Puppies

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Please tell me it gets easier!

We have a 9 week old cockapoo and I really underestimated what getting a puppy would be like. There has been tears, lots of tears. I have a toddler and the puppy is harder than the toddler. I question every day if I’ve done the right thing - people say it gets easier and dogs are much better but I’m struggling to use that motivation right now when all I have is a yappy puppy who bites me constantly.

Any advice tattlers?
 
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Hello! We got a puppy during the first lock down and it's really bleeping hard! Much harder than an actual human child!

I honestly never thought I would manage to toilet train her, we'd think we'd cracked it then she would pee/poop in the house!

It absolutely gets better, just stay consistent with feed times and when you take them to the toilet (we introduced a que word, go wee) and bed time. My not so pup still sleeps in her crate and knows where she is and isn't allowed, including climbing the stairs (had a dog gate for a while, she got the message)

What are you finding difficult?

Please tell me it gets easier!

We have a 9 week old cockapoo and I really underestimated what getting a puppy would be like. There has been tears, lots of tears. I have a toddler and the puppy is harder than the toddler. I question every day if I’ve done the right thing - people say it gets easier and dogs are much better but I’m struggling to use that motivation right now when all I have is a yappy puppy who bites me constantly.

Any advice tattlers?
Sorry just seen the biting! You can redirect with toys when they bite you or do your best yelp and move away. The yapping you have to ignore, you can turn away or just wait until they stop then reward the behaviour. It's me or the dog by Victoria Stillwell was a good read
 
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What do you do when puppy bites? I have a 6 month old sausage dog and she's really understanding the word 'no' now, you have to be firm with them, even though you feel mean telling them off. It definitely does get better, once they get into a routine with their meals/bedtime etc they do start to calm down. When your pup is 4 months old, look into 'yakers', they're compressed yaks milk bones and really good for teething/biting
 
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When they bite its best to do a high yelp an step away from them, just like another puppy or dog would do with them, they don't understand that the bite hurts cause its just playing to them but you will find when a pup bites another pup it yelps an jumps back, its their language to say that it hurts an you don't want to play anymore, once you do that you should find that the pup will want to lick you, it's a way of saying sorry


Pups are incredible hard but consistancy an routine can help an they will eventually get better, the world's new to them an not being with mom is also new, but they do get better
 
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This is a good book to read for anyone with a dog, puppy or older. Definitely redirect with toys when they start biting. Some are more bitey than others.
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The first few months they are with you are soooooo hard but also the most crucial when trying to set the tone for their behaviour for the rest of their life. I’d watch dog training videos on YouTube to get your head around the difficult bits. Mine is almost 3 years old now and my BFF🥰 although at the start it is so hard. Especially if it’s your first dog.

Good luck.
 
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Thanks everybody - some great advice.

At first when he was biting we would say ouch and put arms behind back and ignore him but the biting has gotten worse. Someone said to push his head downwards and say no, so we’ve tried that but sometimes I can’t do it because he will go for my hand! We always offer alternatives and toys for him. It’s really hard because I know he’s just a baby but he scares me sometimes haha. But on the other hand he can be a sweet little puppy just wanting cuddles too. I know it isn’t forever but it’s hard work 😓
 
I watch Dogs Behaving very Badly I think itss was on C5. The most important thing I picked up was praising the dog when they do something right.
Eg if they nip you or bark and you correct them by saying NO firmly, when they stop that behaviour as a result of you saying NO you must say good boy/girl so they know that they’ve done the right thing by stopping. I managed to train my dog out of barking at other dogs on the tv with this method 😊

Hope that makes sense.
 
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Cockapoos are HARD WORK. they are so so smart and for the most part need a lot of attention and stimulation.

We also have a working stock cocker who we had from a similar age - crating worked really well, particularly for toilet training. We never used puppy pads and only hads a few accidents in the house (with the majority being illness related as he had a lot of tummy troubles as a pup)

Puppy teeth are also super sharp so playful nips can hurt a lot! We did the yelp/turn away thing and even now he's 7 if you're rough housing and he accidentally catches you with his teeth, if you make a noise he will clamp his mouth shut to avoid doing it again.

Please also be aware pups go through a definite toddler/teenage stage which can honestly last what feels like years! They can be little angels and you think you've got them trained brilliantly, and then they decide to start pushing boundaries.

Try to introduce periods of them being left alone from a young age too, starting from a half a minute and slowly getting longer. Separation anxiety is probably one of the hardest things to deal with so definitely do everything you can to nip it in the bud early. When you come back to them don't fawn over them and make a fuss, stay calm and ignore them until they've settled back down again.
 
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Take him to puppy school! Not only will they be able to help with your current issues but it will also make sure he will be well-trained in the future.
We never took our Puppy and I regret it to this day.
 
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We have a 6 month old pup and for the first 3 weeks I thought every day about rehoming him as it was so hard. I was sleep deprived and my work and relationship was suffering as literally all my time was being taken up by this tiny little pup.

it does get easier. He’s the best little dog now and we couldn’t imagine our life without him. Like everyone else said getting him into a routine is really crucial at a young age. We crate trained him which really helps with toilet training. We also have a pen for him and for the first month at least he spent most of his time in there. When not in his pen he couldn’t settle and refused to nap. Enforced nap times are super important and we noticed it helped to stop the nipping. Young puppies should be sleeping 18-20 hours a day.

once fully vaccinated we enrolled him in daycare. It’s an added expense but so worthwhile - I would suggest 1-2 days per week. It is fantastic for socialisation (puppy core socialisation period is up to 16 weeks) and really tires them out. Our pup sleeps all evening and most of the day after daycare. He absolutely loves it. They even have birthday parties - its

As someone above suggested puppy school is great too. We take ours once a week and it’s as much a help for me as it is for him to understand how to effectively train him.

The first few weeks are really hard and no one really talks about it. You feel like it will never end but it gets so much easier and they are such a joy to have. Stick with it and before you know it you will have forgotten these hard early days! Good luck! x
 
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I don't have a dog so can't offer any advice sorry but am getting a cockapoo in a couple of months so was interested to read this thread. I'm slightly nervous now but also super excited!

Good luck @Bobbleowl90 I hope things get easier.
 
Love, consistency, socialisation, routine and training classes are all you need.

We're on our 5th giant breed puppy in 12 years, the only downside of giants are their relative short lives but it does give lots of experience of raising pups. Yes, they are a massive amount of work for the first year or two. The first 20 weeks being the hardest with sleepless nights and housetraining.

We crate train every pup as they will not mess their beds but be aware that their bowls and bladder cannot physically store more than a very small amount. A 9 week old will need at least 2 trips out over a 6 hour night sleep in their crate. When they pee in the house it's because we missed his need never because he's naughty. No dog is ever naughty - they just behave in a natural way for their need at that moment on time. Our latest boy has been clean in the house since 12 weeks old because he was taken out immediately when he woke up from any length of sleep, after a long drink, after every meal, after a play session, on the hour every hour, except through the night with potty trips every 2-3 hours through the night, when he sniffed the floor and finally, when my spider sense tingled. When they have slipped, never ever shout or they'll pee in secret behind the settee, etc. Use an enzyme based cleaner to thoroughly clean the carpet or floor - Simple Solution is good.

Regarding biting, it's normal, all you do is make a loud yelp noise yourself and stop immediately the play, turn your back and cross your arms for 10-20 seconds and they soon learn they lose your attention (what puppies crave more than anything - even cross attention is better to them than being ignored). If puppy is really acting up then use time out for 10-20 seconds where you pop them outside on their own, often works to reset any crazy bitey tantrums. Again, don't shout.

I cannot recommend enough that you get booked onto a Kennel Club Puppy Class run by a kind reward based trainer - ideally someone who is in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. We follow the Kennel Club Good Citizen training to at least Bronze with every dog we have and will be doing Gold with our female who loves obedience. It is great fun, informative, a good way to get troubleshooting advice from a professional and will completely improve your relationship with your dog.

Finally, get puppy out into the world immediately (carrying in a sling or backpack before vaccinations have been finished) to meet strangers, buses, trains, cars, prams, horses, cows, umbrellas, children, elderly people, people wearing hiviz, bin lorries,etc. Just Google puppy socialisation list for more ideas. Also work on introducing the vacuum, lawnmower, washing machine, etc slowly and with nice treats, there are excellent Calmsound audio tracks on YouTube to socialise to traffic, fireworks, power tools, take it slowly and build volume over time as pup is sleepy.

And despite all the work, enjoy your pup, take lots of pics and keep us updated. My dogs are the most important thing in my life as part of my family and I'm sure yours will be too. 🐶❤
 
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Please tell me it gets easier!

We have a 9 week old cockapoo and I really underestimated what getting a puppy would be like. There has been tears, lots of tears. I have a toddler and the puppy is harder than the toddler. I question every day if I’ve done the right thing - people say it gets easier and dogs are much better but I’m struggling to use that motivation right now when all I have is a yappy puppy who bites me constantly.

Any advice tattlers?
All the other advice is really good. Regarding the biting, my border collie as a pup bit me so much I thought he was a canine psychopath. Nothing stopped him apart from substituting my hand for toys, I couldn’t cuddle him because he just mouthed me constantly. Of course this wasn’t snapping but just mouthing me but it really hurt.
And then it stopped. His adult teeth came through and he’s the gentlest boy now.
Unfortunately all you can do is give it time.
 
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Cockapoos are soo gorgeous but very hard work. My advice would be to get your pup into a good routine and when able to go walking do it plenty to wear them out. They are a very very high energy breed and will get bored easily. Hopefully the biting will settle when his adult teeth come in. Plenty of chew toys for now and if possible a puppy behaviour or training class might help. I don’t normally recommend those but as you have a toddler it might be beneficial.
 
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We have had a our gorgeous 16 week old Cockapoo for just over a month now and it's been a total rollercoaster - sorry, I need to vent and would love any advice from any of you.

To be fair, she is an angel however we do have the occasional accident and she's extremely needy. My partner really hasn't bonded with her at all and that's making me struggle with bonding with her properly, as this should be happiest and most exciting time right? Did anyone struggle to initially bond with their pup? The cat also hasn't taken to her at all and stays upstairs - it really just feels like everything has changed and nothing will be the same again.

There have been a few times where I've thought of the possibility of giving her up as I hate the thought of her picking up on any negative vibes but I know I would be absolutely heartbroken.
 
We have had a our gorgeous 16 week old Cockapoo for just over a month now and it's been a total rollercoaster - sorry, I need to vent and would love any advice from any of you.

To be fair, she is an angel however we do have the occasional accident and she's extremely needy. My partner really hasn't bonded with her at all and that's making me struggle with bonding with her properly, as this should be happiest and most exciting time right? Did anyone struggle to initially bond with their pup? The cat also hasn't taken to her at all and stays upstairs - it really just feels like everything has changed and nothing will be the same again.

There have been a few times where I've thought of the possibility of giving her up as I hate the thought of her picking up on any negative vibes but I know I would be absolutely heartbroken.
I definitely had a phase of OMG what have we done. It is hard.

Once you’re out of the puppy phase and they know what to do/where to poo etc it is much better. I think after about 6 months of age the dog starts to calm down. I think you would regret giving her up.
 
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I definitely had a phase of OMG what have we done. It is hard.

Once you’re out of the puppy phase and they know what to do/where to poo etc it is much better. I think after about 6 months of age the dog starts to calm down. I think you would regret giving her up.
This. Puppies are shitbags when you first get them - and nobody tells you. Everyone knows how hard having a newborn baby is, but I feel like puppies being hard work and needy is some big secret nobody talks about.

Ours calmed down after about 6 months, but he drove us both to the edge with attention seeking, yapping and peeing for a while. He’s a terrier though and they’re notorious!

He’s 5 now and I am so glad we didn’t give him up, he’s my absolute life.
 
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Just saw this thread and I see you've had some great advice! How are you getting along?

I also wanted to mention there is no shame if you feel a puppy and a toddler is too overwhelming and that rehoming through a rescue is the best thing for you. A lot of people don't realise how much work puppies are, especially breeds like cockapoos. Because it is such a new breed their temperaments can be varied.
 
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Hey. So we’ve stuck it out (through many moments and shamelessly telling my husband we need to rehome him) and our pup is now 4 months old. The biting has calmed quite a lot (although he bit my toddler this week for the first time properly 😬) but he is fully toilet trained and we can leave him for 4-5 hours during the day now which makes life SO much easier. I know it will get even easier eventually so there is light at the end of the tunnel. Someone told me that the harder the puppy to train, the better the dog. I really hope this is the case. He is a clever pup but very demanding and clingy.
 
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