Summer 25 pups

[Lavenderdog]

Any other new puppy owners around this summer? Have been looking back at some of the old puppy support threads and can see how helpful it was for those posters to share their experiences.

9 week old mini schnauzer here - so toilet training and avoiding those needle sharp teeth are the current main activities here!

(And being tolerant of her determination to rid my garden of lavender plants. Hence my user name 😂)

@VanGoSunflowers It depends so much on so many things – what the command is, the dog, the situation, what distractions there are, what mood you’re in, what mood they’re in…

It’s probably best not to get too hung up on the whens and not compare him to any other dog. It does no one any good. I was very anxious to get pupsy moved on to things that I thought she ‘should’ be doing at particular ages and I can see how it stalled our progress. Better to train the dog in front of you and not stress out over arbitrary milestones. It’s hard when you see other people’s dogs doing X, Y, Z but we all have different priorities for our dogs.

Pupsy was two in May and her loose lead walking can still be patchy because she’s hardly ever on a lead. My priorities have always been recall, picking up and bringing back dead stuff, and not chasing live stuff. I can go for days without using a lead at all, but most people will need to focus on lead walking more and their dogs will never see a pheasant. It’s horses for courses.

@SpanielsGalore thank you, that’s very good to know 😊 need to remember it’s a marathon not a sprint and I keep being told that and then have the occasional wobble

@brushingboots you are right, I guess I sometimes come to a “how do I even know if I am getting this right” moment once in a while and I need to have a bit of a word with myself 🤦‍♀️

@VanGoSunflowers I hear you – from what I understand both you and P are doing a fab job so don't worry! And most of all, don't worry about what other people are doing because they're not you and their dogs aren't P.

@brushingboots thank you ❤️ I feel very out of my depth sometimes!

Echo @brushingboots, every dog is different @VanGoSunflowers.

It's easy to compare yourself to others, but please don't. Even those perfect dogs you see out and about on walks aren't 'perfect' all of the time.

Personally I think that most people who think about, or reminisce about, the perfect dog they think they have/had, forget how much effort and work it takes to get there. Dog ownership is basically 10-15 years of training them, and being trained in return. It never really stops.

Thanks @LandSharksAnonymous there is a lot to learn. About my boy and about myself. I’ve really got to stop posting when I’m having a wobble because I always feel embarrassed afterwards 🤦‍♀️ but do so appreciate everyone’s words of wisdom

The daft thing is, my little pupper only brings positivity. I have had a hard few days because of other stuff but it always comes out as feelings of inadequacy. It’s like an emotional rollercoaster 😂

@VanGoSunflowers don't feel embarrassed! That's what we're here for xx

Please don’t stop posting @VanGoSunflowers on the wobbly days. I have a lot of similar feelings. We’re first time pup owners and finding our way too. We had a lovely day today with SoupDog out in the park this morning running about with her long lie on with some collies and actually recalling pretty well. Then we had a family do in a pub with over 20 guests and she managed for a whole 4 hours, even napped in the place and happily ate her lunch along with some carrrots and peas off DHs plate. I was amazed. Just took her for a wee stroll along the river beside the pub when she woke up. That was all enough training for one day!

@VanGoSunflowers - no please don’t stop posting. It’s like being back at school when no one else knows the answer but they are too afraid to ask and are relieved when someone else asks it.

@VanGoSunflowers Billy never learnt to walk on a lead nicely!! Like a PP said, he was rarely on his lead and we focussed on recall, which was perfect so with Rory, we’re focusing on 50/50 even if it means more boring lead walks!

Today, Rory went Paddleboarding!! He absolutely loved it and hopped onto the board before it was even on the water. He kept wanting to get back on for more. He was not so keen on trying swimming but enjoyed a splash around in the water.

People keep asking me if there’s any more in the litter as they’re so enchanted with him but nope he was that last one and I’m choosing to believe he’s a gift from Billy as he’s so perfect 🥰.

@VanGoSunflowers I have been exactly the same with V. He is my first dog too and I found the pressure of doing everything right + the sheer amount of advice and information online so overwhelming. You are genuinely doing a much better job than I did!! I am terrible for comparing and thinking we should have nailed X by now because other people have been doing that for ages etc etc. But I have to constantly remind myself that V is still young - he’s only 14 months old. And Pablo might as well be a newborn compared to him 🤣

I have asked so many silly questions and written long posts despairing about different things on here and there’s always someone who comes along with amazing advice and helps pick me back up. And likewise when things go well, everyone is here to cheer you on. Honestly I couldn’t have got this far without both the puppy and adolescent thread - this is what we are here for!

@VanGoSunflowers I thought I should have phased treats out ages ago (M is 18 months) but my trainer says he’s still young. Along pavements he’ll usually walk very nicely, but does get excited and pully when we’re in new environments or if he needs a poo. I started training with kibble but have found that as he’s got older I’ve needed to up the value. I save the high value stuff for recall, but it does mean I need to remember to take it with me! I’ve also got a few tug toys that I recall with, but he’s very fickle with these.
I’ve also found that as he’s a teenager he’s needing more reinforcement. I do try and make sure that he gets rewarded once he has responded rather than use a lure, although if he sees my hand going to the treat pouch he’ll do whatever straight away, so it’s hard to get the timing right!

@VanGoSunflowers - I’m a first time owner and very naively thought I would have M all perfectly trained by 6 months. How wrong I was! I’ve realised that it’s an ongoing process, frustrating at times but very rewarding when we both seem to click.

Don't stop posting and there is no need to be embarrassed. Everyone in this and the adolescent dog threads is supportive and non judgemental. We've all been there and all had our wobbles. We're just a few weeks/months/years further down the line.
You are already able to offer new puppy owners advice, because you've been through what they are now starting to go through.
I realised yesterday I never answered your question anyway. I just waffled on about treats. 😂

Thank you so much all, I’m so grateful for all of the encouragement and kind words. It definitely helps to know I’m not the only one that feels this way sometimes ❤️

@VanGoSunflowers we all have wobbles! I have them daily with Twatdog.

You and Pablo are doing wonderfully - and that's down to the effort you are putting into him. He's very lucky to have you. 😊

I'll be here in a week or so, once the rest of the litter have left, panicking about Purple (who I have still not decided for a name on - because she's neither a Gwen or a Wen) even though I've done this 9 times now. 😃

@LandSharksAnonymous what about Wren? That’s similar to Gwen or Wen and very cute 😂.

@Idratherbepaddleboarding I'm not sure she's a Wren either. If I am honest, I am leaning towards 'Eris' - she's a bit chaotic and mischievous. But then it wouldn't go with my (admittedly lazy) theme (Hen, Clem, Pen, Ben). I could go for Erin...

I might just keep calling her stinky paws. 😄

We’ve officially passed puppy class!

Still a long way to go but she’s made great progress!

@BarkItOff Well done to both of you. 🏅
She is so cute. Love the little head tilt. 💖

@VanGoSunflowers I remember having such a meltdown when Bill was tiny, I was drowning in advice, and had about 80 tabs open on my laptop, all dog training sites. Then one day I thought fuckit and closed them all and a weight lifted off me. As you know, Bill is 15 months old and still a nobhead, and pretty much everything is a work in progress, and it's only now that I'm starting to think about the adult dog and what we need to concentrate on.

If I had my time again with him, the things I got right and would do again are: practice recall every day, play with him all the time, sleep together, fall completely in love, and never forget the importance of the bond. It keeps you going through the crying-in-the-shower days.

The things I would do differently are: not let him play quite as freely with other puppies (though realistically it's such a joy to watch it's hard not to); be more consistent about loose lead walking; work on engagement from day one (he's a working line gundog and the environment is always going to be my major rival).

Basically, do the basics - over and over again. The adolescent months are an absolute shocker, but you have the bond and you're working on the basics - and that goes for everyone on this thread, to be honest. If you've come here it's because you care and you don't want to completely make it up as you go along. You've got what you need to get through it all.

Thank @Megsro it's good to keep being told this! I think I'm worried about fitting in life, such as getting to appointments if no one else is around to help (children at school, husband always on work calls), and juggling my own work too. I work from home but it is busy, and I do have to go for days in London etc every now and then. Then there's the small stuff around getting things wrong with training. I forgot how much of a worrier I can be.

Hello, I’ve been lurking like a weirdo for an ages and have got so much help from you all already! I’m bringing my pupster home in just under 2 weeks and it’s starting to feel a bit real, so thought now’s a good time to pull up my big girl pants and actually say hello 🙂