Is there a new puppy survival thread?

[Isadora2007]

I could only see one from Autumn so assumed it was older?
Anyone with a new pup wanting to share the trenches?

Yes! Pup turned 10 weeks today and it’s 9 days since we collected him. First family dog although both DH & I grew up
with dogs. I wasn’t expecting to be enjoying puppy life at this stage but I’m still finding the tedium of the relentless monitoring & distracting hard. Luckily, he’s a complete cutie and has a few adorable moments each day. He’s also
largely toilet trained and, when tired, sleeps well in his crate which are huge positives. Negatives are that I think we are making progress with an aspect of training and then he seems to act as though he has never heard that command before. And he eats EVERYTHING!

@FoxandDuck Awww yeah it’s tough going isn’t it but their cuteness makes up for it. Have you any night time tips? Ours spends about 1-1.5h in the crate then cries and only settled again if you’re near. If left again even once asleep he is awake within the hour. And repeat. So I use a wee camp bed after the first or second wake up and just sleep there so he stays in the crate til 6 ish. But I’d really like my sleep back soon… and worry I’m making him worse “giving in”. But would not let him cry!

Our pup has just turned 1. He’s our second dog and I knew puppies are twats after the first 15 years ago! He was pretty good when 8 weeks and we brought him home but I’ll be honest some days I just survived (DH was working long hours on an immovable work project the week we brought him home). I did a lot of carrying him around the village in my arms prior to his jabs. It socialised him - he was/is super cute so everyone wanted to say hello, it got me out the house and it tired him out which was the bonus!!

We’ve hit a bit of teenage deafness now, but I promise it does get better!!

A very timely post, thank you @Isadora2007 We are picking up our new girl on Thursday. We said goodbye to our first dog a year ago on 11th so I am so glad we will have a new one in the house before that day. She's just over 9 weeks old, an orange and white show cocker spaniel, and she has a long approx 2 hour drive to come and live with us. Our previous dog was just 15 minutes away so this is very different. The breeder said she took her puppies to the vets in a plastic box just in case they were sick, so I might bring one with me, but we have puppy pads (used under the cats litter tray) some dog wipes and will have a towel too. Our car seats are leather so much easier to clean should we need to.

We have a few things saved from our last dog, some I don't want puppy to have until she has stopped chewing everything, ie beds and blankets. I do need to get a collar and new lead but have a rope lead for now and we have a harness which is very adjustable.

I have contacted the vets re the vaccinations and what one they use. We didn't know about this first time round and had to restart hers which put back her socialisation a bit which I don't think helped with certain things. If they don't use it I have time to contact others to see what they use. I have a vet I want her to be with long term who is in between practises so this vet will just be for the initial checks.

We learnt a lot with our first dog, some which we want to continue and some we need to change. For example being in her bed or crate when we eat, teaching her to lie on a mat under the garden table so when we want to go to the pub she knows what's expected of her.

Some things I am not looking forward to, namely other dog owners, especially the irresponsible ones who don't respect what a dog being on the lead means, or just don't seem to care that their dogs are aggressive towards others, who let them run across a field and you don't know if they are friendly or not. But I am looking forward to the walks in the countryside and having my little shadow back

Hello! Namechanged in honour of my little dickhead - 14 weeks old, unbearably cute and driving me mad. Toilet training is mostly there but we still have accidents and he is so irritating in asking to go out only to mess about in the garden digging holes for ages on end. I am finding it quite difficult to get on with work and while he learns things in training he goes selectively deaf when he's found something more interesting to do. I had bad puppy blues which I do feel I have got through now, but I am finding things frustrating ESPECIALLY the biting.

@RaptorShark we were told when ours was messing about in the garden and not going to the toilet, and quite often going as soon as she came back in, to put a lead on her to take her out. The idea is no messing about and they learn if they want to play they need to do their business first. Worked really well.

Yes, I had just resolved to do this after getting really irritated yesterday. My secondary issue is that he gets very overexcited putting the harness on and tries to bite it (sometimes catching my hands) and run off with it, so that was putting me off leashing him for every toilet trip as I couldn't face putting it on and taking it off again but I think it's the less frustrating option overall. I do have to get him to calm down about the harness somehow. He's just permanently thrilled about absolutely everything!

Our puppy is a 19 week old minature poodle. First week was a blur of 'what have we done' and sleep deprivation, but he is now an absolute joy (99% of the time 😅). Have just had a weekend away in our campervan with him & he was so good.

A couple of things that really worked: we bought some.cheap metal fold out fencing and made an outdoor puppy pen with a square of astroturf in it so that when pup went outside he was in that with nothing to dig or eat! It really helped toilet training and reduced distractions. Total cost about £30. We have dispensed with it now and he has a larger, fenced area of garden.

The gradual retreat... I had his crate next to our bed to start and then moved it about a metre away each night until he was in the location we wanted. He now puts himself to bed in there about 9.30 and we wake him up when we get up at 6.

Also, we carried him everywhere, pubs/cafes/the park/near busy roads which I do think has helped him be less nervous.

Solidaroty to everyone in the thick of it, I cannot believe how quick they grow & learn and it definitely gets easier 😊

I have an 11 week old, and I’m really struggling. Obviously I was expecting puppy behaviour, but it’s hard.
I’m really holding on to the fact that one day, she’ll be a lovely, placid older dog.
Sheis beautiful, and does have lovely moments

It doesn’t help that my DS (12) is really stressed by her, and I mostly have to keep them separated. So the living room is his safe space from her

I’m not quite sure if I’ll continue to post, because mumsnet is usually my break from her.

I was really feeling like you at 11 weeks. I kept crying. He has got less intense in just a couple of weeks and it got so, so much better once we could start going out on walks. Being trapped in the house with a bitey pest that kept pooing and weeing on the floor pushed me to the absolute limit of my patience, resilience and sanity. But every day that passes, I know him better and he knows me better and it gets better overall.

I am finding it stressful and frustrating, but nothing like what it was. I simply can't wait for him to be an adult dog and (I hope!) calmer, and a big worry I have that the internet does not help me feel better about is whether or not I am equipped to turn him into the dog I want. I stress out daily about all the things I'm not doing, or else am doing wrong. I also have kids a similar age to yours and he is so excited by their presence that it can escalate very quickly into overstimulated bitey chaos, but we are making progress there too. I am hoping a few weeks from now it will be even better, but honestly hang in there until you can get him out on the lead - it's so much more satisfying than carrying pup out and about for both puppy and human I think! We did plenty of socialisation sling walks, but being able to let him sniff and explore has improved everything - sleep, mood, eating, honestly the whole lot. It also feels more like having a dog and less like having a gremlin.

He is a bit of a pain in terms of trying to leap on every dog we see though, so we do have that to deal with now. There is always something!

Thanks @RaptorShark I’m doing my best to hang on in there

Best of luck to you too

They get better I promise. The biting gradually gets better and less frequent, and the toileting gets better quickly. They do have a brief regression between 6-8 months but just go back to basics and in a day or two it passes - ours was bitey and piddled indoors but went back to rewarding an outside toilet and ignoring indoor (obviously cleaning it up with no fuss).

We have a just turned 1 Working Cocker Spaniel and once we figured out what makes him tick it’s been so much easier - his brain needs working not just his legs, he needs a job, or he self employs - and no one needs a self employed WCS!!

Second lot of jabs for us yesterday so only 6 more days until “paws on the floor”. I cannot wait as that will make life so much more interesting for both of us and, hopefully, exhaust DPup. When he’s chilled, he’s gorgeous; when he’s full of bounce, less so. I feel bad saying this but we had a lovely day yesterday as he was slightly subdued due to having his jabs so lots of long naps - so I could actually catch up on some chores - and quieter play times. It gave me a glimpse of what the future will hopefully look like. It still took me about 20 mins to make one cup of coffee as, at every stage, DPup did something that needed my intervention or he rang his bells and had to be taken back out to the garden.
I’m fortunate that my DC are both teens and they were very much the drivers for getting a dog so we have been clear that they need to be involved. It probably won’t last long and clearly the bulk falls to but we’re being quite firm with them at the moment. DC1 was on 6:30am duty yesterday and DC2 today so that, plus DPup sleeping through, has made a real difference in my ability to manage. Some days last week, I didn’t get a chance to shower as we staggered from chaotic moment to chaotic moment and I didn’t even get dressed until after lunch one day! Being showered & dressed makes such a difference to how I feel and a bit of make up is helping to hide the impact of last week’s broken nights!
Aim for today is to try and get DPup to stay for more than a millisecond. “Sit” is good but then he bounces straight back up as soon as I move or there’s any distraction.

We met with a trainer today who made a few suggestions we are going to try. DDog (10 weeks) is doing well going out for poops and pees but trainer suggested wearing his lead when going out and if he doesn’t pee after 5 mins return to crate for ten mins and repeat.

He also showed us how to teach going in and out the crate and encourage time in the crate with a Kong once willingly going in and out, and leaving to settle with that so puppy doesn’t get too dependent on us being around all the time.

He said Ddog was very smart and suggested changing his food to a better quality kibble (on Purina Pro currently) and he used Aldi meat strip things in teeny pieces for training. He also had a thing called a “flirt” which was like a rope on a lead thing to swish around and help train “drop” and tire them out. He was really nice and positive with the dog and we are going to go to his puppy classes. He is all about the dog owner bond being most important and dog should look to you first in all situations, so will be good to see how we manage when trying his training tips. Dd(16) is in charge of training as he is “her dog”. But funnily enough I was up at 6am and not round the park at 7 lol (carrying dog).

I have name changed for vague anonymity but it’s I s a d o r a here.

The trainer used chewy meat things today and it’s thrown out the eating schedule and poop schedule. So I have a sleeping puppy who hasn’t pooped yet but has been high as a kite this last hour!!

Also we would like to move away from purina pro plan to a healthier kibble that’s not owned by a mass company like nestle or mars. Any recommendations? We would change gradually after a wee while though not right away while he is still so new here.

Oh and I believe you guys here all owe some puppy tax?

Puppy tax paid 😅

How on earth do you teach any independence? Any tips that don’t involve food snacks as yesterday after the training with the meat strip he was very thirsty and later had an upset stomach so I don’t want to try lick mat type things. If he is in his crate awake he cries… but him following me around waiting for me to entertain him also isn’t helping him learn anything. But equally I need to be on alert for his poop signals or pee signs so can’t leave him anyway.

Independence - do you have an area fenced off or a pen type of arrangement? We keep pup in the living room with a pen fence. That means I can go in the kitchen and do things where he can see or hear me but isn't at my side. I know what you mean about being on nonstop toilet alert which makes it tricky. But even just five minutes is good practice for him knowing he won't die alone if I am making a cup of tea. I also leave him crated for naps and I started leaving him in the crate to go out for half an hour or so from ten weeks. However, my kids and husband have been off for Easter and the spoiled little creature hasn't had a moment without being adored or indulged (except when being a bitey monster) so I think I will be starting from scratch next week on that front.

One thing that really made a difference for me was aiming hard to get that 18hrs sleep a day from him and to really enforce those crate naps. We have had the odd digestive upset, but I do use treats - I buy Green & Wilds ones, and I also give him a small amount of Fage Greek yoghurt on a Kong in the crate. I truly do not know how to train a dog without food rewards! We use Royal Canin kibble and he's fine with it.

How do you exercise his brain and keep him gainfully employed? I know mine has a strong drive to find things and carry them around, and he mostly does it with shoes and hoover attachments. I should probably figure out a searching retrieving game for him but I don't really know what! Training and enrichment is much more demanding than I had thought it would be. I have got way behind on work in the six weeks I've had him!

@PieonaBarm this did make me laugh!
We have a just turned 1 Working Cocker Spaniel and once we figured out what makes him tick it’s been so much easier - his brain needs working not just his legs, he needs a job, or he self employs - and no one needs a self employed WCS!!
Even a show, which is what we are about to bring home needs a job.

So my DH uses gundog dummies - https://www.muntjactrading.com/products/new-canvas-ball he makes him wait and then throws it - tries to make it where he can’t see it - and tells him “get out”. As both parents are gun dogs search and retrieve is hard wired into him and he’s really good at it. He also does it with a ball sometimes, and often if in a field will just drop it quietly while DDog is trotting along and walk a bit of distance and then give the same command. Distance has got further as he’s got better at it and he will let him “parade” with the ball when he’s found it. Ball is life to Ddog and he only gets the dummy or ball on a walk so it’s really high value. I do it with treats as I’m crap at throwing and throw them into leaves or drop on the path as I’m walking and then give the command “find it”. We often walk along an old railway line which is wall lined and hide them in the wall which makes him think as he has to look up. He always gets them though. Trick Training classes have been a success too, he’s good at tricks, will figure of 8 around my legs, touch hands with his nose, perch with his front legs on stones, tree stumps, walls, anything really and we’ve done a Mantrailing session which he absolutely smashed. When he’s off lead I’ll call him back to do a trick. If I play find it and tricks whilst we’re out and just keep on at him then 45 minutes a day can be enough for him with a couple of long walks each week. We’re luck that just 2-3 minutes walk from the front door we’re in the hills or on the disused lines as we’re quite rural really.

If you’re Lancashire based I can point you in the direction of the Trick Trainer and Mantrailing. DH wants to start agility now he’s 1, it’s just getting round to it.

Figuring him out has been the best thing we did.

Oh @RaptorSharki should say that he has eaten (over time) a pair of crocs, a sky remote, the corner of a table and cat 💩 (which resulted in him having the 💩 and a vet trip). He sounds good but can be an absolute buffoon and pulls like a train on the lead but is really good off it.

We picked up this little beauty yesterday. She had a long drive to our house and was very good. Wasn't sick at all and only got a bit restless in the last 20 minutes.
She is mostly toileting outside but we have had a few indoor accidents. I have her on a lead, partly because one of our fences has a large gap at the bottom and next door have a large dog who doesn't like other dogs, and partly to keep her focused on going to the toilet when we are out there. I just need to stay out however long it takes as a few times I gave up after what felt like an age but was probably only 10 minutes, only for her to wee inside.
She did go searching for her litter mates and her mum when she got here which was sad, and she keeps looking at her reflection in the glass door panels which I think she thinks it's them.
I managed to sleep on my bed for about an hour before I heard her, so brought my pillows down for the rest of the night and 'slept' on the sofa. But given she wasn't crate trained, she slept in it pretty well. I let her fall asleep on me and then I popped her in and shut the door. We were up at 4,5.30 and then finally 6.45 so I am shattered. I just wish she would sleep in it during the day, hopefully that will come.
At the moment her kibble is being softened with some boiled water, how long should I do that for?
Puppy tax added, should appear soon

She is gorgeous! I have never heard of softening kibble so never did it. The early days are already a blur but I just put him in the crate throughout the day for naps, I didn’t let him choose where to sleep - they need so much sleep, it was the only way I could get him enough. We're never far away though and he sleeps in our bedroom overnight. We only had three nights of broken sleep before he started going all the way through from 10-6 and now he goes longer so hopefully you won't have much more trouble with sleep fingers crossed!

Thanks @PieonaBarm !