Puppy Survival Thread - for old and new pups heading into winter

[Lougle]

A thread to continue our journey with our puppies as we head into winter.

If you're new to having a puppy, jump straight in.

Sorry, mine doesn't just kill her toys, she disembowels them!
If yours likes the destuffing experience, try a hollee stuffed with an old t shirt.
Or I go to a charity shop, buy the terrible looking teddies no one else would, make them dog safe and let her have at it.
Luckily mine knows what's allowed to destroy and what's not but she does have a penchant for socks and pants...

Yes it’s definitely a kill not a destroy. She goes right for the soft belly and pulls the guts out. Old cuddlies is a good shout, we have loads in the loft

Your kids are made of sterner stuff than mine if they'd be OK seeing their old toys eviscerated!

My pup turns 3 on Monday so I suppose we are pushing it even being an older pup now. She's in season at the moment and the usual enclosed field we go to has closed down so she's been stuck on the lead for the last two weeks. I have found somewhere else a bit further away with some agility equipment and we are going to try it out tomorrow morning. Looking forwards to it as I feel a bit stir crazy too.

Regarding soft toys, our pup has always treated them with great care like they are her babies or dollies. Some were bought specially for her and some she has filched from my kids' bedrooms. The DC are teens now so were not too fussed. Sometimes when I come home after leaving her a few hours she is sitting in the window with all her babies gathered round her all looking out for my car.

What chews can I safely give my nearly 12 week old pup?
He has a Nyla bone but he's not really interested, plus rope chew toys. He prefers my ikea kitchen stool or our eames style rocking chair (so wood basically!)
I'm told cows ears etc are from 4 months+ but I'd really like to get something he'd be interested in that's not our furniture!

Oh, and he licks apple cider vinegar mixture off aforementioned furniture..... 🤦🏻‍♀️

Have you tried olive wood @JaneIves

We've got a 16 week old border collie and have used an olive chew which he's liked. He's also had a beef head chews and buffalo ears for the last 3 or so weeks as have some others from his litter. He's been fine with them although I take them away much too his disgust when he gets towards the end it gets small and I worry he could choke on it.
The buffalo ear is my Tuesday go to when I have a 3 hr run of work meetings and I get a good couple of hours of peace where he won't do anything else but the chew

@JaneIves Yak chews are perfect for that age. Not cheap but they last a while and most dogs like them.

Mine loves these. And when it gets too small, pop it in the microwave for 45 seconds and they can eat the ‘cheesy puff’.

Those of you giving pups old teddies, just make sure they don’t have glass or plastic eyes because they can be attached with sharp fittings. I’ve been known to buy old teds in charity shops and then cut the eyes out and sew them up 😵

We bought duck feet for Maggie but they last less than a minute now. She just chomps through them. I might try a buffalo ear, she likes pig ears too. I also have looked at various wood/root chews - are they good? Do they eat the wood they chew?

We also have a benebone wishbone that’s a good shape and size for her back teeth

We're lucky at the moment that Hazel isn't a destroyer. She has lovingly chewed peguin's nose off, and Mr M&M lost his legs at an early age, but generally, she's a gentle chewer so far.

I took Hazel to a garden centre yesterday. A man had two small something-poos who were acting quite hysterical. He asked me if Hazel was a 'boy or a girl' and when I said girl, he said 'phew...these two are in season!!' Nice responsible ownership, then, taking them to an indoor, dog-friendly garden centre with no easy escape if a male dog came around the corner.

Thanks all, I might give the olive wood a go seeing as he likes chewing it already!

Do those cheesy chews smell at all? I love cheese but my husband boaks at even a whiff of anything cheesy!

@JaneIves olive/ coffee wood is great, it does not splinter but does make a mess ( I really don't care if it works!). Yak chews don't smell cheesy but I have stopped using as they splinter and are rock hard. Bulls pizzles are good, but don't last very long. Ostrich bones are good, honeycomb type innards that don't splinter. Always on the lookout for new ones!

@JaneIves They don’t smell at all, don’t make a mess and I’ve never heard of them splintering either. The calcium is good for them and they are low in fat.

Yak chews definitely can splinter and shatter. Although they seem to vary loads. We had one that lasted months and then another that was demolished in an evening (then we got to see the chunks again in the early hours).

Chimipup had an olive wood chew from a pet shop that splintered in minutes. Took it off him as soon as I realised.

He used to love ducks feet but after he was sick once (not long after the olive wood to be fair) we stopped giving them to him. We may start again now he's older.

He loves yak chews and the ones we've had never splinter and he's a pretty hard chewer. He specially loves them when they're puffed up from the microwave.

His deer antler has lasted forever. The vet wasn't keen as she said to take care giving him anything too hard but he loves that.

These don't splinter but they do leave a bit of a mess. Don't let it drop on your toe!!

New pup coming end of this month, it has been 17 years since puppies in the house, and different this time as I live alone now.
Am anticipating a hard time...
Anyway, I'd like her in my bed or at least my room, but on the occasion (not frequent) when I have to leave her overnight, will there be any carers who will let her in their bed?
She'll be smallish and very low shedding (whiggy)
I will be lurking and probably asking for support at times.

Thanks for the chew recommendations. We have an antler but she’s not fussed by it anymore, she seems to have gone off most of her toys although she has just done a further disembowelment of foxy this morning. She likes her ball, although even a tennis ball got the teeth treatment the other day. 🤔 I wonder if it’s a boredom thing? I’ve bought her a few new toys off vinted but I can’t afford to keep buying things for her to be not interested!
I’ll look at those olive/wood roots. I bought her a selection box of animal parts, the first box I got was excellent, the second nothing seems to last more than a few minutes. I keep forgetting to make up kongs as well, I will do a couple this afternoon to keep in the freezer.

This was a good purchase. I use an old T-shirt and stuff and re stuff. I even tie knots in it so Fluffpup can give it a really good ragdolling! I don't think it's boredom as such, it's part of what she does every day. I'm giving her things to satisfy her stellar chewing abilities and destroying. If she was bored she'd give herself another job to do - one which most likely would not be great for me!
She also loves a cardboard box to shred. I just made sure she had to be given one rather than her seeking them out! It genuinely helps my recycling - I don't have to collapse my boxes by myself anymore!!

Have you tried one of the giant ostrich bones? I think your pup is old enough now. They do make a mess, and their poo is like concrete afterwards, but ours kept FluffyPup going for ages.

I was looking at ostrich bone in ‘JR products’ a couple of days ago. Never used one before so may try that

We find the thinner coffee woods / olive woods are better than the big thick ones .

Buffalo horns work well as well.

Yak bars worked well for us when Riverpup was small but don’t last long now (and can just his stomach).

Kong wobbler toy is quite good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-Wobbler-Treat-Dispensing-Small/dp/B004NSVIRY/ref=asc_df_B004NSVIRY/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309950281379&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15290372227381971266&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045127&hvtargid=pla-355380579545&psc=1&mcid=0b660d740c923d32b41edc440e012c21

Also Kong Gyro

https://www.viovet.co.uk/KONG-Gyro-Interactive-Dog-Toy/c38169/?quick_find=246379&utm_source=sag&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces_UK&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfntCoFWaJKRkYn5c3BM2hHYblsnI-nTgm_4LQBti-udt-Flc9paVJBBoC-3gQAvD_BwE

In fact, anything Kong!

In Pets at Hone, there’s a Tonka range. Seems pretty robust.

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/value-added-filled-bone-skin---coat

Quite like these filled bones (although the last one broke easily). The only problem us they tend to be short, and I think the general rule is that anything you give them should be longer than their mouth.

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/company-of-animals-boomer-ball-dog-toy-6inches?size=15cm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&cm_mmc=Google--CPC--%20google_shopping-_-google_shopping&ita=1976&ito=google_shopping&istCompanyId=7255ccad-a1fc-4729-af31-478f79e5071c&istFeedId=385e6b9a-8b03-4076-a8bb-e4737df8549c&istItemId=itxmxwiap&istBid=t&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=20985857984&cq_term=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfnjChtbTh7MiF16XzOedgF23EOfT3uMxGpyYJlWJYgN9roE86PgJzXRoCrN0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Sorry for the long hyperlink, and not a chew. However, Riverpup loves playing with these in the garden.