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 😂

That sounds awful @LandSharksAnonymous ! Poor Clem - and poor you. Glad she appears to be okay now. It makes you wonder when she was bitten and by what....

@Aubrielle I thought it might be a tick of similar that then fell off. Twatdog had a similarly nasty reaction to an infected tick bite once - which is weird as all the dogs are on anti tick treatment…

Is it still nice and rainy where you are? Bet Brie is loving it if so 😁

Wondered about a tick when you said about her ear @LandSharksAnonymous but then I thought 4am, was it a spider...? Tick is the obvious one though. Am glad she seems okay, but it must have been an exhausting night for you.

Nope, dry as a bone here today and gorgeous autumn sunshine. Today's walk was a revelation.
It's almost as if Brie has secretly been reading these threads while I'm asleep and has taken offence at me referring to her as a moocher... There was no plodding or ambling this morning, it was more like a run up the hill, some crazy lead biting and zoomies at the top and a run back down. It was somewhat "brisk" by our standards, shall we say.
I think it helped that it was 9 degrees, so a hell of a lot more comfortable for her. She saw two ponies with riders, four dogs and loads of mountain bikers, she was very OTT giddy and happy and bouncy, so it was really rather a lovely 90 minutes of complete lunacy 😂
Even since we got back she's been rushing around the garden, full of beans. It's lovely seeing her so energised 🤗

@LandSharksAnonymous Sounds very scary, whatever it was. Glad Clem is feeling better and hope you have had a peaceful day, with lots of coffee and cake.

@Aubrielle Sounds like a lovely walk.
We haven't been out yet as the weather is awful. Gale force winds and heavy showers.

We had the gale force winds and heavy showers last night @SpanielsGalore , so I would like to think that you'll have some nice autumn sunshine to follow. It looks like a settled week ahead.
I hope P is managing okay.

@LandSharksAnonymous oh that sounds terrifying. What a terrible thing to happen. There’s a few dopey wasps still around and spider season is kicking off too. I got bitten last year by a spider during the night and my arm swelled right up.

@PoodlePlace I think you were asking about crate training? I do crate train and have always used them. They sleep there at night as it’s safe, and once they’re old enough, it just becomes another bed with the door permanently open. I use large wire crates with a blanket over. My hounds have always loved their crate. I never use it as a punishment place and it’s always used in a positive way. I’m at home full time and I personally wouldn’t be happy to crate for long periods of time except overnight when they sleep. However many good playpen type things available which are great. My pup is already dry overnight without waking up. Before that she’d let me know she needed a potty break. We have a large open plan kitchen so it would be impossible to totally puppy proof the room overnight. I spend the first few nights on the kitchen sofa and generally they settle fine. I also use the crate for enforced naps whilst little. So pup goes down for a couple of hours 3 times a day. (She wouldn’t sleep enough otherwise and pup behaviour is vastly improved by sleep!). I tend to have my crate in the living room now she’s settled in as we only use that room in the evening, so it’s quiet for daytime naps. As others say, it all depends on what works for you, pup & house layout. Lots of advice online and things to try, but ultimately it’s finding what works for you. First month can be very hard work, especially before they’re allowed out (vaccinations). But don’t despair, it does get a lot better quickly. 😊

Oh @LandSharksAnonymous sounds awful - really scary. Hope you are all ok now. ❤️

@Aubrielle it's possible the tick fell off tbf - it's happened before. But who knows. Just so glad she's fine even if she's back to pretending I don't exist.

Are you sure you don't live in the south? It was 9 and beautiful here today as well 😃Good on Brie though, I bet this weather is a dream for her after the horribly hot summer.

@SpanielsGalore it always baffles me how the UK can have such different weather systems. Aubrielle and I hundreds of miles apart having the same weather and you closer to Aubrielle than I am, having gale force winds and rain 😂Although perhaps that nice weather is heading North.

How is P getting on? Do you have your car back yet?

@Houndymumma finding a spider in my bed, or being bitten in the night, is probably the most terrifying thing that could happen to me! But thank you and to @GoodBones85 for you thoughts!

She's definitely back to normal now. 6;30pm and she's taken herself off to bed. I poked my head around the door earlier and she just looked up at me and then huffed and turned away! Sometimes I do wonder how a Golden Retriever can be so antisocial...

@LandSharksAnonymous I know, I was quite horrified by the spider bite!! Two clear puncture wounds like a mini vampire!! 😬🕷️ we were staying in an old cottage Airbnb. My arm swelled up for about three days.

@LandSharksAnonymous I'm not sure where we all are exactly, but I would bet on you being closer to @Aubrielle than me. I'm a good six hours further north the Scottish border. Up here the weather can be totally different 10 miles down the road. I left home in sunshine to drive to Aberdeen and arrived in a snow storm. 😂
P is very clingy and tried to hump my leg earlier. The tablets are having no affect at all. I knew they wouldn't be strong enough.
Not due to get my car back until the 30th, so it's a good job I am only having to walk one of the three.
Glad Clem is back to her antisocial self. 💖

I'm pretty sure @LandSharksAnonymous that I'm closer in distance to you than I am to @SpanielsGalore
And yep, she's just confirmed it. I reckon I'm about 100 miles closer to you.

I'm glad Clem is okay but god she is Sylvie reincarnated as a Golden for sure. Same attitude "What? Yes, I'm fine, now leave me alone!". S was anything for a quiet life. Rosie got on her nerves.

@Houndymumma That's terrifying 😱I don't think I'll sleep tonight!

Sorry, hope no one has nightmares tonight! Back here at home I’m fine as my cat is the big spider catcher so I think he keeps the population right down.

I think most of you sound like you’re up north, whereas I’m right down south in Hampshire. @SpanielsGalore it sounds like you’re near some of my in-laws. They’re up by Buckie in Scotland.

@SpanielsGalore I hadn't realised just how far North you are...I am so jealous as it's so beautiful that far north of the border. I've always wanted to holiday in the Cairngorms but it's a 9+ hour car journey with no breaks and whilst the dogs and I could do it, DDs might end up murdering each other if I stuck them in a car together for that long!

Oh, poor P! 😞Can she have a sex-toy like Twatdog, or would that be a bad idea?

@Aubrielle well that's something! Although we're still pretty far away 😃Did Sylvie do the eye-roll as well? Clem does that sometimes and it's a very human move.

@Houndymumma I'm far south as well - only about an hour from the coast.

But yes, you will give me nightmares tonight!

Where was the AirB&B? Asking so I can make sure I never go there 😃The one thing I cannot handle is spiders. I can de-slug the dogs fur when they roll in mud, and I can handle the ant-infestation in the garage and I can even deal with creepy daddy long-legs but spiders? No. Sometimes when it gets really bad, if you walk into my house you'll just find books all over the floor from where they've been tossed at spiders that have scurried into whatever room I'm in.

@LandSharksAnonymous the Airbnb was in Canterbury! Lovely place apart from their resident spider! 😂 I’m in Winchester so not too far from the coast. Meeting a friend tomorrow at the beach for a coffee and my pup will meet their golden retriever so we’ll see what she makes of that! My friend is walking the GR before we meet as my girl can only do short walks. Their GR is a lovely boy though so good for socialisation hopefully.

I am beyond jealous of @SpanielsGalore too @LandSharksAnonymous and indeed, you and I are near neighbours by comparison! Oddly, a littermate of Brie, who I suspect was born a stones throw from you, now lives a stones throw from SG!

Yes! Sylvie did the eyeroll 😮 I'm pretty sure we have a photo somewhere of her doing it, but it'll probably take me about three weeks to find it because we have so many dog pics.

The spider bite thing has me bothered too, because a huge one scuttled under the sofa the other day and we never found it. Unless it was the same one that Freija squished beside the fireplace...

@LandSharksAnonymous I'm a bit further north than the Cairngorms. That's my scenic route home after I've been down to England.
P has a thing for my slanket. It's the only thing she isually humps. Lord knows why.

@Houndymumma I am indeed very near your in-laws. 😁

Thank you @Houndymummaand @LandSharksAnonymousand others.
This weekend we purchased a secondhand playpen and crate as requested by the breeder and it’s all set up ready in the living room area of the kitchen. Our plan is to spend the first few nights downstairs to help him settle and sleep but I do also like the idea of bringing him into our room if that works better.

@Houndymumma note to self: never go to Canterbury. Oh let me know how you get on!? Hope it's a good first meeting for your girl.

@Aubrielle I'd love to see the eyeroll photo if you do manage to dig it out.

@SpanielsGalore even further North!? 😮I know I sound like a real southerner who thinks anything North of the Thames is 'North' but still - I hadn't realised just how far North you were! To be fair to P...I quite like a good slanket, so she has taste!

@PoodlePlace do whatever works best for you! Although if you start off with the puppy in your bedroom...chances are he will never leave (although IMO that can only be a win).

@PoodlePlace that sounds perfect. You’ll find no end of advice and tips on various websites and forums, often conflicting! 🙄 But I’d suggest trying different things and finding what works best for you & pup personally. This thread is very supportive with lovely supportive people. Like having human children, there are so many different opinions of how things should be done and some people can be quite aggressive on some other platforms and have no understanding of how different breeds behave or need things differently. Always helpful to find a breed specific online group for advice too if you can, as they will really understand your pup and any issues much better in my opinion.

Hi! I have an 11 week old malamute , she is my second malamute after losing my old girl this spring.
what puppy suitable chew toys are people using?
i have a couple of soft wishbone chews, a long rope knot, and lots of soft toys.
i went in a pet store today and most of the chewy toys said not suitable for puppies 😪she absolutely loves chewing and biting on everything

@YourLemonSheep puppy tax? 😍

I feel your pain about non-suitable puppy toys! If you're able to supervise her, I would really recommend old towels and/or tea-towels/flannels for the first few weeks otherwise you'll spend a fortune on toys if her teeth are anything as sharp and strong Retrievers. If you freeze them it'll also help with teething. Pets at Home do a good selection of puppy toys, but they never seem to last long (at least for my lot - and I'm cheap, so they get towels and old blankets).

Sorry about your loss it's horrible to say goodbye 💐

Hello all! Sorry, I was AWOL again. Not to bang on the same drum as before but was finding it hard to stay away from the other place so I decided to take a few days off altogether to reset! Hope you’re all doing ok!

Took Pablo for his first outing to a beach yesterday! We went to Formby, which is a 2 hour drive from me for a good run! Luckily P slept the whole way there and the whole way back. It was a truly beautiful spot and we had the best time. Finally got to experience the unbridled joy that comes from watching a pup frolicking around on a beach. He was practically glued to DS which was adorable, their bond is getting stronger and they chased each other through the sand dunes. P was such a good boy as well, plenty of people and dogs around and although we haven’t made it to the stage where he will ignore them all, he did recall perfectly every time!

@LandSharksAnonymous so sorry to hear about your scare! Hope you and Clem are ok now!

@PoodlePlace hi and welcome! Echoing what others have said and do what works for you and your pup! Pablo is my first and all the conflicting information made my head spin! I did crate train him, but about a month or so ago I decided to just let him sleep with me and haven’t looked back since 😂 I don’t regret doing it, though. In the early days, I found that he was far more bitey and manic when he was over tired and crate training meant I could enforce naps! He’s much better at settling on his own now and I haven’t used the crate in weeks. I did try a pen, but he is on the large side - even for a Lab - so he could already climb out of it when he was 9 weeks old! Therefore defeating the object of having one in the first place. Baby gate has been a god send though!

Hello and welcome @YourLemonSheep
It's lovely to have another large breed join the thread (I do admit to being very biased 😉).

Sorry you lost your older girl. It's so hard to say goodbye.

My pup had a few sturdy tug ropes, a Kong, a large spiny ball, a nylabone (which she had no interest in) and initially a Chewies squeaky stick. She had a couple of fluffy toys until she started teething, then I discarded anything fluffy or squeaky. We have a vet in the family so I took her advice and avoided antlers and Yak chews.
For teething I gave washed carrots and goats milk ice cubes.

Unlike most here, I do use safe, certified rawhide (non Chinese, glue free, safety tested). It's a contentious issue, but with a giant breed that has a bite force of 500psi, many other chews aren't suitable.

Heres a pic 🥰
yes, She has very sharp teeth!
@Aubrielle what breed do you have?

thanks for suggestions.

@YourLemonSheep I have no additional suggestions to what you have had already but just wanted to say hi and your pup is a beauty 😍