Puppy Survival Thread for New & Old Pups - Soon be Autumn 2024

[BrodiePup]

Setting the ball rolling on a new thread as the last one has reached 1k 😊.

Brodie had his first proper bath today...
I don't think he was overly impressed!

He'll be 6 months old on Tuesday. I can't believe how the time has passed, or how far along we've come.

To everyone who is struggling at the moment, stick with it, it really does get easier.

I've really struggled to teach Bill a reliable settle. I've not worried about it too much as he settles anyway when I sit down to eat, or if I stop to talk on a walk (though this is new), and he naps quite happily on various beds, on the sofa etc, as long as he can be near me. When he first came home I randomly had some old sofa cushions so that's what he started using as a daytime bed in preference to the crate, so I never bothered persisting with proper crate training as we didn't really need it (he sleeps with me). He'll go in and out in the hope of treats and sometimes use it to stretch out. It would probably have been different if it was a busy household and he needed more safe space, but there's just him and me. I've just ordered him a big new donut bed as he has a smaller one he finds really comfortable but which is already getting too small for him.

I'm a bit nervous (God, I said I wasn't an anxious person but every post here is about things I'm anxious about) about his capacity to self-settle once my work starts picking up. I've got a couple of Teams meetings next week - he was great in the first few weeks with these but he's terrible at the moment if I have to make phone calls. Anyone got any wise advice?

@Bupster have you tried a big natural chew bone? They work at keeping Roman happily engaged for quite a while.

@Bupster Second big natural chews! There's an unlimited amount of choice too – I find goat/lamb horns are very effective and not too hard on little teeth, and stuffed hooves too. Or you can buy them empty and stuff them yourself. There's certainly a rabbit hole of natural chews to fall down if you're willing!

I got a mixed puppy box from a place called Chomp and Chew and it's lasted ages as some of the bigger chews he's had over the course of a few days/week. But I do think now I know what he likes best, it will be cheaper to buy a pack of those separately. It's been good to work out what he's a fan of though!

@CaptainBeanThief I must admit I was slightly horrified at the lovely soft fur on the rabbit ear at first 🤣 Love the fact one of your bunnies lets Milo groom her!! That is adorable.

@brushingboots funnily enough he often pushes his vet bed right to the back of the crate and loves to sleep on the hard plastic so that's a good shout!

I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell me I'm a disgusting piece of shit and that rabbits are prey animals which yes I am aware of but I have had my rabbits for nearly 8 years. They are very socialable and unusual rabbits i.e pretty chill 😳

Getting bigger every week! He's starting to look a big gangly now with his long legs

I love it when they show a little white from their eyes - normally when contemplating doing something naughty or just afterwards.

Hi everyone. I'm new to the 'puppy party'. Here's Zeus (I didn't name him)! He's a mini dachs and a lovely boy, he'll be three months old in 10 days time.

So far. I've found it like parenting a new born and a toddler rolled into one without the benefit of nappies! Him waking up in the middle of the night and me following him around to make sure I can get him outside (in toddler terms - the potty) in time to do his business.

It's the first puppy I've had as an adult, so it's been a bit of a learning curve!

Oops forgot to add a pic!

I escaped the house today for the dizzy highlights of having my car MOT’d. I can so relate to the feeling of being a prisoner. Lottie hates the car and without backseat company going anywhere is tricky. We are able to do lead walks and go out properly next week though so am hoping it will be easier to tire her out!

@Waxlyrically I feel like a prisoner in the house too. Zeus has his second jabs next week so in a couple of weeks we can leave the house! He does come with me to the village shop but I have to carry him the whole time.

Zeus is very cute!

Thank you! As a cat person I never thought I’d fall head over heels for a dog.

@Waxlyrically I am in exactly the same position! Getting my car in for its MOT and back was a ludicrous effort involving puppy sitters, Ubers that take pets, etc etc. Cost a fortune in the end and he still won't be driven in the thing!

He's really had a confidence knock from the nip he got in the park the other night. He insisted on going back to the park, and will happily sniff after other dogs, but he's properly a wimp around his bestie who he was rolling happily around with when the older dog came and nipped him. We ran into the bestie last night and this morning and both times he didn't really want to engage and came to be picked up (which I did, all 15 kilos of him). Last night he snuggled right into me in bed which he only does when he's had a really hard day.

I feel so bad for him. Do you think his confidence will return? He's not yet five months old, so I don't think it's a secondary fear period - just a shock. He was happily playing with a smaller puppy yesterday, and running around with some spaniels, but I would love him to get his confidence back to roll around with Labs again - it was his favourite thing; he played with his bestie like they were littermates, and it breaks my heart to see him worried by it.

Im sorry to hear what happened to your puppy @Bupster how upsetting for you both.

I have heard that dog behaviourists say that ideally you shouldn’t pick up your dog when scary other ones approach as that suggests to them that you are worried too. Apparently it’s better to pretend to feel no anxiety as they do pick up your body language.

I do feel like his confidence will return after a while, it will just take a few nice gentle interactions with other dogs.

Thanks, @Twiglets1 - I've read that too, but I've also read that you should respond to your dog's body language when he's saying he's frightened and needs you, and to be honest, that fits much better with how I feel - I'd much rather he knows he can trust me and I'll always have his back.

I hope you're right. He was sort of 'okay' with his bestie this morning - he didn't bark or growl, but he was much more submissive and clearly wanted out of there, so I got him out of there. I'm hoping that letting him make choices like that helps him get a bit braver again. I miss my hooligan.

Aw ... I can relate to that. They exasperate us when they are hooligans but then we feel sad when they are subdued.

@Bupster
I wouldn't pick him up I would just lead on,
What I mean by that is just let him have a brief interaction, say ok, have your little sniff and come on now, if you pick him up your instilling the fear and he will learn that it is scary.
If you keep the interaction brief on lead then walk on and build it back up you will be fine.
Milo has got himself into all sorts like jumping into a water works ( off lead) at FOUR months old because he thought it was grass not water and I had to grab him out by the scruff of his neck ( see up thread about the importance of getting pups used to being handled in this way) but I haven't stopped him jumping in water since because i don't want to instill nervous behaviour into him - he was scared for a long time of water and only has just started going into water himself. ( He loves a good shower tho)
Xx

Hi both,

I do appreciate what you're both saying, and thank you. He's off lead at this little park where it happened, and he still wants to go up there, thank God, so I'm still letting him off to play, and allowing him to engage with the other dogs as much or as little as he wants to. I'm not scooping him up as soon as another dog approaches or anything - I think you're right and that would tell him that other dogs and the whole environment was scary.

But I do feel like he needs a way of retreating in order to be brave - and the safest and closest way for him to do that is to ask to be picked up and to know that I'll pay attention and get him out of there. That way he has choices and feels safe. Refusing to pick him up when he's scared, and he's asking me to, risks leaving him feel like he's trapped and nobody's listening - I can't see that'll make him more confident.

I wouldn't pick up a dog. That doesn't mean I wouldn't advocate for my dog though! I'd teach a middle and body block. That way they know they are safe between your legs.
Tbh it's a nightmare with a friendly dog - I wanted mine to be dog neutral. She's only getting better at reading signals now so I've always body blocked her wanting to meet other dogs or anything that can distract her. Hardly any dog wants a puppy bouncing around them so while she couldn't take the hint I had to do it for her.
I don't think I'll ever not be scanning the horizon for dogs that might be an issue!

Result! He met his other bestie tonight and they played like Labradors - I read it described somewhere as a cannonball crossed with a sumo wrestler. So, so glad. It might be a while before he's fully back to himself with all dogs, but at least he's back to himself with her.

That’s brilliant news @Bupster they are more resilient than we expect sometimes.

Oh bless him. Maybe he just needs a bit of time to get back to normal.

I’m the same! It sure is a learning curve. We also have a cat that is not amused by the dog.

Feels like we've hugely gone backwards with toilet training and it's so frustrating. We got to the point where it was 80% outside and this week it's flipped and he's barely gone outside at all.

The problem is, he goes from sniffing for literally 2 seconds to squatting so there's just no time for me to grab him and take him out. Or he hoofs it under the dining room table and darts about under other furniture and I can't get him because he's so fast!

I've been taking him out at regular intervals, straight after sleep, after drinking or eating, after play since his signals now go from 0-shitting, but he just jumps up at the side of the outdoor pen and whinges/barks at me constantly no matter how long I stand there. I have the patience of a saint so will literally stand in the yard for AGES but he just won't go. I managed to grab him as he started squatting for a pee just now and stood outside for over 30 mins and nothing but I know he obviously needs to go. I've put him straight in his crate now. I'm having flashbacks to the day I didn't let him on the ground in the house at all and he held it for 6 hours 🤣

I feel like he's never going to get it!