Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The doghouse

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 · 18/10/2023 18:20

She’s a fair weather dog 😂. Sorry no idea. All my dogs have always loved the rain and mud!

Im a bit worried that fox pup isn’t eating much. I haven’t really given any treats today. Some kibble in snuffle mat.

He seems happy enough. He would like to live outside, he loves the garden!

Lougle · 18/10/2023 18:55

@Pineapplemonkey we had to crack out the kibble for wees and poos for a while. We use the phrase 'be busy' and as soon as she peed or pood, it was absolute fanfare, whooping joy, etc., and a small handful of kibble. Now we've faded the kibble but she is getting the idea that she doesn't go back in until we have at least a wee or a poo, and preferably both.

We still miss the odd wee. Usually when she has been playing after coming in from a wee....the playing resets the need to wee, but we misinterpret the whining as overtiredness.

Pineapplemonkey · 18/10/2023 19:06

Maybe Schnauzer's are more delicate than I thought!

I've ordered some training pads, it's meant to be raining like this for the next week and I need to sort this problem out!

Her eating is much improved though, she's eating the entire bowl 3 times a day plus some treats so swings and roundabouts eh?!

Lougle · 18/10/2023 19:13

I have a friend who has a Miniature Schnauzer and he adores mud and the rain, so I think it must be a personality thing.

Pineapplemonkey · 18/10/2023 19:40

Lougle · 18/10/2023 19:13

I have a friend who has a Miniature Schnauzer and he adores mud and the rain, so I think it must be a personality thing.

I genuinely think she's doing it to piss me off now! 20 mins I just spent stood in the drizzle in a very soggy garden and she just refused to wee even though I know she needs to go. I have no doubt any minute now she will pee on my carpet.
I think I got a faulty puppy 🙄

Lougle · 18/10/2023 20:01

Try to remember that she knows nothing. She doesn't know what 'inside' is and she doesn't know what 'outside' is. She doesn't know that your carpet is special to you. It just feels nice and it's warm inside. Also, she might be getting more reaction from you when she pees inside than when she pees outside, and she has no idea what is 'good' attention or 'bad' attention.

Have you got any hard flooring that you can keep her on? It's just a bit easier to clean up than carpet.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 18/10/2023 20:28

The rain is coming thick and fast and Maggie basically refused to go out again. I keep reminding her that Labradors love wet and mud but… nope.

Lougle · 18/10/2023 20:39

I carry Hazel (chocolate lab) out and shut the pen gate. It opens when she's done her business.

FoxRedPuppy · 18/10/2023 21:10

Foxpup hasn’t eaten his tea, and has slept on us all evening. I’m beginning to worry about this eating.

Lougle · 18/10/2023 21:30

How much does he weigh and how much are you feeding him @FoxRedPuppy ?

FoxRedPuppy · 19/10/2023 06:56

He weighs 3.8kg and he’s getting 57g, 3 times a day. I’m actually weighing the food in ounces as that’s how the breeder set it out for me.

Lougle · 19/10/2023 07:51

Ok, so at his age he needs 4 feeds a day. He probably can't cope with the amount of food all at once and will just poo it out anyway.

His feed provides about 700 kcal per day (if he's on the medium puppy food) and a hot dog sausage (which is actually really salty tbh) provides 40 kcal. 25g of cheese is 100 calories. So if you are giving hot dog sausages and cheese, you could be replacing almost a meal with treats.

There shouldn't be any need to give 'high value' treats at home. He should be happy to train for his kibble. But if you do want to give treats as well, you'll need to reduce his portions so he can cope.

Lougle · 19/10/2023 07:54

For context, Hazel is a Labrador, so will be about 28kg fully grown, probably double your cockapoo's weight or more. She gets 80 X 4 and we use it for training. No extras.

FoxRedPuppy · 19/10/2023 08:31

He will be about 10kg full adult weight. The breeder said to feed 3 times a day. But I can move to 4.

I didn’t feed any treats yesterday and he still didn’t eat much.

the hot dogs and cheese came from a previous dog, and we did training with our vets and they said to use high value treats, and actually suggested hot dogs (because they smell!)

I’ll hold off on any treats today too and see if that helps. He’s had a little bit of breakfast. He’s still weeing and pooing as normal.

tizwozliz · 19/10/2023 12:04

He should be happy to train for his kibble

This is really dog dependent, our older lab is fussy, will spit kibble out if you attempt to give as a reward, younger lab will do anything for a bit of kibble.

Original poster
Riverlee · 19/10/2023 18:25

Tiz - gorgeous picture in Scotland.

Loving all the other pup pictures as well. The fox reds are gorgeous and I always have a soft spot for collies.

Thought I was going to have to go to the vet again this week, due to very soft, liquids poos. However, we waited forty eight hours and it seems to have resolved itself. If RiverPup was a human baby, you’d all be crying pfb at me!

OP posts:
FoxRedPuppy · 19/10/2023 18:56

Not PFB from me! I’m worried about everything. Is he eating enough, am I training enough? Too much? Sleeping too much? 😂

We had a wee accident today. Annoying as none since Monday. My fault. He woke up from a really long sleep and I was in a work meeting and couldn’t open the door for him. So did it in his bed next to the back door.

He has eaten better today. I’ve been on my own with him (and working). He squeak a bit if I’m not giving him attention. I’m trying to ignore if he safe/ has toys etc as don’t want him to be Velcro dog!

Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups
Original poster
Riverlee · 19/10/2023 19:11

“don’t want him to be Velcro dog!”

So whose legs is he laying on ?! (He looks very content).

OP posts:
FoxRedPuppy · 19/10/2023 19:17

Riverlee · 19/10/2023 19:11

“don’t want him to be Velcro dog!”

So whose legs is he laying on ?! (He looks very content).

😂 I thought it was an ironic photo! I love a sleepy cuddle!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 19/10/2023 20:11

Tough day today. Pups routine was just all out of sync, i forgot to take her food out so I had to give her kibble (she’d had it before but not as a meal) and that just seemed to have had a knock on effect all day. Plus the relentless heavy rain doesn’t help because she does not like the rain, so refused to do any real play outside. When the kids got home she just went totally crazy.

I think her teeth are bothering her as well and she’s had a few wee accidents this evening which she hasn’t at all up to now. I’m currently trying to settle her in her bed in the lounge for the evening but she’s had a run in and a swipe from a cat outside and is still a bit over wrought.

I’m confused about food, she’s on raw food, 500g a day over 2 meals, but she eats it so fast and she seems hungry all the time (Labrador, so…. 🤷‍♀️) - she also has around 20g of puppy kibble as rewards, a couple of sugar snap peas or a bit of carrot or apple. She came on 2 meals a day from the breeder, but should I change this to 3/4? I want to keep her on the raw food if I can, she seems to like it and I’m picking up a months supply on Saturday. I would switch to half and half tbh if it suited her better. I am really not sure what to do.

FoxRedPuppy · 19/10/2023 20:50

Sorry you’ve had a bad day. I think it’s a bit like life with a baby, chalk it up and start fresh tomorrow.

Not sure about feeding. My experience of labradors is that they are always starving 😂

Lougle · 19/10/2023 21:08

@thenewaveragebear1983 generally the rule is 4 meals at 2 months, 3 meals at 4 months and 2 meals at 6 months.

Original poster
Riverlee · 19/10/2023 21:14

@thenewaveragebear1983 we have a lab also. Started on kibble but he went off it so now do 50:50 Butternut box and kibble which seems to work (too expensive to do 100% butternut ).

Have you got a slow feeder? We always use one and it slows down the rate he eats his food. He still gobbles it down, but not quite as fast (I think we got it off Amazon).

We feed twice a day.

Labs are dustbins in disguise so will eat anything and will pretend they’re always hungry.

OP posts:
NoWordForFluffy · 19/10/2023 21:31

Riverlee · 19/10/2023 21:14

@thenewaveragebear1983 we have a lab also. Started on kibble but he went off it so now do 50:50 Butternut box and kibble which seems to work (too expensive to do 100% butternut ).

Have you got a slow feeder? We always use one and it slows down the rate he eats his food. He still gobbles it down, but not quite as fast (I think we got it off Amazon).

We feed twice a day.

Labs are dustbins in disguise so will eat anything and will pretend they’re always hungry.

We do almost exactly the same with our lab.

Weirdly, not a doggy dustbin though. And has been known to ignore his food / not eat it all. His relatives would be ashamed of him! 🤣🤣

thenewaveragebear1983 · 19/10/2023 21:46

Thank you 😊 I might give 3 meals tomorrow then and see if that helps her to settle a bit, is 500g enough? She weighed 4.5kg last week when we got her but I’m sure she has gained weight. I’m going to weigh her at the weekend. Should she be having 10% of her body weight as raw food?( It’s a complete food )