually be useful for training so I'll put it on there once he's used to wearing one. I'm sure that will be the next drama 😬. There's so much difference of opinion isn't there? I didn't use a collar straight away as I kept reading about how attaching a lead to the collar can cause damage to the neck when they pull - and Charlie certainly pulls!! But I can see the need to signal between training and leisure so we'll give it a go.

@Lougle I cross posted with you I think. Definitely agree with not wanting them to expect a walk at particular times! I think I have been too lax with manners so will tighten up there for sure. I'm so impressed Hazel trots by you for kibble! Charlie is just SO excited and just wants to GO and sniff ALL the things 🙄

Oh she does her share of sniffing, but she does like her food.

@DoggyNewbie i’ve been lax with manners as well. I’ll be honest, I don’t carry treats around enough and I don’t think I am strict enough on maintaining the behaviour. But it’s all a learning curve isn’t it?

doggie is tired today, she’s had a lovely sniffy walk earlier and some new toys to play with and some training. My dd has been teaching her to shake paw and she finally tonight did it! Clever puppy.

@cockapup We have a cockapoo called Benji too 😀He's 15 months old now though so we're going through the teenage stage. Hope you got him home ok 😊

@thenewaveragebear1983 paw shaking is so sweet.

We’ve also discovered that paw shaking is a very useful trick for when they have muddy paws. Just ask them to shake their paw when you want to dry their (front) paws.

@Lougle it really is, she’s had to try really hard to learn it you can almost see the cogs turning while she does it.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/4945764-puppy-survival-thread-for-old-and-new-pups-heading-into-winter

New thread

It took Hazel a while to do paw. I had taught her to be too polite so she didn't lift her paws when I offered food.

See you all on the next thread 😊

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@Lougle this is SO accurate.

Bertie has found his voice and i'm having lightbulb moments. He's also found how to play and tease me, giving me the literal runaround when in the pen for poos and wees. Or running under the bed when I want to take him out for toiletting. He sits til I'm just about to pick him up and then runs away - such fun for him, very very embaressing for me in my pjs, dressing gown and coat over the top. Being a woman of a certain age I already don't need any excuse to get a sweat on but he's found another one for me😁.

Last night I put him down for the night and he started whining and then full on barking until I put him in the crate on my bed because I'm in friends house (only until 11th December, yay!!) and he has neighbours. But it didn't stop and I suddenly realised I'd cleared out his crate earlier and didn't put his blanky with a teddy head thingy back in - he's had that since I collected him and brought him home. Instant quiet and sleep, so (another) lesson learned.

Is that working this morning???? Not a bit of it. He wants to sleep under the wardrobe. Or in his other bed which isn't in the crate. He's very settled right now in the crateless bed next to me but I can't leave him, can I??? What do other folk do who choose not to use a crate?? I bought an indoor puppy pen yesterday for my new house so I can pop him in during the day when I'm in another room but it's a bit big to put up in friends house and fiddly to put up and take down every day. I wondered if he's feeling anxious or something, I'm not sure why though as nothing has changed (I bought a new water bowl for his crate and he needed to bark it into submission but he's drinking from it now so I assume he's letting it stay).