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 😂

@VanGoSunflowers
Us two and @SpanielsGalore are all going to end up living down that rabbit hole, but I'm working on the theory that this might be of interest to other puppy people... maybe...?

With the Calibra it's significant that the Junior lamb has different nutrient levels in small/ medium than in large/giant.
Small is 28% protein, 18% fat, 1.6% calcium, whereas large is the same protein level, but 15% fat and 1.3% calcium.
So it's not just the kibble size that's different.
In theory, you could go either way for Pablo, a Labrador is technically a medium breed, but arguably some would refer to a male as large. I'm not a breed expert so I can't say which is more appropriate for him, though given their predisposition to skeletal issues I'd lean towards large.

I would say that once Pablo reaches a year, you can start introducing some adult food although as you know, @LandSharksAnonymous does not recommend it, so it's very much personal choice.

Don't feel you have to stick with the Calibra though - there are a lot more options out there for you than there are for me, it was just that I struggled to find a large breed junior lamb. As I discovered with Millies Wolfheart, a giant really does need specific large breed formula. And I know, you'd think I would have cracked this by now, 8 dogs in, but apparently not. There is always more to learn.

@SpanielsGalore the irony of that is so funny. That one evening I spent nearly 4 hours on AADF and various other websites, I ordered myself a crate of beer afterwards 😂 and I’ve been looking at lemon drizzle cake recipes 👀

@Aubrielle thanks for sharing all of that info - as you say I could probably go either way with Pabs but an adult weight predictor I used guessed he would be slightly over 30kgs so I went with large as 30kgs is the cut off. Interesting the protein levels are the same but the fat and calcium are slightly lower.
I will definitely still with calibra for now I think, it was definitely the most appealing one for a variety of reasons. I even prefer the look/feel/texture of it. The Burns one was very dry and dusty but this is more oily!

I went down a Google rabbit hole this morning about why my dog rubs his neck on me in the same way he rubs his neck on fox poo and was very heartened to learn the reason and that he does in fact love me 🥰 and not because I smell.

@LandSharksAnonymous must be to for some new boots 🤢.

@VanGoSunflowers I don’t know, he never chews them, just relocates them. It’s usually just one so you have to go round the house looking for the other 🙈. Today he has relocated one of my books on to the living room window sill! I don’t even know where he found it! Socks are always a Labrador favourite even when they’re grown up 🥰.

I am going to have a busy weekend puppy sitting a 14 week pup with my 15 week pup and 12 year old dog. They have all met and the pups get on well if you count lots of ear chewing!
Any suggestions and tips how to make it through the weekend?
They are all crate trained and sleep through the night.

Ugh. That new food is a disaster @VanGoSunflowers @SpanielsGalore

It arrived in a nasty shiny bag like a gigantic helium balloon, The bag had a huge split down the side so a load of kibble had spilt out into the giant bin bag that it had been posted in, which was also torn. So there was a trail of kibble in our porch and hallway. I don't know if the rip is a courier issue but the food itself smells vile (sort of rancid) and I don't fancy giving it to her.
So I've emailed them saying I'm not happy with the condition.

I would definitely not recommend Canine Choice 😝

So right now, Brie is on Calibra Junior Large Breed Lamb, and Essential Estate as a 50/50 mix.

@Isabelle70 I think probably just accept the carnage 🙈😂!

@Isabelle70 my god, that sounds like a nightmare. That would finish me! At the moment one puppy is more than enough for my nerves and sanity. I think the weather forecast is largely terrible this weekend, so I can’t even suggest spending lots of time outside..!

Talking of shoes (I’m a bit behind) my DH has to keep his shoes on top of the fridge. As soon as he takes them off, she swoops in and snaffles the memory foam inners. That’s a great game - she is like greased lightning! It takes a cheese bribe to get it back. He also had to sacrifice a pair of his slippers. Luckily he is the Imelda Marcos of the slipper world and has many other pairs. (Which also live on top of the fridge when not on his feet).

I had to take the demon to work with me today, it was a session at the Quaker Meeting House. The little bugger dug a hole in their beautiful garden when I wasn’t looking 😳. I think Quakers are obliged to forgive..at least I hope so!

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding@Struckbylightning I was hoping you were going to say it’s going to be fine… it’s a full 3 days as well as they are not back until late Sunday evening.
The kongs and licky mats are in the freezer for all 3!

Haha @Isabelle70 I’m sure it’ll be fine! They’ll play like lunatics and then wear themselves out 😂.

@Struckbylightning I wish I could take Rory to work with me! My work doesn’t have a garden so at least he couldn’t destroy it 😂.

My girl is digging craters all the way along the fenceline @Struckbylightning and @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding . So that's fun. Then of course she wanders straight back in, tracking soil through the extension and kitchen.

I've actually resorted to putting washable puppy pads down near the French door - there's no danger she'll use them because her last indoor wee was at about 4 months old, but at least it absorbs some muck and water from her big furry paws. It also stops her skidding on the tiles, which is one of the main hazards of a very large hairy dog.

The digging is a sodding pain though. All our girls have been obsessive diggers but none of the boys ever were. I don't know how you stop them digging, aside from creating a sandpit, but then you have a house full of gritty sand 😬

@Aubrielle oh yes, Rory is on supervised garden visits after the last mud bath 🙈. He only digs when it’s extra wet and muddy!

We had the most hideous lunch time walk, even Rory hated it. We both got absolutely soaking and I went straight home and ordered my dry robe that I haven’t got round to yet but it’s an equestrian one that’s olive green and subtle so I will be a dry robe wanker in disguise 😂.

Can't go wrong with green, @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I'm sure you'll get away with it!

It's absolutely foul here right now (West Pennine Moors), bucketing down and blowing a hoolie. I don't think we'll be venturing out later; too many big trees nearby.
We're supposed to be having family tomorrow, which will be fun with a flooded garden and a saturated, muddy 50 kilo fluffball zooming around and flinging itself at everyone. Especially as they're all cat people 😬

I love the idea of a dryrobe wanker in disguise!! Do you actually wear them outside when it’s raining, or are they for putting on when you get home for warming up again. I always thought they were for post-swim warming. But I guess the first time I even heard of them was on Bad Sisters…

We all made it through day one after about 3 hours of ear chomping, a trip in the car, walk to the office, cuddles it was home to nap! Which they did and were very good for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
They are now awake ear chomping whilst I and elderly Ddog lounge on the sofa.

@Isabelle70 Sounds good so far. My first puppies were litter mates. In a lot of ways I found it easier as they amused each other. And I never experienced little shark teeth. My third puppy sure made up for that though.

@VanGoSunflowers I replied on the adult thread but forgot to reply here. Honestly work is so rotten at the moment (a combination of lots of people being made redundant and us just being horribly busy) I think I did about 60 hours this week😵I got home at about 11pm last night after leaving at 5am, so once again everyone was asleep. But Twatdog did wake up and greet me (with much squeaking and waggy tailing) and this morning my dad turned up with coffee and cake. Completely irrelevant to this puppy thread, of course, although I am still slightly hurt Eris has basically ignored me all week. Puppy love is a fickle thing.

On food,I do keep mine on puppy food, and supplement a very tiny bit of adult food, until they are about 24 months/3 years. But I am incredibly conscious of their joints and the higher calcium in puppy food (which many say is not suitable for adults) has done them absolutely no harm - arguably I'd say it's done them the world of good given how healthy all my dogs have been in terms of joints. It is a very personal choice though.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding there are definitely worse things than having to buy new boots 😉I'd take the win tbh

@Struckbylightning they were originally designed for putting on after watersports so you can throw them on over your swimming stuff and not get the car seat wet on your way home or they’re designed to be roomy for changing under but they’ve evolved for use by football mums and general outdoor use where people want to be warm and dry. The proper dry robes and very bright and have a massive DryRobe logo on the back so are distinctive and expensive so seen as a sign of middle class wankery but really they’re just a useful item of clothing for anyone that has to be outdoors in the wet and cold!

@Isabelle70 glad it’s going well!

Rory (and so me!) was woken up at 6am by the power coming back on and house alarms going off 😭. I can’t get back to sleep but he is of course! It’s going to be a long day!

@LandSharksAnonymous I love my wellies, they have dogs on 😂 but maybe I should get some fancy equestrian style boots to go with my dry robe 😂.

It was me that was talking about calcium levels @LandSharksAnonymous , and it was mainly in relation to the Millies Wolfheart, which has a level of 2.3 and which I felt was too high for a giant breed.

I did point out to @VanGoSunflowers that I'm not an expert in gundog breeds. Perhaps she should be feeding Pablo on the small/medium junior or asking you for advice on feeding, since your breed is similar and you feel higher calcium levels are beneficial.

We will stick with specific large/giant formulations, but obviously that has little relevance for anyone else on this thread, so I shall bow out.

@Aubrielle I know it was! I think that's the thing though, I think gundogs (or at least my dogs) are fine with slightly high calcium...but as you say Brie is a different type of dog so very different! Absolutely no need to bow out - part of the beauty of this thread is all our dogs are different as we get to learn a little bit about other breeds because of it 😊

Good morning all! Been a manic few days here! Needed to work a lot of overtime in between very windy walks!

@Aubrielle sorry to hear that food was so disappointing! I feel bad for you - you spent so long researching it! Did they respond to you? I hope you get a full refund!

@Isabelle70 hope the pup sitting is going well!

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I like the idea of being a dry robe wanker in disguise 😂 may I shamelessly ask where you got it from please? I really like the look of them, they look so cozy and warm but I don’t like huge logos emblazoned on my clothes either 😂 having said that, my Didriksons coat has done me proud in this weather!

@LandSharksAnonymous sorry to hear work has been rotten for you too, 60 hours is wild and then to have no puppy love to make it better! Although the coffee and cake must have helped!

I do like the idea of keeping them on puppy/junior food for longer. And I guess if the kibble used is on the lower side when it comes to calcium (like I think Calibra is?) then it makes sense. I can’t see a down side to it in any case. And I agree that it’s helpful to have all experiences shared - if for no other reason than I find the dog talk interesting!

@Struckbylightning how is the demon pup doing after her dogging escapades?? Thankfully Pablo isn’t much of a digger. He’s more of an eat everything in sight. Someone had emptied an entire loaf of sliced bread on the field yesterday and he was wolfing that down quicker than I have ever seen any being eating anything!

How is everyone else doing? The weather seems to have calmed down here finally!

@VanGoSunflowers Go Outdoors: Here it is.

It’s only £69 with a go outdoors card and since DH got some Love to Shop vouchers from work, it’s technically free!

I'm still waiting to see this terrible weather people have been talking about 😁It's been 13-16 here the last few days, a bit windy but nothing too bad, no rain etc.

@VanGoSunflowers the coffee and cake absolutely helped. I saw your post on the other thread about new coffee beans! Are they any good? I'm still working through my Union ones - all this in-office time has meant I have drunk far less home coffee than usual.

Today is dog food arrival day. So far we've had three different types of freezable dog food turn up - every time the doorbell goes I have a gaggle of Goldens by the front door all expecting that it's a delivery for them (which, tbf it is). I'm just waiting for their dog treats to arrive and then we can go out, in the glorious sunshine, for their early afternoon walk. Satan and DSsis (and thus, Twatdogs sister) are also joining us which means chaos is guaranteed. But the good sort of chaos...I hope