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

@LER83 it really is such a steep learning curve. Reading all the books etc doesn't always help because every pup responds differently!

Yesterday for the first time ever Fin had a no “accidents” day. Which is good because he’s bigger, bladders bigger and puddles bigger. BUT, @Cavalierchaos i simply leave the back door open, freezing my ankles :(. He APPEARS, to be letting himself out to pee!
Rain doesn’t seem to affect him, but he still has a very “deer in the headlights” gaze, not sure he gets much yet :(.
You could try a raincoat or booties?
One of our dogs many moons ago simply refused to pee on grass…that was challenging (fully grassed lawn, would exclusively use the deck, yuk). Never outgrew that.

@Cavalierchaos

Rain certainly makes it more likely that Fern will take a look and turn round again, and I don't completely trust that she wouldn't find somewhere indoors to do it.
If it's hammering down I'll put on her coat and go out with her and a big brolly, stay out till she's done the business then the reward is straight back in.
Sometimes have to carry her out and shut the door, I keep the big brolly right by the back door and it can cover both of us.
Good luck!

Just wanted to pop on and say I also read all the posts and I hope that everyone feels welcome, but I'm a bit deflated to add anything at the moment. We're still on a very up and down journey with our pup. I'm making the most of half term and have finally booked her in for blood tests (she will need a general), also gait analysis at the physio and a 1-2-1 session with a trainer near us who can tide us over until she has her 3 week slot with our regular trainer in July. I think gabapentin made her worse in the end, so we are on a rollercoaster as we slowly wean her off it.

@JamieJ93 milo is gorgeous!! how old is he now? Max is still teeny, nearly 10 weeks old. toilet training is up and down, sometimes he uses the puppy pad amazingly, other times he wees where he fancies 🙈
he also doesn't enjoy going out in the rain and i have to carry him out.
for any of you who used/uses puppy pads, did pup tear them and drag them about? we're going through more pads just because he wrestles them !!

@lookwhatyoumademedoo we ditched the pads very quickly, after someone else said it just teaches them to use the pad and not outside, plus yes, our pup used to rip them to shreds too.
Our toilet training was done in the very wet January/february - quite a mission! I was up and down like a bloody yoyo, but our pup caught on quickly (with lots of treats and praise!)

@BackToLurk I'd put my money on it being a morning bird/light change issue. I expect if you insisted that it wasn't time for wees, pup would go a bit longer .

@JamieJ93 I think 9 months is a nice age - just starting to grow up before adolescence hits.

Today DD2 decided to introduce pressing a button to go outside. Hazel took to it immediately and was obviously very keen to go out because she kept pressing it, so we've had to reconsider!

@PointerParty sorry it's all so tough. She's lucky to have you.

FluffyPup vs puppy pad back when he was small!

We also housetrained in Jan / Feb and thankfully he caught on dead quick too.

@tizwozliz & @Lougle he's now getting up at 2am for a poo. Won't go before bed, but will have a wee

Hi Everyone,
New user, forum and social media novice (hard to believe these days) and generally desperate woman!
I’m ‘mum’ to a 13 week old WCS, I’ve had him two weeks, I love him to bits already, but maaan is he killing me.
I’m not sure if this thread is still current, but as I said I’m new to all this and am getting a bit confused with the navigation…extreme sleep deprivation isn’t helping either!
Desperate in Leeds x

Durr…just realised I was reading the start of the thread not the end…as I say…extreme sleep deprivation…

Ours is 4 now and will hold on forever if it's raining. Till 3 in the afternoon if she has to. Then needs an encouraging nudge to get out....

My WCS is 11 months old.
What are you doing with pup so far in terms with routine?

Thanks for responding!
Up at 6, short walk for poo and pee
Breakfast and a bit of playing
Crate for an hour or so…that bit of the day goes well.
Rest of the day is more difficult, I try to get him to have another couple of crate sessions of about an hour and a half, mixed in with naps he takes himself, play, and a bit of sit, down, leave etc. He does go to puppy class.
The main problem I have, is he’ll toilet on the front lawn, on little walks, or happily in the house, but he won’t go on the back patio that we have easy access to and have made secure for him.
I’m completely wiped out with supervising him, and trying to do my work/house jobs/eat/go to the loo myself!! I don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted, and my house is trashed!!

Agh, so no concrete then?
Sadly my cocker was and still a grass only kinda guy.
It's definitely perseverance at this stage because it will get alot worse when adolescence hits but thankfully youve got a while yet!

I really don’t think I can cope with much worse 🙁

@BrodiePup soak up an indoor pee onto a puppy pad or newspaper. Place that on the back deck so he can sniff where he’s to go?
Fin’s 16+ weeks now and the progress/learning curve is steep.

When my puppy came from the breeder she was trained onto a patch of cheap fake grass which the breeder used in a tray with a layer of wooden cat litter pellets and the “grass” on top. Could you fashion something like that for him? She’s 9 months now and she still much prefers to go on gravel or grass. We have a gravel driveway and sometimes she’ll do her whole walk and then pee only on our drive when we get home.

Thanks so much for your replies, that’s a really handsome pup!
My husband is making some sort of box at the moment to fill with soil and put turf on top, so 🤞🏻that will work.
My patio looks a right mess…last weekend we spent laying boards over the gravel that he was trying to eat!
I can’t believe how much time and hard work goes into raising a puppy, it’s almost 30 years since my last. I’m not sure I would’ve gone ahead if I’d known, but the little monster has already got under my skin.

The Brodie Pup after a soggy walk

@BrodiePup LOVE LOVE LOVE the fat paws!!
Yes, lots of nibbling on outdoor wood stuff, although not encouraged as furniture could be next. I’ve found Costco to have a good pet selection of toys and treats. Dehydrated LIVER, is making some aspects of our life easier.
Fin is now tall enough to stand at counters and reach almost everything! He stole half a loaf of bread yesterday.

Oh my gosh - can we swap?

Hi! Just found this thread and wanted to join. I have a 5.5 month old English Setter and whilst about 70% of the time she's a delight, the rest she's an absolute nightmare!
She's still getting to grips with toilet training, having the odd accident inside but my biggest issue is leaving her alone. She's not allowed upstairs (the cat's domain) but I can't even go to the toilet without her barking her head off 😣 I've tried the whole, leaving for a few seconds and increasing but I can't get to a point without her barking.
She can sleep mostly through the night downstairs on her own but last night she got up every hour wanting attention and I'm exhausted. Any tips? She's so smart she picks up training and tricks so quickly but she can't seem to grasp that I always come back!
I'm beginning to think I'm never going to be able to leave her home alone if I can't even go upstairs without her getting upset.
I don't think it's anxiety as when she's just chilling in the evening, not even asleep, I can go upstairs and shower and stuff and she's not bothered, it's just from when she gets up to the end of the day. I've been crying with tiredness from it all as it just gets to me, I feel like I'm going to fail her and make her an anxious dog but it's also overwhelming being needed so much by her. She can settle with a chew or a toy but she'll notice after a few seconds that I've left the room. I think I'll have to get a trainer in but if anyone has any similar stories that ended in success then I'd love to hear them.

@Jonsnowsghost in your situation, I think the Calm Canine course on Adolescent Dogs would be really beneficial. They offer a two week free trial - I would sign up to that (no money required) and then look for the Calm Canine course. Work through from day 1. The first steps are establishing boundaries, then you work on gradually increasing the ability to settle while you're busy.

There are 3 Ds in dog training - difficulty, distance, and duration. Sometimes if more than one D is increased too fast, it breaks the progress.

CurlsnSunshinetime4tea… Fin sounds a character, other dogs escapades are always far more amusing than your own! Pigs ears are my go to for a bit of peace, but I’ll give dehydrated liver a try.
Jamie…if he’s house trained, and not a complete monster I’ll definitely swap, he’s a beaut!
Jonsnowsghost…(love the name btw) I can offer no advice, apart from company when you’re crying with tiredness. I totally feel your pain, I don’t think I’ve cried so much in my entire life since the mutt came along. I’m sure dogs weren’t so hard in the past!!