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.

I think having a dog is so much more like having a child than I would ever have anticipated. Lots of different advice and what works for one doesn’t work for another. I find the different advice comforting in a way as I always thing at least if this method doesn’t work there are other things to try. The car advice I received would not have worked with a dog who got travel sick for example or was extremely anxious to even go in the car.

i also love a little win but at the back of my mind know something going well once absolutely doesn’t mean we’ve cracked it as it can all change again.

its a good point about the progress being hard to see, sometimes i am so focused on that one thing we are struggling with that i can forget how many things are going well. Find this thread so helpful to even know there are others going through the same right now.

Thanks everyone ... I think I've found my safe space too now! Something I think I've struggled most with is I had no idea how lonely and bored I'd feel! I feel bad voicing it to people IRL (including DH .. I'm not working at the moment hence is agreeing this was the "perfect " time to get a pup!! What twats we were! ... and I envy him massively that he can close the office door behind him for the working day and hopefully we'll all be alive when he comes down!) and even my dog friends many of whom I think may have forgetting how relentless it feels.)

So ... yes regards a crate cover. We started using one yesterday and he didn't object to it and like you say, means he can't keep popping his cute little face up every time there's activity in the room.

The car ... for my own sanity this does feel like a non negotiable. This afternoon and everyday hence forth we shall make a small journey together and maybe next week go to Macdonalds and get a clock and collect coffee. Sad but I've been fantasising about drinking take away coffee of late!

Other thing is I work so hard to get a routine of sorts going on weekdays hence it goes tits up at the weekend. I think I saw a pp say she has actually put her routine on paper and on the fridge door so everyone can see what needs to happen and when. I really think the lack of consistency is adding.

I'll also confess ... despite my protestations otherwise DH insisted on a larger than I think we needed crate the breeder was insistent on size and sent a link and he's taking this as gospel. I think this has added as while Little Man sleeps happily when he's settled he can get up and wander about and pees on the pad we have in there (I know ... another issue we need to sort(. Funnily enough the last few nights he's shredded every pad in there so I think this will force our hand in going cold turkey (note to self - order more bedding ).

Annnnnnyway - can I ask another question ... at this step were you all still tied to the dreaded breakfast time of 6.30 or similar? Wondering if we can try and gradually push this back so weekends aren't so early especially having been up with him in the night several times.

Folks I'm sorry for rambling at appreciate you reading my crazy long posts x

We moved breakfast later when we dropped from 4 meals a day to 3.

Why limit yourself to takeaway? I did lots of coffee shop visits in the name of socialisation 😂.

Hi Data hopefully soon however we've had to restart his vaccinations and still have another month to go so that's not an option yet ... he's a real wriggle bum too so absolutely no chance he'd sit nicely in a sling or on my nap.

Personally, I was happy to take mine into a coffee shop with a piece of vet bed to sit on before the vaccination course was completed. Ditto pet shops and garden centres in a trolley. I think the risk of not getting socialised is probably higher than the risk of catching anything in a coffee shop.

Fair point but this one will not sit still when awake so there's no chance in a coffee shop waaaay too much going on!

We are having lots of friends to visit and getting out and about to other homes too.

I hope you have a successful McDonald’s coffee trip @tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz it’s amazing what counts as exciting these days haha

Hopefully by the time you can get out the weather will be a wee bit better too… I have no advice on the 6.30 thing… it’s tricky as we are generally up at that time for work 6 days out of 7 so I know we have no chance of saying “he buddy, it’s Sunday, fancy a lie in?”

Right?!! It's the same in our in our house too. I did try on Sunday morning coming down with the nightlight on with blinds closed at 6am, took him out for a wee then tried to pit him back in his bed.

Well HRH was having none of that and we did a snuggle for 39 seconds, pop him in his crate, he leaps straight back into my lap, aaaaaand repeat for several rounds.

In the end I settled for half an hour snuggled together in an armchair while he snoozed a while longer. I could at least say I want officially up until 6.30 so by comparison it's a lie in of sorts!!

Sooooo many typos sorry

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz mate, mine's ten months old and I still can't sleep past 6:45am. Today he literally booted me in the stomach because something woke him at 3am and he thought it was time to get up.

On the other hand when I do manage to get him to stay in bed for a little while longer he rests his soft face and neck across mine and honestly I could stay like that for the rest of my life.

Is anyone still struggling with a pup that won't sleep through the night? N is 4 months old now and still isn't sleeping through, although it's not because she needs out for the toilet. She happily goes to her crate at bedtime when I go upstairs (about 11pm) and DH sits in the room with her for a few minutes before heading to bed himself. But she wakes up no later than 1.30 crying. One of us goes downstairs (alternate nights) and we try to get her to settle in the crate before inevitably letting her out to cuddle and sleep on the couch with us. She had been settling again with us in the room until 4am before her couch snuggles until 7am but now she just continues to cry when we come down at 1.30am.

Having her "free" in the living room, or anywhere downstairs, isn't an option and neither is bringing the crate upstairs. Will she just grow out of it or is there something I can do to "fix" this. I just want to sleep in my own bed with minimal interruptions - which is asking a lot with two DC who are also bed hoppers!

Ahhh those moments are so lovely, aren't they? I love it when I open his crate after a rare nap and he runs out tail wagging and nuzzles into my next and kicks my face. Just gorgeous.

10 seconds later he's trying to take chunks out of my feet

@ConsternationStation

Yup, this is although a little behind you guys age wise. He wakes us crying and we go down to discover he's wet the bastard puppy pad and standing there looking forlorn. So I take him out still, unsurprisingly he doesn't wee then it takes 10 minutes to see him before I creep upstairs inevitably stubbing my bastard toe or something.

Sorry that should have said licks my face

@ConsternationStation it sounds like she's really struggling being alone. They will go up and down in confidence for ages yet. If you really can't have her upstairs, you might have to have one of you sleeping on the couch for a while. The alternative is letting her cry and that has the potential to really dent her confidence - there's some great advice on the DTAS site on this.

@Bupster I really don't want to leave her to cry as I think it could actually make it worse in the long run. I could never do CIO with the DC (attempted it very briefly and it broke my heart) and I couldn't do it with N either. Our last dog slept in our room without a crate but she was super chilled out and calm. Since we lost her last year we've reshuffled our room so there's not really any space for the crate. N is a chewer and wriggler so no crate isn't an option. Either were going to have to continue sleeping on the couch for some time or do a big reshuffle to see if we can squeeze the crate in - and even then she might be up all night! These pups!

Ours didn’t settle overnight in the crate (will chill in there happily in the day) but settled quite happily in a pen with her bed in.
Toilet training is a whole other battle however, she’s a total princess and will not go outside when it’s wet 😬 she’s also taking to eating her poo, which makes me feel queasy

@ConsternationStation as you can see from my earlier post I haven't got a leg to stand on with sleeping arrangements, I lasted one night with Bill in a crate before I buckled. He was waking every hour, crying, and I just gave up and brought him onto the bed, which he now owns 🙄

@Bupster I think N would sleep in our bed mostly okay if it wasn't for the DC coming through every single night. Sometimes there isn't even space for me and DH in the bed, never mind the dog!

That would suit the dog. Have you considered giving her the bed and sleeping in a crate? 😄😄

honestly I know it’s hard, I don’t envy you. But I bet she sleeps through once she’s with you x

@Ineedanewsofa my puppy went through a stage of eating his own poo which I found completely disgusting in my little darling.

I was advised to increase his food slightly and (sounds obvious) restrict his opportunities to eat his own poo, for example by putting him on a lead to do his business in the garden and watching him like a hawk.

Happy to report he grew out of it. But some dogs do it all their lives and most suffer no ill effects 🤷🏼‍♀️

Jumping on this thread. I haven’t read the whole thread yet though because… puppy!

We were on numerous Golden Retriever breeders waiting lists for a long time and finally got the email we’d been waiting for to say we’d been added to a litter.

Our beautiful girl was born in October, we went to visit multiple times before bringing her home in December.

She is now 20 weeks (but not 5 months yet), she has been amazing and nails her training straight away. We are working on her biting and latching onto my limbs (distracting and redirecting) but she’s teething so hopefully this delightful phase ends very soon.

Photos added. 1st day home (including very confused cats in the background) and her now.

What a gorgeous girl. It does get much easier when the shark teeth fall out!

What a little sweetheart @ProudRavenclaw

Agree with Bupster, once the baby teeth disappear so does most of the baby shark behaviour

@ProudRavenclaw she’s lovely!