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 😂)

@Struckbylightning The jabs may have been responsible for the manic behaviour last night if she isn't usually like that.
I think several of us admitted to taking our pups out before the week was up. Mine went on the floor before the second jab, as I carried her on walks with my older dog and she needed a wee whilst we were out.
My vet said she couldn't even go in the garden until she was fully vaccinated. There was no way that was happening. 😂

I couldn't have survived without gates either, they were a lifesaver when we were at the manic zoomies/fighting sleep/overstimulated biting phase.

If I'm honest @Struckbylightning I'd say get her out. If I could turn the clock back I would walk Brie after first vaccines rather than waiting until 14 weeks for the Nobivac. She missed out on a lot of early socialisation and we are really paying for that now. I feel it was an error of judgement on our part.

I was lucky in that K had the Lep2 vaccine, so she was out and about at 11.5 weeks. The four week gap with Lep4 is too long to keep them in.

SpanielsGalore, that’s a good point about the jabs, she had the kennel cough squirt up the nose too. That’s a lot of drugs in a little body. Also the change in routine with the appointment meant that she missed a nap too.

VanGoSunflowers, that sounds like a good training session, I will try that!

And I will have another look at that stair gate, and have a search on Facebook to see if I can find one which she can’t batter down!

Thank you for the solidarity. It means a lot. 💕💕 I have a husband who is working from home and very little use, and my son is at home for a few days, but he just wants to play and cuddle with her. I don’t think either of them appreciate quite how hard this is!!

It really is and we stupidly went with it. By 14 weeks she was 17kg and the size of a large beagle. We really regret that gap between getting her and taking her out. This is the downside of having a pup that is too large to comfortably carry, as Big Bertha was from 8 weeks. Next pup is out from 10 weeks.

@MonCoubousMonTourmalet I had a pushchair for P as a puppy. I religiously stuck to the 5 minute rule back then, so she'd come for an hour long walk with my older dog but only walk for her allotted amount of time.

@Struckbylightning I can share a link to the one I got if that helps? It’s tall and very robust - I got it from Amazon.

Im raising Pablo alone and many people have said that should make it harder, but if I am honest I think I prefer it because there is consistency there.

My son (7yo) lives with me for half of the week but he has only just come back from a 2 week holiday with his dad and I now have him for 2 weeks of the holiday. While he was away, as much as I missed him terribly, having those two weeks to focus on Pablo (in between work etc) were really useful as there were no other distractions for him. Having DS back (whom is a really good kid I have to add and of course I love having him back!) complicates it as I am sometimes finding myself balancing competing needs.

Don’t get me wrong, there are loads of beautiful moments between them and they love each other! And DS is good at copying what I do with Pablo - I just need to figure it out, and I will. But all of this waffle is just to say that I sympathise completely!

God I am being a gobshite today, sorry all. Currently procrastinating and waiting for Pablo to wake up for a walk as it’s much cooler here today!

I wish I'd tried that when she was 8 weeks old @SpanielsGalore although my chap would have refused to have anything to do with it 🙄I tried a sling but she was just way too big and strong to carry. So many regrets...

@SpanielsGalore Oh gosh! Bless her! I suppose it was quite lucky she's quite light or she might have accidentally drowned you if she'd landed on you...

@VanGoSunflowers oh that's interesting! I'd have been annoyed as well if she had two litters at once, but it is really hard to walk away at that point isn't it? And, of course, Pablo is absolutely lovely so it worked out in the end. But it is a lesson learnt and you know for next time! It's such a minefield trying to get a puppy and so many conflicting guidelines and guidance....

You'll be wishing Pablo was smaller when he's full grown and has managed to slither into your bed at night and you're clinging onto the edge of the covers wondering how a dog can possibly manage to take up so much space 😃

@Struckbylightning oh that's good, not too long now! I would wait, but I am very cautious (some would probably say neurotic). You can do lots of little training sessions to try and tire her out, and of course take her out in your arms as well and sit in coffee shops with her on your lap etc.

@LandSharksAnonymous That made me laugh. 😂😂 I was worried she'd scalded herself. She was very hot when I got her out.

Every night I wonder how an 8kg dog can take up so much space and why I am on the edge of the bed. 😂 Thank god the other two don't join us.

The four week gap isn't an issue if the first jab is done at the breeders. Ours had their first at 7.5 weeks and second at 11.5.

It's one of the things that's not often mentioned on the buying a puppy threads, but checking on vaccine compatibility is definitely worthwhile. Our breeder asked us to check when pups were 5 weeks that we'd be able to continue to vaccination course that would be started. Otherwise we could have opted out and vaccinated with our own vets at 8 weeks.

(As an aside I think lep2 is being discontinued?)

Blimey, @MonCoubousMonTourmalet, I would have struggled with that too. I can still just about lift Bill up at 23kg but I couldn't have taken him out in anything bar a pushchair. My friend who is a puppy raiser has one for taking the youngsters out - I wouldn't have thought of it before but definitely going to consider it if I ever get another puppy.

Oh, and at nearly 16 months Bill still sleeps touching me and prefers to contact nap as well, though he no longer tries to get into the shower cubicle to rescue me.

@tizwozliz Neither P nor K were vaccinated by their breeder. He'd stopped as previous puppy purchasers had run into incompatibility issues and had to restart. It's good of your breeder to consult you on that. Think mine went with the easiest option.
Yes. I got K in November, which I think was the cross over period. My vets were offering 2 and 4 back then. They're only doing Lep4 now.

Shes 2 x Bill @Bupster and I'm not saying that in a positive (or boastful) way at all. It is ridiculous living with a beast this size in your home. I can't envisage ever sharing a bed with her, she needs a large sofa to herself. In any case, she's a twig and leaf gatherer, so I'd end up with a bed like some sort of gigantic birds nest from all the dying vegetation her coat collects throughout the day.

@LandSharksAnonymous I only found out about the second litter a few days ago - and that was by poking around on the KC registry list. Having said that, if I had known at the time (before I collected him) I am ashamed to say it wouldn’t have changed my mind. But that’s only because I wasn’t as informed back then as I am now. But as you say, I now know for future and I don’t think it will do me any good to dwell on it at this stage. Just need to concentrate now on doing right by my puppy as much as I can.
I suppose they’re like children in that way! When DS crawls in to bed with me I’m still amazed at how one so small can take up so much of the bed 😂

@VanGoSunflowers I couldn’t worry about it, it’s probably annoying that you gave her your money but she gave you Pablo and I’m sure he’ll be an excellent dog!

Rory was so funny just now, he can now do a long wait where I can turn around and walk away but I turned around and he was sneaking up behind me like a stalking lion 😂. He clearly thought he was being so subtle! I should probably sent him back to try again but I was too busy laughing 😂.

@VanGoSunflowers oh that is annoying, but as PP said, you got Pablo and you know for next time!

Just wait until you have a fully grown adult dog and a child in your bed! I got a super-king a few years ago and even then trying to fit me and three dogs (at the time) was a squeeze if either of my DDs wanted in. I am dreading DH coming back from overseas - he's going to have to sleep in the blanket box, I think. There's just not space for him on the bed.

@SpanielsGalore what was your trick in getting two to stay on the floor? Or was it just luck?

@LandSharksAnonymous N has mobility issues, so can't make it up onto the bed. And P is an unsociable git. 😂 She'll take herself off upstairs in the evening and sleep on my bed. But as soon as I appear, she jumps off and gets in her own bed. I try not to be offended. 😞
Can't imagine sharing with three GRs. As a child I shared a 3/4 bed with a GR and a Jack Russel. That was bad enough.

@SpanielsGalore Clem does that to me! Goes up to bed and then the instant I appear...she's off. As you say...quite hard to not be offended! Half the time she sleeps by the door in a very 'I don't even want to be here' type manner. Does P snuggle at all? Could you pick N up, or would you not want to risk her jumping down again?

Honestly, I almost wish it was all of them that got up. I whinge about them taking up the bed as it is, but there's something really nice about having a dog to cuddle all night. Although it's never Twatdog who gets the cuddles - he's relegated to foot-warmer position.

@LandSharksAnonymous Glad to know it's not just P. Or we must both smell. 😂
P is an odd one. She'll shadow me all day long and will lie alongside me on the sofa. But as soon as I sit down in the evening, she takes herself off elsewhere. She actually stands in the door way and watches to make sure I sit down. Then she buggers off. She won't snuggle with the other dogs either. K was desperate to curl up with her when she was a tiny puppy, and still tries sometimes, but P gets up and walks away.
I could pick N up and put her on the bed, but I'd worry about her jumping off. The physio said jumping down is worse for her than jumping up. When she first came I fenced her bed off, so K couldn't bother her. It worked well, so I've left it set up like that. We all get to sleep in peace then.

I like having K on the bed. She fits nicely in the crook of my arm. We're both small, so we've got plenty of room for Twatdog if he wants to be promoted to the top end of the bed. 😁

I wonder if they’ll get snugglier in winter? Billy was a snuggly sleeper but Rory likes his space. It’s a bit chilly this morning/ last night and he’s currently snuggled up with me in bed 🥰.

@SpanielsGalore I still maintain you'd see him in the flesh and run away. But you are very much welcome to him. His problem with snuggles is that he is a rather...forceful (being diplomatic!) snuggler. He likes to sleep with his entire body on mine and his face resting on my own (sort of like the way Pablo does with @VanGoSunflowers - yes I saw that lovely photo in the other thread). Only because he's so big, his head is on mine and his bum is about level with my knees... I've tried to explain to him that smothering his owner in her sleep is considered bad form but he just snuggles deeper.

I do love how P, N and K are all so different! It's the real benefit of a multi-dog household that they can all be so different, but still coexist relatively well, and of course there's always a dog available for a snuggle. I do feel a bit sorry for K though, being rejected!

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding fingers crossed they do! I'd love to know where you are that it was chilly - my house was 24! And it's already 23 outside according to my local weather station!

@Struckbylightning how was your girl last night? Did you try a few short training sessions?

@Megsro just thinking it's been a while since you posted about your dog- walking struggles! How are you finding it now? Any improvement?

@LandSharksAnonymous Lancashire, by the sea so it’s always slightly cooler. It’s great on hot days but bleak in winter! It’s currently 19°c in the house and lovely and warm but not too hot outside. I’d like to be out in the garden but I’m working from home (which autocorrected appropriately to boring 😂😂).

Hello, I'm Lancashire too, but the other side; up a hill in the West Pennine moors. Currently 22 here.

👋 all the best people are!