Puppy survival thread! All welcome!

[VanGoSunflowers]

Running on from our last one…

I won’t tag people because I will forget someone and then feel awful 😂

Also, my work appointment moved to tomorrow due to the weather so Rory and I are enjoying porridge for lunch which is NOT as good as cake!

😂 I wasn't aware of that @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding , I'm so out of touch - I'm a fusty old lady (kind of) 😉

Edit to add - If I had the choice of porridge or cake, it'd absolutely be the porridge! It's my comfort food.

My main dog walking coat is my trusty old Barbour waxed jacket. I’ve probably had it over 30 years and it looks very beaten up these days. But it’s given me many good years of service as I also used it for work when I worked outside, and it’s still going strong, even if it’s a bit scruffy. DH usually re-waxes it every year for me. 😃

Thank you all for commenting on how amazing the cake looks! I wish I could take credit but I cannot - DMum is the cake maker of the family. I am the cake eater. 😳

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I can confirm that porridge is definitely not as good as cake, but it is healthier! So that's a benefit 😁Are you going to join the Dry Robe Wankers facebook page? 😂

I just googled that coat, @Aubrielle - looks soooo comfortable and snuggly. I have to confess, my favourite sort of bargain is a dog walking related one. My dogs are a bit like Brie - they like to be outside in the cold and wet (other than Pen, who, as we know, will go 14+hrs without going outside if it's wet)

@Houndymumma could you get 2 sizes bigger for the dog coat and just pin it in with some safety pins?

@VanGoSunflowers ohhh what sort of coffee beans!? I get Union and Red Brick delivered once a month.

@LandSharksAnonymous yes that’s an idea. They grow so fast. The two Equafleece tank tops I have are sized for my previous pair of 33kg Bassets. Pup is only 8kg atm, so a good while until she’s wearing that.

@LandSharksAnonymous haha I’d be more likely to be featured on it, it’s for taking the piss out of people in dry robes 🙁. My excuse is that it will actually be useful for padleboarding!

At least you're near the coast and doing water sports - my neighbour wears one and we're 30 miles from the sea!

@Houndymumma I have a Barbour wax jacket too and I love it so much!

@LandSharksAnonymous I get mine from Rave. I love them! They do some really tasty coffee beans 😊

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding ah sod them. My understanding is that dry robes are like big warm fluffy waterproof dressing gowns, what’s not to like? I’m so tempted to buy one - probably a passenger one as they’re a bit cheaper. The one of my friends I tried on was so big and roomy and comfy that I could really layer up under it in the winter! And I love about as far away from the sea in this country as you can get 😂

I have a Barbour Beadnell and I do love it, but I just don't find it very warm, because it's quite short. So it's sort of okay on mild autumn or spring days for me, but not winter.

@Houndymumma Oh how I miss the days of 8kg! How big will she get? I have to confess it's one of the breeds I know so little about...

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding you could join it and be a interloper and bring them down from the inside 😀

@VanGoSunflowers ohh I just had a look at their website! Caramel, chocolate and almond coffee! Can you think of anything that would be more perfect to go with my cake? 😍

Eris has been utterly adorable today. She's been following Hen (my eldest) around like a little lost lamb and driving her a bit bonkers. In the end, Hen went upstairs and Eris sat at the bottom crying (she knows not to go upstairs unless she's carried). I was just about to go and comfort her and Hen popped around the corner of the landing and came trotting back down, booped Eris, and then curled up next to her. I always worry about my older girls with puppies, but they really are the softest dogs ever.

Awww, Hen & Eris ❤ How sweet is that! Are they grandmother & granddaughter @LandSharksAnonymous ?
It's so lovely having a family group and I'm really rather envious.

@LandSharksAnonymous that’s so sweet 😍 I suspect it also takes some of the pressure off you too? If Eris has other dogs to follow around I mean 😂 Pablo still tries to follow me everywhere 😂

You should definitely try that coffee! Which sorts do you usually go for? I prefer a medium or dark roast myself!

@Aubrielle that’s the problem with shorter coats isn’t it? Most of mine aren’t long enough either! I meant to say I am very jealous of your bargain!

@Aubrielle Great-grandmother!

Clem is her grandmother, but Clem is a bit of an anti-social girl. She only just about tolerates Twatdog and has shown little interest in Eris. Clem's the only one who won't snuggle on the bed at night either. She's living proof that parent's personalities in dogs do not always translate to the puppies as both Hen and her sire were/are lovely, affectionate dogs who loved nothing more than to be with people...and Clem's idea of a good time is sleeping upstairs whilst we're all downstairs.😁

@VanGoSunflowers I tend to go medium/dark. I really avoid light roast as I dislike the fruity notes - if I wanted fruity, I'd have orange juice! 😂

It's lovely she has other dogs to follow around, but I have to make an extra effort to make sure she bonds to me and not just them. If she had her way she'd never leave Hen's side! I do sometimes wonder if boy's are that bit more clingy - I did coddle Twatdog a lot (far too much) but he's definitely far clingier than any of the girls I've ever had.

Is Pablo still at the 'follow mum to the toilet' stage? Twatdog still does the occasional chin on my knee...in a weird way I felt strangely bereft when he stopped doing it.

@LandSharksAnonymous
Boys are most definitely more clingy! We've had four, and they were all big babies. Our girls have been far more independent, more busy, and it's exactly the same with cats. Male cats are much more devoted and cuddly.

Clem definitely sounds like our Sylvie - I think we've said that before, haven't we? Sylvie was a real loner, her half sister could not have been more different. Brie is somewhere in between, but in an odd way is also like a female version of Algy.

I love that they're all so different in character, but still share the breed traits. I know you'll understand exactly what I mean, and I suspect that @Houndymumma would too 😊There is something very special about being devoted to a single breed and knowing it inside out. I think it gives us a greater appreciation of the little subtleties that make each pup unique. It's just such a joy getting to know them.

Thanks @VanGoSunflowers Below the knee parka, waterproof organic tincloth cotton, long back hem, drawcord waist, fleece lined hood - what's not to like? So yes, for £32 it's a perfect winter coat for dog walks. And leaves me more money to spend on food for Brie 😉

@Aubrielle yep! We've said before how similar Clem is to your Sylvie!

It is incredible when you get to know your breed inside and out - as you say, the subtleties between the individual dogs that demonstrates just how different dogs within a breed are, even when their 'instincts' are the same. DSis has one of Twatdogs littermates, and the difference between the two dogs is incredible. Hard to believe they're the same breed, yet alone spent the first eight weeks of their life living the same life.

Not raining here today, so w had a very busy walk with far too many people before I headed into the office. Eris gums were horribly red this morning so I'm feeling a bit guilty about leaving her with DMum for the day (but not guilty enough to not go into the office).I'll get a good 12/13 hours freedom before I to see the little monster again, which I know I shouldn't celebrate, but after this mornings piranha attacks...it's hard not to. I always forget how evil teething puppies are.

Oh, poor baby Eris having all those weeks of sore mouth to come. Your mum must have experienced dozens of teething puppies over the years, I should imagine @LandSharksAnonymous , but I doubt the needle teeth phase ever gets any easier 😬It is pretty horrid, for them and for us.

Oh lucky you having a dry start, though surprising how many folk are out that early. When I was outside with Brie at 5.30, the heavens opened! Needless to say, my pyjamas were just as soggy as her towels by the time I'd dried her off, because she's a habitual leaner.

This morning was also one of those "oh, I don't know if I can bothered..." loafy breakfast days, so I had to sit on the floor and hand feed from her bowl while she lay there, crunching each piece as slowly as she possibly could. Sometimes she just likes a bit of quiet talk while she eats, she is very focused on me and having contact. They've pretty much all done this at times, aside from Sylvie the antisocial weirdo 😆

My guess is she’ll be between 25-30kg . My last two were 30 & 33kg. Bassets can vary in build between show and hunting strains. Recent show bassets have been healthier and less wrinkled and heavy due to intervention and health checks by the KC which is a good thing. The really wrinkled heavy ones were in a terrible state. I fostered a huge show basset last year for a couple of months and he was 44kg, very low to the ground and could hardly walk. Whereas my last two could happily do 6-8 miles in their prime and weren’t overly wrinkled.

I agree you get to know a breed so well when you’ve only had one. I haven’t an clue about other breeds and Bassets are quite different in behaviour to many other popular breeds. It’s all my mum’s fault, she bought a Basset home when I was 4 yrs old. I then spent my childhood running around with the local Basset Hound Club on walks and as soon as I had my daughter we did the same. All my hounds past and present have been so typical of their breed, but also their individual personalities are very different. Took my DH a while to adapt when we got our first hound together, he was shocked at their stubbornness. Also Bassets see commands as optional!! They are not stupid, but they only do things if it suits them. So easy in some ways, not so easy in others 😂

I know Bassets are pretty solid @Houndymumma but 44kg? Good grief! That's a hefty dog by anyone's standards! Our giants have only been 50-60 kg.

It's good to hear that things are improving for Bassets and the heavy, more exaggerated dogs are less prevalent now. Our own breed went through a phase of heavy, coarse looking dogs in the 1980's, but also seems to now be in a better place again. It's noticeable with both breeds that popularity and an increase in registrations seems to play a part. The numbers stabilise and things improve. It may be a simplistic view, I realise, but nonetheless true that over popularity has a detrimental effect for many breeds. Some of the crossbreeds are experiencing this now, but sadly a lot of people are in denial that it is happening.

Sunny here this morning thank goodness. All these heavy rainstorms have been a bit of a shock for a pup born in a heatwave!! Sorry so many of you are in the midst of teething, think we’ll be joining you soon. Poor little things, new to the World and then your gums explode. It’s lovely you have older dogs with the pups @LandSharksAnonymous I would have liked to do that but my old boy was too old and unwell when we lost his friend. Must be great for the pups to have a role model.

@Houndymumma , you've had them for your whole life, how wonderful ❤My dad chose a Pyrenean (or rather, a girl pup chose him) when I was 13, so I'm not quite such an early starter as you, but still very much a one breed person.

I've only met a few Bassets, but they do seem very characterful and I can well believe the stubbornness! I do find them appealing, I imagine that, much like my own breed, they're very cam and contented at home, not bouncing off the walls to go and chase a ball.

PMD are likewise, very stubborn and not easy to train, not a breed for everyone.

Yes @Aubrielle so many breeds seem to have had looks over health as a priority, or money of course. I personally am not into showing, but have friends that do. My last female was a rescue and she’d been puppy farmed in Ireland and her papers were a work of fiction. Her previous owner didn’t do their research. However she was just as beautiful and special and had a wonderful nature. However her health issues kept us permanently poor and if she hadn’t had good medical care, she would have had a short life instead of reaching a good age with us. Always made me so sad seeing her suffer with her conditions which were down to irresponsible breeding.

yes calm as a breed, except when a puppy! 😂

@LandSharksAnonymous yes, he still follows me everywhere he can, bless him. Although last night while I was sat on the sofa he took himself off to the kitchen to curl up in his lovely fluffy bed! I was quite surprised actually!
Hope Eris’ teeth don’t cause her (or you!) too much pain!

@Aubrielle & @Houndymumma really interesting chat about knowing your breeds! I didn’t grow up with dogs, and didn’t even know that characteristics varied between breeds until about ten years ago, let alone individual dogs! I have no idea is Pablo is typical of his breed as he is my only dog. Well, other than the food obsession 😂 but I’ve had many people stop me on walks to ask about him and to tell me that every lab they have ever known has been destructive and destroyed people’s houses and that’s definitely not the case with mine so maybe I just got lucky! He’s put a hole in a few socks and that’s about it!

His morning toilet habits are funny! Some days he will let me sleep in quite late, others (such as this morning) it’s 5am! Still I should be thankful that he lets me know he wants to go out seeing as he is now sleeping on my bed!
Another toilet break was requested at 6.30am but my son took care of that one for me! They’re really starting to develop a lovely bond with each other. My son seems to know what he needs almost as much as I do sometimes. He’s very astute for a nearly 8 year old!

In other news, seeing as we have had zero accidents in the house for some time I decided to treat myself to a Vax spot wash upholstery/rug cleaner thing and I don’t want to describe to you the colour of the water after I finished using it 😂
It was very satisfying though.

Also, I know it’s only the beginning of September so I apologise if this makes any one ragey 😂 but I was thinking that there’s no way I can put up a Christmas tree this year… or will any of those of you with pups risk it?

We keep wondering if it would make sense to have another thread for serious dog talk, instead of taking over puppy/adolescent threads @VanGoSunflowers but then it may be a case of it only being relevant to half a dozen people, so I don't know...I visualise sitting there muttering to myself.

Despite your reservations about your breeder, it does sound as if you have a good sound dog in Pablo. You'll always get anecdotes from people you meet, but as you see from the multi dog people here, each dog is very unique. Breed traits are there to some extent, but, as @LandSharksAnonymous said earlier today, even with littermates you get totally different characters. That's the wonderful thing about dogs. Sometimes people think it's boring having the same breed every time, but far from it, there are always aspects to every dog that surprise you. Every day I'm amazed by things Brie does and she's my eighth PMD. The people who think a dog is a dog is a dog are missing out on too much.

It's heartwarming to hear that your son is developing such a close bond with Pablo and is already learning what his needs are. Again, it's individuality; some children really struggle with pups and are nervous around them, but others take to the care aspects quite naturally. Compatibility is an important thing. I know you originally considered a GSD, I read the thread but didn't participate, but it sounds as though Pablo is a good fit for you right now. It'll be interesting to see what your second dog ends up being, some years down the line.