Puppy Survival Thread Autumn 2025 - all welcome!

[VanGoSunflowers]

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

Yes. They are exactly like babies, but bitey ones. 😂
I find having a puppy sleeping on your lap is a great excuse for not being able to do anything else.
And I say this whilst my 14 month old is asleep on my lap. (Puppy not human.)
Spending time building that bond in the first months helps raise a happy, secure and confident puppy. Leaving them to cry it out and not fulfilling their emotional needs can cause separation anxiety.

Thanks @SpanielsGalore☺️ Yes she is tiny, just 2kg! Her mum was quite small too.

wow that’s such a difference between your two spaniels and their toilet training!

Unfortunately all neighbours and friends will be working when I have my appointment. It’s bad timing - we’d chosen this time of year to get the puppy as I was supposed to be around all day 🤦🏻‍♀️

Thank you for the reassurance. I don’t need to feel guilty that we’re just cuddling and watching telly right now 😂

@ZoomieGremlin Oh she is teeny tiny! 💖 My last puppy was 2.5kg when I got her. She only grew to 8.5kg, so is still a perfect lap size.

Shame there is no one to puppy sit. But shit happens and it can't be helped. Mine were left alone for much longer than I like yesterday, but they've all survived.

And no guilt at all. Enjoy the cuddles while you can. We're cuddling, listening to music and spending far too many hours on MN. 🙈 😂 My 4 year old prefers her own space, so is asleep in a different room. I try not to take it personally. 😞

Mine is the opposite end of the spectrum from your pup @ZoomieGremlin , I have a giant breed.

As @SpanielsGalore has already said, toilet training can vary widely, you just have to take it a day at a time. One of our boys was dry through the night by 10 weeks, but one of the girls took almost 4 months to be fully reliable with nighttime wees. Some females can be very stubborn 🙄

My current pup was very independent minded and not much of a cuddler when she was young, but some puppies are like velcro and don't want to leave your side. They're all totally different, even within the same breed, and part of the joy of bonding in the early days is getting to know your pup's individual character. They soon let you know what they need.

Try not to worry too much about leaving her to attend your appointments. It may not be ideal, but sometimes it's unavoidable. It may make her a little clingy in the subsequent days but I'd recommend being as calm as you can; with mine I try to "normalise" everything when they're little, and keep it low key. I find that helps.

Thank you@SpanielsGalore and @CoubousAndTourmaIetfor your reassuring words and advice ☺️

Sorry you’re hating the weather so much @CoubousAndTourmaIet and @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I hope it dries out for you soon!

@ZoomieGremlin Hi! Love the username, very accurate for a new pup 😂 I got my first dog, a lab puppy, this year so I was thrown in to the deep end! He’s been pretty good with toilet training - and at 8 months old is reliable and has been for some time (unless I forget to send him out for a wee before visitors arrive as he gets so excited he sometimes sprinkles their shoes as a little hello 😂)

Mine still follows me everywhere. Naps on me or next to me. I’m used to having a shadow now! But no separation anxiety at all, he’s fine to be left alone if I need to. It definitely gets easier! I love whippets 😍

Welcome @ZoomieGremlin - like @VanGoSunflowers I got my first dog, a poodle mix puppy, earlier this year. He is now 10 months and reliably toilet trained, but I’d say it took us until about 6 months to be completely reliable, particularly if he was very excited!
He also follows me round and is like my
shadow. He actually doesn’t like to snuggle too much as he gets very hot but when I'm
at home he wants to be in the same room as me at all times, which is fine. We can leave him at home without issue for short periods as needed, we built this up gradually from early on, and it’s fine. It’s only if I am home and he’s not with me that he shows any signs of separation anxiety.

Hope everyone else is well, I know @CoubousAndTourmaIet and @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding you have been struggling with the weather. We play this wonderful game where W goes out for a wee and then gets muddy paw prints all
over the kitchen floor, so I get the mop which he chases like a lunatic, so I then have to put him outside so I can actually mop the floor, then he comes in with muddy paws and so the carnage of puppy ownership continues 😂😂😂. Bring on the sunshine ☀️

@GoodBones85 I'm getting carpet fitted in my kitchen in the New Year. Wish me luck. 😬

Thoughts and prayers for you and your new carpet @SpanielsGalore 🙏😂

Prepare to be shocked @VanGoSunflowers and @GoodBones85 - we had a dry day today 😮
Brie was totally overjoyed about a day without rain. She was crazy, silly, playful on our walk, then when we got back she lay in the garden for ages. This evening she wouldn't come in, so I ended up taking her bowl of food outside so she could eat under the stars like a proper working dog.

@GoodBones85 what a fun game 🙈🙈. We have also had sunshine today so Rory got a really good run and I’ve sent him out the front to do his wees as it’s a bit less muddy, so no more mud incidents!

Sorry, but I had to add, how bloody stunning is this boy? 🥰 and so grown up, he looks like a man dog not a puppy!

He's very handsome @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding ❤

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding He's huge! And very handsome. 💖 How old is he now? Seems like you only got him a couple of months ago. Time flies by way too quickly these days.

Still waiting for little pup to look like a grown up

Even this one is still very puppyish.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding what a handsome boy!
How much does he weigh now? He looks pure muscle.

M is still a little puppyish

Well here's mine, definitely still looking like a puppy. 😂

Aww such cute pups!

@SpanielsGalore we did! He’s only just turned 7 months!

@Nella68 I’m not sure exactly but he was 20kg last month and is definitely heavier now. He’s gonna be a big lad 🥰.

Your puppies are all gorgeous 😍

All your pups are gorgeous. Here's mine, still definitely puppy like at 18 weeks. Seems huge compared to when we got him though. Landshark phase is getting so much better, I have no fresh bruises! He's starting daycare next week. At his trial they were only keeping him for 2 hours as he is so young, but he settled so well they kept him for 4. She said he's the most settled puppy they've had, I was very proud.

He's lovely ... do you mind saying what breed he is?

Aww thank you, he is rather gorgeous. He's a staffy. He's the first purebred I've had, only had staffy crosses before.

Aw I like staffies with their stocky little bodies.

Awww come back to the thread to lots of adorable pictures of everyone’s puppers 🥰