Puppy Survival Thread for New and Old Pups - here comes winter 2024

[Bupster]

I thought I might as well be the one to start the new thread! Nothing to report but a sleepy puppy over here.

Thanks both! Yes he's 20 weeks today @brushingboots It has flown by!!

Any tips from anyone on how to go about leaving your puppy for a period of time? I usually WFH but had to go into the office for a couple of hours last week, my eldest daughter offered to dog sit but then had other plans.

I put Zeus in his crate with toys and treats but when I checked in on the Ring doorbell, I could hear him constantly barking and bashing the crate.

@JessiesHuman we haven't tried it yet but I know I'm going to have to start building up to it. Even being able to nip out to the shop quickly would be a godsend!

@JessiesHuman are you a member of the Facebook group Dog Training Advice and Support? I recommend joining anyway as they have some super (free) guides but one of them is on this very thing. They recommend the 'flitting' method which seems to work for a lot of people. My poor hard done by pup just had to get used to it quickly as I needed space away from her when she was tiny – it probably wasn't the 'right' way, I realise, but she is quite self-sufficient now.

Thanks @brushingboots I’ll take a look.

Just to say @JessiesHuman pups can be really variable even within breed - some are fine being left and some really aren't! Mine is a clingy little hooligan and would have the place destroyed so I've always paid for sitters and now take him to daycare - I'll be doing the flitting etc but I know for an absolute fact he's not ready to be on his own yet. Depending where you are, daycare can be pretty reasonable - here it's less than £30 for a whole working day. Sitters are between £14 and £18 an hour here for really good, recommended professionals. You can probably get cheaper on Rover.com or free from borrow my doggy. If your pup is barking and bashing the crate he's probably not quite ready (and might be better out of the crate if you can put him in a pen or a puppy-proofed room, but probably would prefer to be with someone if you can manage it).

We are on holiday for a few days with the pup, slightly concerned that it’s going to ruin any
of the routine/good habits we’ve got into. It’s a one bed glamping truck and puppy will have his crate as usual to sleep in - fingers crossed we don’t disturb each other 😬

Thanks for the advice @Bupster.

I’ve bought a Furbo and will try leaving him in the lounge next time, out of the crate. The Furbo will let me talk to him and feed him ‘treats’ (the usual kibble) while I’m away.

if that doesn’t work, I’ll need to look into getting a sitter or doggy day care.

@JessiesHuman we don’t have a crate for Roman but have started leaving him on his own now - have gradually built up to 2 hours now he is reliably house trained (he is just over 5 months now)

It’s possible Zeus would find it easier to settle outside the crate? We’ve noticed with Roman that he moves around a lot when choosing a sleeping area. All day he moves from his bed to the carpet to the wooden floor and back again (fidget). I don’t have a camera set up to see what he does at night (sleeps in the kitchen) but I bet he moves from his bed to the tiled floor then back on his bed several times. I read somewhere that dogs are prone to this sort of sleeping where they like to move onto different surfaces & it’s certainly true of him.

Had our second puppy class today. It turns out I've taught Vinny heel too much because he thinks any sit means heel! He shuffles his bum along to be a close to my foot as possible which is very cute, but annoying when I need him sat in front of me. So that's something I need to work on.

We did something at the end of the class which was basically teaching how to play appropriately. So you hold a toy at each end and get them to grab the middle and you play excitedly, then change your body language and stop still (whilst still holding the toy) and as soon as they let go you play again. So eventually they get the message to stop when you stop. V did well for the first few minutes then he was so tired and overstimulated that he went mental biting my hands the worst he's ever done it. I was bleeding and now covered in loads of tiny bruises and so sore! And it's quite embarrassing really as he's generally well behaved so it was a bit out of character for him. Then the trainer did a long chat about what to do when that happens because I panicked a bit (as it's so out of character) and didn't know what to do, which probably made it worse. If I was at home I'd stick him in his crate or leave the room. But anyway, not a great end to the session!

Sorry to hear that the session ended on a bit of a low point and ouch - your poor hand @YorkshireFelix.

I finally got the Furbo working today, so gave it a whirl. I left Zeus for 10 mins to go to the village shop. I left him to mooch around the lounge, didn't use the crate and got the Furbo to fling him some treats to hoover up and play some music. I appreciate it was only a short period of time but he seemed happy. I had the Furbo app on the whole time so I could see what he was up to, but apart from some initial barking when I left, he was fine.

Ouch! I missed this, @YorkshireFelix . I hope your hands are recovering...

10 minutes is a good start @JessiesHuman

Thanks - any advice on building it up @PyreneanAubrie?

Thanks both. I'm very sore today! He's been trying to bite me all day so I've had to put him in his crate over and over again which is frustrating. I'm hoping it's just teething and nothing more...

@JessiesHuman that sounds like good progress! I think V would be happier left alone out of his crate too. He's in mega chewing furniture mode at the minute though so I can't try it yet.

Honestly it's just a gradual process and it sounds as if you're getting there.

I'm actually still not leaving Brie for very long and if I have to go out my husband is generally here because he works from home.

The only advice I can give really is that if I'm going out I don't tell her. I don't make a fuss of her before I go, I just wait until she's settled and quietly sneak out. That seems to work better than doing a whole "bye bye, I won't be long" thing. Same when we bed her down at night, no fuss just lights off and go.

10 minutes is a good start @JessiesHuman

Apart from anything else it has taught Zeus that it's not alarming for you to go out because you come back. Just repeat that a few times and it will be part of his routine that you go out and come back and that's fine.

I agree with @PyreneanAubrie about not making a fuss about going out. I do it very calmly (despite feeling anxious the first few times) & come back calmly too, taking my coat off before paying attention to him. I was honestly surprised how calm Roman was when I came back into the house. Probably because I now know he sleeps when I'm out because he always welcomes me back wagging his tail but also yawning and stretching after a nap. I realised that being apart in the daytime was a bigger deal to me than to him 🙄

@YorkshireFelix sorry to hear that the training class has somewhat dented your confidence it seems and left you will a sore hand. It sounds like Vinny did really well most of the time but just got overwhelmed. I think the trainer was at least partly responsible as should have the experience to know not to push young, excitable dogs for too long. I think they should be embarrassed if anyone not you! As you say, it was out of character - probably because you are more observant than the trainer about when V is reaching his limit (or a kinder interpretation may be that you just know him better).

With regard to going out, it's about trying to normalise things, not reinforcing their fear of a situation. I think sometimes it's best to downplay things generally. Make them think it's not a big deal. As Twiglets says, don't make a big fuss when you get back either. Going out/returning just needs to be part of their everyday life.

I'm taking much the same approach with firework noises at the moment, because Brie is, unfortunately, still going through a secondary fear period and being a bit spooked by noises that didn't bother her when she was tiny. So no fuss, just distraction with a toy or some nonsense talk about what I'm doing in the kitchen etc. Downplay everything.

Thanks @Twiglets1, I agree actually. There was only 2 of us in the class (usually 4) and we got through everything really quick so this was an extra thing at the end. In hindsight maybe it wasn't the best exercise to be doing as he was so tired and overstimulated already.

I tried the same exercise with him at home yesterday and he did really well so all is not lost.

Plus I've just realised I've not cleaned up an inside wee or poo for a while! Toilet training seems to have FINALLY clicked after all this time. Only took us 12 weeks 🤣

That’s all so positive, and I agree it feels wonderful when you suddenly realise they are reliably toilet trained 😅 12 weeks isn’t so long in hindsight but I remember having anxiety when Roman was 4 months old that he was NEVER going to get the hang of not weeing in the house & thinking maybe we made a mistake not crating him but he got there by 5 months, which is fine really.

Your trainer could have just shown you the technique and suggested you practice with V at home. Roman attends training sessions too & they don’t seem that demanding at the time but he always crashes out afterwards so I think the mental stimulation really does tire them out a lot.

And they’re young, can only be good for so long 😂

@YorkshireFelix , cannot advise re training classes and won't even try, but just noticed your comment about toilet training and that's really great news!

Thanks both, I am absolutely thrilled about it! I was the same maybe a month ago, getting so stressed convinced he would never understand. I wonder if spending time with my MIL dogs the weekend before last helped, as he started sitting by the door to be let out like they do.

I'm not going to get my rugs back out yet just in case I jinx it 😄

Aw, maybe he picked up some tips from them on acting more grown up 😉

Horrific day yesterday. Mum died. Left Zeus for 2 hours on his own un-crated while we sorted things out with police and the coroner. He was fine. Kept pinging him treats via the Furbo. He's such a comfort.

Oh gosh @JessiesHuman I'm so sorry for your loss ❤️