Puppy Survival Thread for New and Old Pups - Spring is around the corner!

[Lougle]

A thread for puppy owners to share their ups and downs as we head into Spring. We're not just here for the idyllic moments. We've all had a cry at some point!

All posters welcome - just dive in.

The previous thread is here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/4945764-puppy-survival-thread-for-old-and-new-pups-heading-into-winter?page=1

@ShetlandIsla wise words. Not sure why you’re deleting your account, maybe I’ve missed something but imperfect pup sums it up nicely.

@ShetlandIsla I'm also not sure why you need to delete your account. Everyone is welcome here. Tbh, I don't think puppies are unashamedly badly behaved. I think they're experimenting with their environment and acting on instinct. We need to shape that environment to make it easy for them to behave as we want them to. But yes, puppy raising is hard work.

And ShetlandIsla has gone.
Such wise words, and so much compassion. I cried reading her words, and that's something I find very hard to do. (Often anything dog-related can do it. If you need a good howl I recommend in YouTube "dog out looking for his day" by Charlie Dore")

I must say though, this is a lovely compassionate thread in general, but it's so true that even more advice can send me into more of a spin.

I'll just post a photo of my little lovable twit as a positive! (joined by a little elderly Westie in the park)

This really is a lovely thread. It is so nice to just have a place to offload/vent. I find that in person, people don't want to hear about the negatives of a puppy! They just see a bundle of fur and think, how cute!

Here's a rare positive from me though - I am loving walking my pup. He hardly ever just stops and sits now. He's racing ahead - I know pulling is a whole other problem, but I don't care right now, because at least we are moving!! And the best thing - when we're walking, he's not biting me!!!

Also what @ShetlandIsla said about books and information - it is very frustrating when you are trying to find an answer and just read or hear conflicting advice over and over again. It makes you feel lost and hopeless. And that is one thing that makes it all so hard, that there is often no exact answer. You just have to trial and error with your puppy, and for some stubborn pups, nothing seems to work!

I've been lurking on here a while, I've not posted much since the early days of puppyhood where I was at times completely overwhelmed. Thankfully that has got better but the last few days I'm struggling a little again and after hints and tips for what seems to be our biggest 'issue' now.

JanePup is now 6 months old (a BT)
He is a dear little thing but has 2 speeds, full on and sleep. There is no inbetween! I see photos of other pups (esp on a BT FB page that I'm on) of their pups just chilling on the sofa or enjoying cuddles, and I feel a bit miffed that mine does neither.
Don't get me wrong, he's like Velcro to me - follows me everywhere, wants my constant attention.
He'll not 'play' alone for even 5 minutes! And that's all he wants is to play, play, play.
He might sit still next to me for 30 seconds if that.
I fill boxes with socks/treats, snuffle mats, lick mats and kongs. He has toys, chews galore. These things might buy me 5 minutes peace.

How can I get him to just be sometimes?
We go to puppy classes, on our second lot actually, he performs well in class but it doesn't transpire at home.
He has 2 sometimes 3 short walks of 20/30 minutes. Usually sniffy walks too - loose lead is a work in progress, he's good where we live but if I take him up to the fields or path around our house it's back to pulling/sniffing.
He'll not just settle to sleep, he has to be 'told', he won't just switch off.
He is crated, will go in willingly when asked but he'll never just take himself off.
We've not left him yet - well we have when he's been asleep, longest out was 2 hours and he was incredibly clingy when we returned that time. Other times not so long, I can manage to do a shop or chores when he's asleep as I can't do it when he's awake.

Is it just a case of time?
Does anyone have any tips of things I can try to curb his complete reliance on me or is he still too young yet?

I'm sorry that's long, I adore him but I'd also like to promote some independent behaviours to help us both.

It sounds to me like you're doing what you can very well, and it's just time.

And people say "well you knew a puppy would be hard work", but it's only when you're in it that it really hits home.
So many things you took for granted that you can't do unless they're asleep, or even until they grow up! (Gardening, knitting, jigsaw puzzles 😆)

My pup is mostly whippet, and she actually will just lie and play alone at times. But she whines! And usually I've no idea why, and not sure she does either. Sounds pitiful and if I'm low mood can produce worry.

Don't know what to advise, I have heard that female dogs are often more independent than males. My male before was more cuddly than his sister. (Not as a puppy though! They spent most of the time play fighting or sleeping over each other)

Roll on the days when we look back and smile.

@JaneIves
I just remembered, the time scale for leaving them at home is so hard to know, I asked the dog trainer and she wouldn't commit at all, just said "depends on the pup"...
But my very good friend with her Goldie pup (had a Goldie before who lived to a ripe age) has only just, with pup a year old, been able to leave her 3 to 4 hours occasionally. At 6 months I think she was stuck in the kitchen and garden a lot of the time, as pup so destructive in the rest of the house, like a whirlwind!

Now that same dog is so much calmer, can be in the while house with them.
(In the kitchen when they're out, she didn't tolerate a crate)

If I remember rightly it started to improve at about 8 months, they had a camera and realised that her pitiful howls lasted no time at all, then she would mostly sleep!

@Yllasin, my hobby is cross stitch and I barely did any last year due to FluffyPup. I'm back on it now, thankfully. No chance when he was a proper puppy though (he's 19 months next week, so will be puppy-ish for a good while, being a lab, but not unruly like the early days!).

Typical!
After my post earlier, I gave myself a stern word and resolved to try and make the changes I desire. I've mostly ignored JsnePups whines and neediness today and just got on with what I need to do, but obviously met his basic needs, we had a longer walk than normal earlier and now he is snuggled into my leg happily snoozing on the sofa!
I probably am guilty of giving him too much attention, if I'm honest!

@JaneIves as part of our Adolescent Dogs subscription we did a 30 day 'Calm Canine' challenge. It was a lot of boundary training, using her bed as a boundary and reinforcing it with treats. She was already pretty good at chilling but now she chooses to go to her bed a lot more than before because she has a really positive association with it.

Also, there's nothing wrong with you deciding that he needs chill time, or you need to have time without worrying about him, and putting him in his crate with a tasty chew.

@JaneIves we realised we were giving our pup way too much enrichment and "doing things " rather than letting her be. It took time and I spent most of the first 8 months in the kitchen, diner conservatory! We found teaching the settle command helped a lot. I am a photographer and, other than work, I have not taken my camera out with me on a walk until now and my garden was left to itself last year. Now, I am back gardening and taking my camera out. It is a time thing and a letting them get on with her own thing. Sounds like you are getting there today!

@Lougle I'll look up that challenge, thanks.

@Floramac I'm definitely guilty of giving my pup too much to do I think! It probably started out as a worry he'd get bored/destructive.
Plus I was at home constantly when we first got him due to me breaking my foot a few days prior to picking him up, I'm very much 'his' person.

It was lovely having a sofa snuggle earlier though, he's tearing around now entertaining himself!

@Cavalierchaos you're post made me smile! i'm so happy for you.

Over here Fin is doing as expected for a teething puppy with occasionally bloody gums. chilling right now behind a chair in what has become his safe spot.
way less toileting accidents and heavier. every time he wakes from a nap his snout, body or legs seem longer.

Hi all -
I don't know if anyone caught my last post about Milos behaviour due to use moving property?

I'm glad to report that 3 weeks in - his behaviour is actually better than in the previous place we lived,
Since we got him at 12 weeks - it's been a horrible nightmare to be honest. He is approach 11 months old this month and we are finally seeing that all this hard work may be paying off
Obviously he still needs work as he still is a baby.
I have had times where I've just had to lock myself in a different room because his behaviour was just so terrible despite all the work and training we had put in.
Now I'm really starting to enjoy the dog he is turning into.
Currently he is on Skinner's wet food and hills dry food - this is the only food that keeps his stomach settled.
Keeping a steady weight also.
Anyone else got their "phew" moment where they feel like it's finally paying off?
When people say it does pay off and it does get better at X age and it didn't I honestly didn't know what the fuck I was doing so wrong but honestly each pup has their own time where they become less like a knob head 😂😂😂

@Floramac Maggie was/is a very busy dog. She always has been. She is now 8.5 months is age is starting to settle, I’ve started leaving her loose when I am upstairs working and she will potter about for an hour and just chill. Interestingly even though each day she has ‘enforced’ nap times in her crate, the last two days she’s just been free all day as we’ve been out in the garden- she has not once taken herself off for a sleep or a rest. You would think she would be tired as she is used to daytime naps but not at all…. Until about 5pm this evening when she just conked out on the kitchen floor!
we’be never really done loads of enrichment, she likes her antler and her ‘bones’ (chewies) but she’s not really into toys as are just destroys them. The last few weeks she really does seem to have calmed right down though, it would be nice to get to a position where she would just go off and snooze for a bit, that does seem more likely now than it did a month ago. They do grow up don’t they!

Just checking in. Thanks @Lougle for the residential training update. Typical that her season started while she was there! I have booked pup in for residential training in July, I suspect she'll have her first season then too. I have used the trainer before with my older dog and I trust him completely, but still nerve wracking in view of her separation anxiety.

Her investigations at the orthopaedic vet were all normal - no signs of hip dysplasia at all. We're carrying on with the gabapentin for the anti-anxiety effect. I've seen some small bits of progress, she's never going to be dog social and that's fine, I'm just aiming for her not to react. I decided to claim the orthopaedic investigations from the insurance over a month ago... and I'm still waiting to hear if it will be covered!

I stepped on her paw last weekend, in boots, and split her primary paw pad. So she's been off walks all week and she's not too happy poor thing! I've been trying to manage it at home with wound powder and dressings but it's still not coming together so she might need some skin glue... another trip to the vet.

I feed her millies gundog mix, she's still on 250g per meal so I race through it. My older dog is on gamekeepers mix and she gets 100g per meal. They've both got sensitive tummies, any time I try something other than millies I regret it

Hi all,
Me and my husband have just gotten back from the vets,
Was just for a general check up weight ect,
Now, we think it's time to neuter, as the first get recommended that we waited until he was older due to nervousness as a pup.
Now the new vet has recommended chemical castration as first line rather than rush into neutering.
Im torn as in theory it sounds great as I do agree once his balls have gone they can't put them back on but I'm so not sure,
Any ideas, recommendations, anyoneeee?????

I would be aware that chemical castration causes an initial surge in testosterone, which can make testosterone fuelled behaviours worse. If the dog practices testosterone fuelled behaviours during that time, then they may not fade once the testosterone drops.

The other issue is that once the implant is in, that's it until it wears off. Sometimes vets will agree to put the implant near the groin instead of the neck, so that it will be possible to remove if it isn't helpful.

I've decided I am going to hold off both options all together!
It doesn't feel right and it isn't right
Felt like the vet was trying to push the implant on us because I'd never heard of it before then and I had to do my own research.
I only have Milos best interests at heart and wouldn't want to put him at risk of any procedures I authorise to go ahead with.

Milo just can't be arsed today!

We may do more settling in a coffee shop training than is strictly necessary 😂

Excellent training. Never too much settle training, specially in a busy/different environment!

We seem to have gone from wet, cold and muddy to need to get the dogs out before it gets too warm in the space of a week!

I haven’t read the entire thread, so forgive me if I’m teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here! Not sure if you find her too energetic as well as reactive, but (just in case you don’t know), unless you work her, Gundog mix is like rocket fuel and is untended for dogs who work hard.