Puppy Survival Thread Autumn 2025 - all welcome!

[VanGoSunflowers]

Hello everyone! Won’t tag you all as you know everyone is welcome 😊

Desperately waiting for spring here too @VanGoSunflowers and @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding - I am so sick of mopping muddy footprints off my kitchen floor multiplie times a day 🤦‍♀️

@GoodBones85 Yep, our garden is just a bog at this point!

@GoodBones85 oh the mud can fuck right off, I have had enough of it too! Even the bottom of my fridge and kitchen cupboards are constantly covered in it! My garden has definitely seen better days!

@VanGoSunflowers @GoodBones85 I wasn’t mad working from home today and Rory was outside standing by the door to come in (although it was open) so I called him and he came bounding straight through the dining and living room with big, splodgy, muddy paws 🙈. Then there was a trail through the hall to the kitchen where I took him to wipe his paws 🙈🙈. He did put them up nicely for me to wipe though even though he’s not a fan of his back paws being wiped.

Oh it’s so funny you said this!!!! W will very nicely lift his front paws to be wiped but makes a huge fuss when I try to wipe the back paws!!! What’s that about??

Im sorry for your muddy mess 🤦‍♀️😂

@GoodBones85 yes same with Rory! Maybe it makes them feel off balance? I always worry that he’s hurt his back paws, he makes such a fuss!

I had exactly the same thought today about maybe he’s hurt his paws……..

Pablo doesn’t mind being wiped down, in fact the issue is he likes it a bit too much! When I get a big towel out to dry him off he thinks it’s a game and I have to wedge him between my legs to get him to stay still 😂 feel like I’ve had a work out after!

Puppy B loves a good rub down and it's one of the few times he still allows us to cuddle him in our laps, when we rub him down with a towel and then transfer the towel with him still in it to our laps.

At 12 weeks, he had his first off lead walk today in the park followed by a good rub down (and cuddles).

How are you @Wobblyhousebuyer?

Can anyone recommend a dog friendly place to stay in the uk?
Looking for somewhere near a beach, hot tub would be great, nice seaside town. We love salcombe.
Anyone stayed somewhere nice with a pup?

Hiya! We are doing a bit better dare I say it! We are settling in to a good routine, although with half term I'm hoping that doesn't go out the window! She's 10 weeks old now, still bitey but we learning to manage it better I think. It really helps to know we aren't alone in finding it hard sometimes! The weather here was lovely yesterday but I was in work all day so didnt get the benefit of dry garden walks, I'm so looking forward the better weather!

https://www.barefootretreats.co.uk/ - a lot of their holiday cottages allow 1, or more, dogs. A few have hot tubs included (some of their small ones as well, not just their big ones). Holkham beach is lovely and dogs can be off lead between November - March (or something like that).

Wells-next-the-sea is about 10 minute drive from Burnham Market and is not bad for a sea-side town (better than Hastings, not as good as Rye). But there are lots of other villages and towns nearby including Hunstanton, which I quite like, and Cromer. North Norfolk is incredibly dog friendly 😊

I've been using them for nearly 10 years, several times a year, and not yet had a bad experience! I arrived once and the bolt on the back gate was too stiff (so it could only latch close) and they had someone over in 30 minutes to fix it. Brilliant customer service.

Me too @Wobblyhousebuyer! I took my pup out for a very soggy walk this morning and he was practically shivering on the short journey home 😭. Bath, blow dry and two hour nap later and he was back to normal 😅
The sunshine yesterday was much needed and a reminder of what we’ve been missing for so long!!

Thanks so much @TheHungryHungryLandsharks- I will have a good look at these now!

For all of those sick of muddy paws may I suggest the MacAllister battery powered washer from B&Q, I got mine for £35 last week and it’s amazing (I’m a dog walker as well as puppy owner). It’s so much better than the mud daddy ones. I fill mine up with just hot water before I go out, then by the time I’ve driven where I’m going and done my walk it’s the right temperature.

Mogwai is 5 months old now, doing well at agility training but not so well at the house training 😂. He’s got a lot better though so there’s that. And I wouldn’t really want to go and shit in the garden in this weather either.

Aw look at his little beady eyes! So cute.

House training seems relentless. Got a carpet in the living room and cannot wait to get it professionally cleaned. But that would be kinda pointless at the moment 🤦‍♀️

Oh my days, he looks like a little Mogwai 😍

How's everyone's potty training going? We are on day 2 of formal house training following a 1:1 with a doggy trainer at our house. Yesterday was 5 wees in the garden and 9 in the house hopefully today we can beat the record outside with 6! Here's an updated photo- she is now 15 weeks

Room for another? This is Penny, she's 12.5 weeks now, she joined us nearly 3 weeks ago and don't let her fool you, she's cheeky! First totally accident free day yesterday! All on the mat/garden! I've now realised she doesn't like to be watched so I turn my back and bingo!
I don't use a crate, I have gated the kitchen off. I WFH but I do know I need to work up to leaving her at least for a bit. She is good for all of 10 mins so far - with a kong or licky mat. How is everyone else doing with daytime alone time?

B is 3 months old tomorrow. Re housetraining, he seems to do his poos outside now, barring the occasional accident.

Wees are a different matter. He still does lots of them inside the house unfortunately.

I’m impressed with Pennys accident-free day @PetiteBroccoli

B is rarely left alone as my son works from home upstairs. But we’ve been working on leaving B on his own downstairs for about 10/15 minutes so he learns a bit of early resilience. We have a stair gate so he can’t follow us upstairs. He sometimes whimpers a bit when he sees us going upstairs but soon stops. I want to leave him alone in the house for a bit but it’s hard when he’s not house trained!

We do have a crate but only close the door at night when B is so sleepy he puts himself in the crate by about 7pm 💤

thanks @Twiglets1 - don't be too impressed - the streak was soon cut short by a wee in the bedroom at 6.00am this morning, I should have jumped up and let her out as soon as she woke but I'm struggling with these early mornings.

I've been noting down everytime she wees, poos, eats, plays and then I worked out her pattern so I know when to start prompting her to go, seems to help.

Alone time is my next priority but you are right, house training needs to be nailed first. Luckily I don't need to leave her often or immediately so its fine for now.

That's amazing that B takes himself off at 7pm, Penny has a mad hour at that time. Might re-get the crate out, she didn't take to it to begin with - but maybe I need to try again.

How long do you walk him, we are mostly doing 2 x 15-20 min plays in the garden per day, which really tire her out.

He does have wee beady eyes as my granny would have said 🤣.

I am also dreaming of a new carpet. I won’t walk on the existing one without slippers now because I know how many tiddle craps have been on it. But as you say, completely pointless at the moment! Thank god for Vax spot cleaning machines. To add to the fun Mogwai has learnt to cock his leg now so he’s pissing up things as well as the carpet now 😭

We've started driving B to the park now for 20 minute run arounds - it seems to really tire him out as gets more mental stimulation. Especially as he is brave about greeting other off lead dogs despite being one of the smallest at the moment. It won't be long until he's one of the biggest as he's a Lab.

Our previous puppy didn't take to the crate either so I couldn't really understand why people were so positive about them. But I get it now! B always pops himself in the crate when scary things happen like the hoover coming out 😂

And yes, we are very happy that he puts himself in the crate about 7pm as we have a restful evening unlike the rest of the day. We just wake him up about 9pm to take him into the garden for a last wee. He never messes in his crate so it has been nice coming down to a clean crate every morning instead of a messy kitchen, which was what used to happen with our last puppy.