Puppies - when does it get easier?!

[Bluepuppyblues]

So we've got a 10 week old puppy.

She's lovely. But I don't know how many more times I can stand in the rain AND then wash my floor... And also the constant need for me to provide entertainment/stimulation/attention!

Am very much looking forward to her turning into a dog...

So experienced dog owners, when should I expect the puppy to become easier to look after? Am doing all the right things with toilet training, socialisation, obedience training etc etc

Well it's a gradual process. It'll be hard work for the next 2 - 3 years but will start to settle down then.

About 6 months is when it gets a bit easier x

Hang in there OP! Unfortunately the cycle of wiping up muddy paw prints after pee breaks never ends. Ever. 😅

What breed is your pup? If a labrador, mine is over 3 and I'm still standing in the rain and mopping the floor.

Today, I had the added bonus that he ate something horrible (I suspect cow shit), then came home and was sick all over his bed. I'd infinitely prefer cleaning up mud to cow shit sick.🤮

@HappiestSleeping Oh my god, my lab has also done the cow shit sick combo. Gave my gag reflex a good workout!

I would say 6 - 10 months depending on dog. but not all perfect. - by 2 years they are young dogs and things are very definitely easier. Certainly earlier rather than later ( although you did not mention it ) the sharp puppy teeth go so chewing gets better. Keep on with the toilet training

Between 6 months and 4 years depending on breed

Okay 6 months I can manage. If she could get the hang of house-training!! I'd be happy to clean up muddy paws instead of inside toileting!

Yes the sharp teeth are not fun - chewing is okay so far but the playbiting not great and not found effective way to stop it.

What do people do about the constant desire for entertainment or attention? She's fed and exercised and played with but still doesn't seem to have got the hang of existing without interacting with a human! I give her toys/Kong etc but they only keep her busy for ten minutes or so....

@HappiestSleeping that sounds grim!!

Breed is 75% poodle (miniature) and then rest is rough collie

Those are intelligent breeds so she should get the hang of house training soon.

But at 10 weeks she's a tiny baby, you cant expect too much in other respects yet.

Photo for the thread?

It was truly horrendous. I made it worse by giving him his full allocation of dinner. If only I'd thought to give a reduced portion. I am going to have to get a muzzle as he can't keep his head out of anything. Discarded rotten bananas, horse shit, cow shit, the turnips meant for said cows, and his particular delight is cat shit. That is gross when he breathes it over me 🤮🤮🤮🤮

It really was grim. Thank heavens for carpet cleaning machines.

Have you read "easy peasy puppy squeazy" by Steve Mann? Everything you need to know is in that book and it's only about £4 from Amazon.

Is she getting enough sleep? Puppies need 18 - 20 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Tired puppies are devils, especially clever breeds like yours as they just think they can keep going for ever 🤣

Puppies are social sleepers so they do sleep better if they are close to their human or another dog (when they were with mum for example). Once they have left their litter mates they then need to learn how to sleep alone so it can be a daunting time for them. A teddy with a heartbeat noise might help.
Also their sleep cycle is only about half an hour long so they may sleep for a few cycles or they may not.

Are you crating? If so, have you built value in the crate by doing crate games (Susan Garret is the crate games guru). Check that the position of the bed / crate is providing the best environment for rest and sleep - not too busy, not to warm / cold, not going to be disturbed by things going on outside etc

A long last natural chew (we swear by JR pet products chews) might help settle her.

Work on creating a routine (not time bound but cue-driven) and at 10 weeks the most important thing is building the relationship between you. Teaching her a marker word for when she’s done something good which has value to her will be really useful for all future training.

I personally wouldn’t worry about too much obedience training at 10 weeks but would be putting all the foundations in for loose lead walking and recall by playing games off lead in the house and garden. Positive interactions that are rewarded are more likely to be repeated.

Definetly dont over stimulate her ( i learned the hard way). A good bit of training to do at that age would be the relaxation protocol as it requires her to do nothing while you do something. Google it but you might find it worthwhile

You’re overstimulating her.

She needs toys to entertain herself (ideally in a plan pen) and then you on the sofa.

My youngest dog is 14 months and he got maybe 2-3 hours of interaction across an entire day until he was about six months. That included taking him out to wee. 5 minutes training every hour. Play time and solo play time. They need sooo much sleep that anything more than that means you’re likely overstimulating them.

They don’t go out unless it’s to tiddle - otherwise they associate it with fun not weeing.

Don’t go to them when they cry. It reinforces crying = mum/dad give me attention.

You’ve got mongrel/mix of two very intelligent breeds so you need to start training now. That includes sit/stay/wait/walking to heel/down/drop/leave/recall and getting it used to be handled. Otherwise your next 10-14 years will be miserable.

Head over to the Dog Training Advice and Support FB group for all your puppy training needs ;)

Mine is 18 months now and turning into a lovely little dog with no real issues having followed those guides mostly to the letter. We're experienced owners and trainers but this is our first baby puppy. It's only now really that things are beginning to settle down and we are beginning to get our lives back a bit.

I have a lab and he got worse around 5 months and then gradually better from about 1. He's 3 now and 90% great.

Lay a towel at your door for mucky paws.

16 week old cocker pup here and having a pen for her has been really useful. It’s attached to her crate, so when we are busy or she needs downtime she goes in there and tends to go to sleep.
Ive been dousing my hands and feet in clove oil which she dislikes in the hopes it will stop the chewing of humans

Well if mine is anything to go by, toilet training was nailed by about 18 weeks old, and he was an absolute dream for the next few months. Then by 10 months old he turned into an absolute horror and was a nightmare throughout his teenage phase which lasted until about 2 years old

My terrier pup was a tasmanian devil from 10 weeks to 5mo, then he morphed into a cocky dickhead until he was 10mo and from there just got better and better, with short lived bursts of dickheadness.

The constant requirement for attention and distraction (which was the worse thing for me) faded off at around 8-9mo. It would probably have been earlier if I hasn't been so overly attached to him. I'm very much responsible for his past dickheadness.

He's now 17mo and he's a very easy little dog to live with. He still requires attention but it's not constant at all.
(just as I'm typing that he jumped on my lap)

I also have a puppy that age (rough collie coincidentally). I agree you’re probably overstimulating her. Mine sleeps quite a bit by my feet whilst I’m working all day. How much is she sleeping?

mine is telling me she wants to go out to wee about every 45 minutes or so. Then we have about 3 longer stints outside of about 15 minutes. She tears about the house chasing a tennis ball a few times a day for a crazy ten minutes and then spends most of the rest of the time pottering about or snoozing.

At ten weeks old she should be mostly sleeping with bursts of play, training and positive interaction and socialising.

Every hour you put in now will pay you dividends down the line, although the muddy floors will persist.

The sharp bit at the start is a pain, the teenage phase is a total arse, but if you can get to past a year you're over the worst. I got my latest at a similar time of year and I just had in my head that by Christmas I'd have cracked it. They'll settle down in the summer and then again at the end of the year, keep going.

You have picked a bonkers breed though. I think I remember your previous posts when everyone was telling you not to do it because collie poodle (even rough collie which is a more placid breed) was a crazy combination. And the grooming will be hellish!

Thank you everyone for your top tips and reassurance! It's been really helpful to hear I'm probably overstimulating her and not giving her enough down time to rest... Think this is definitely true. It's tricky because I have to enforce it or she just keeps going! Really helpful to hear this reminder and today have made all sessions with interaction much shorter and got her to sleep much more. Housetraining has been much better today like this and puppy is calmer...