Puppies

[whisperchat]

My puppy seems to have a "mad 20 mins" at the moment, he'll go absolutely mental. Zooming from one end of the house to the other, biting everything in site (mainly my clothes!). Feels like there's NOTHING I can do to calm him down in those 20 mins. Last night he bit a hole through my dressing gown in one of his mad 20 mins, so I picked him up and placed him behind the stair gate so he knew playtime was over. He just barked continually I really struggle when he's having these moments as I can't get anything done! If I try to stand up he'll just bite my feet/slippers/trousers. If I try to sit on the sofa he'll continually jump at me wanting to bite my clothes, it's so hard.

I'm really holding on to the fact that everyone is telling me it does get easier. I'm finding it so hard to cope with. He's an absolute diamond if we need to leave him. I have a puppycam and I keep an eye on him but he's so good, he just plays in his bed or sleeps. It's just these really difficult moments I'm struggling with. I can't help wonder what I'm doing wrong!

We're still going 20 steps back with toilet training, like this morning, I took him on a walk, as soon as we got home we went straight in the garden. Nothing. Yet he's indoors for 10 mins and been for a number 2 in my dining room

He also growled at me both last night and this morning when I tried to pick him up. Both times he was on the sofa, I was leaving the room so wanted him down off the sofa (I don't like leaving him in the living room on his own) so I wanted to pick him up and place him in the dining room in his bed whilst I got on with something in the kitchen. He really growled as I tried to pick him up What am I doing wrong!

You're doing nothing wrong, he's just being a typical puppy! Puppies are bloody hard work and it makes you think you are failing at raising them but you're not.. How old is he now? The biting at feet and slippers etc is something he will stop eventually, when we first got my pup that's all he ever did.. he bit my finger so hard once it drew blood.. Just keep disciplining him, ignore the barking because he'll realise that he can't get your attention that way.

He's being naughty and a brat but trust me he WILL grow out of it.. Just keep doing what you're doing. If he jumps on you while you're sitting down, calmly get up and turn your back to him. Just keep turning away.. once he's stopped, face him again with your arms crossed and just firmly tell him 'enough' and walk away. He'll probably chase after you biting at your ankles but just try it. That's what we did to our one and he didn't like it, he got confused by the reaction we gave him. Set boundaries early.. My dog is a nightmare when it comes to begging for food but I taught him that he doesn't beg around me.. my mum is a different story because she's a soft touch with him and when she eats he climbs all over her lol.. but with me he just sits near me and turns his head away as if to say 'I'm not looking!'

 

[S4buk]

Our pup just really isn’t interested in food (unless it’s licking the bloody dishwasher) so we’ve very much gone down the grazing route and measuring out her daily allowance and topping up as and when. I would love to get her into more of a routine (breakfast/dinner) but she’s just not interested. She is a super healthy weight though.

 

[Bobbleowl90]

Our puppy is seven months old and I feel absolutely terrible but I feel we’ve made a massive mistake. He’s a good dog and house trained but are struggling with adapting to having our dog. I know people will call me selfish and I’m in a predicament. I feel guilty if we sell him but I want what’s best for the dog. At the moment we can leave him around 4 hours and he’s fine but we are out a lot and will need to leave him longer once we are at work full time. He just cries and cries. Unless he stops crying I feel we will have to sell him but I feel so guilty.

 

[vanilla cupcakes]

Hi all, first time dog owner of a 9 month old cockapoo. Approx once every 10 days we are woken in the early morning by him retching, all that comes up is a little clear, odourless spittle. I have googled this and advice is gas/hunger but he is fed correctly . Nothing out of the norm diet wise when this happens. Is this something I should flag my next vet check or just part of growing?.

Our cockapoo done this too and I second the bedtime biscuit. Win win for us as it stops him being sick and makes him happier to go to bed. we do Lily’s Kitchen bedtime biscuits or Pooch and Mutt calming treats!

What are your best toilet training tips. We picked up our pup (15 weeks) a few days ago. First night she got 2 pees in the garden but since then they’ve all been in the house, and pooing on the stairs

we’ve been leaving the back door open and I’ve actively been putting her out even when it’s open but any tips would be greatly appreciated.


also, does anyone have one of these, are they worth the money? I feel it might be creating a rod for my own back with it though

Toilet training took us a good while so not sure how best to advise apart from regular trips outside and reward for toileting outside. I would take outside rather than leave the door open so you’re making sure they’re being noticed and rewarded every time they go outside! Also a good cleaner to remove the scent where they’ve went in the house so they aren’t attracted to that same area. It’s hard in this weather, we definitely had some regression when the weather got colder.

Our puppy also had a heartbeat teddy in his crate and loved it, he ended up ripping it to bits but it helped for the first wee while I didn’t pay that much though, I think I paid under £20 on Amazon. The brand was all for paws.

 

[Rxt156]

We've just showered our pup, he's so itchy but can't see any fleas, I diluted abit of head and shoulders and washed him in that, he smells so much better!

This is not good for dogs. It should be a specific dog shampoo

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Ive never left any of my pups to cry. I slept with them downstairs and both will sleep independently now and be left fine.

I havent left my human kids to cry either, havent got it in me.

We use Tesco insurance. We havent ever had to claim but did use the phone vet with our youngest dog once and cant fault them.

For those in the thick of it, it does pass I promise. Both of my dogs toilet trained v quickly but I spent the first 2 weeks outside more than in, used training bells, no puppy pads or paper at all. Nothing that would encourage toileting indoors.

 

[AladdinSane]

Not sure if anyone is interested but we have progressed with puppy and cats! (The other one is there, you just can't see her!)

We're trying to reward him every time he doesn't bark or lunge forward. There is the occasional pull or bark but he's come on so much from just yesterday! They've been walking around that window all morning and he's only occasionally stood up and stared a bit.

Still not ready to have them in the same room for the cats sake but there is huge progress.

 

[101d]

Please help me! I haven’t slept since we got our pup a few days ago. First few nights she was in a pen in our room but hardly settled so we tried crate training today - managed to get her to sleep in there but tonight when she was so tired she couldn’t even open her eyes we put her to bed in the crate and we’ve had 2 hours of screaming even when we took her out to comfort her. I’ve been in tears myself. Everyone I speak to has different advice.

My advice would be to persevere. It's hard, I know I have been there! Our first boy was an absolute ANGEL, gave no shits, straight to bed. Our second boy was awful. Honestly, it took him about a month to settle. Once we let them sleep together, they were fine.

She's just scared. I promise it will get easier! Xxx

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Can someone please tell me at what age it gets easier I literally can’t get a minutes peace, he’s constantly biting, yelping, barking. Anything we give him to bite instead of the furniture he isn’t interested, if he bites and we turn our back to ignore him he keeps jumping about biting anyway and doesn’t even notice we’re ignoring him. He cries so much if you do anything else but sit with him. I feel like we just can’t get anything done and this is the first day that we’ve really felt like we’ve made a mistake and are in over our heads. I’ve never felt so sleep deprived. I don’t even know if I’m writing this for reassurance or advice or just to vent or all three

A while, I will not sugar coat it. Cockapoos are intense as puppies, all puppies are but these creatures are something else.

I will say its common to feel like this though, Ive felt it every time. I just do not like puppies.

More sleep should help with some of the unwanted behaviour. A puppy who is over tired will be worse behaved.

You wont get anything done and I say the same thing to new puppy parents as I say to parents of actual babies. Adjust your expectations, your puppy is an individual and will grow and mature when they are ready. I think often our own expectations make the situation feel worse. If we say its going to be shit, they are little arseholes it helps

If you have 2 adults at home it is important you both attempt to get puppy free time. Where you know you are off duty and you can escape.

It is such an intense, stressful, all consuming time but I promise it does pass. Have you booked puppy training classes?

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Agree about the puppy pads, feel it encourages them to toilet in the house. Our boy gets taken out into the garden to toilet after sleeping, eating or playing and now knows to ask to go out. We still have a few pees indoors but he’s only 9 weeks and been here 6 days and hasn’t had a poo inside in 3 days.

Im not saying they dont have their place but anyone I know who has used them has found toilet training more lengthy. We take our pups outside for every toilet including through the night.

By about 10 weeks 2 of my dogs were sleeping all night, the other was a bugger and took until about 14 weeks to not need the toilet through the night and it wasnt pleasant. It was winter and freezing and horrible but it was worth it in the end.

Its hard work to be so intensive with toilet training but I promise you will reap the rewards very soon!

 

[CrackingOwlSanctuary]

Our lab puppy is crate trained and she loves it. The key is to never make the crate a negative place, never use it as a punishment, never tell them off near the crate if you can avoid it, never force them into the crate. Ours takes herself in to sleep with the door open sometimes now, we have a cheap amazon camera in the room so we can check on her. We have a routine with her where we take her out for a wee in the garden last thing at night and then straight to 'bed' after.

People can dislike crates and I agree if they are used to keep a dog in constantly but when used correctly they are a valuable tool that your dog will prefer as their safe space.

 

[Padfoot]

Managed to get a bee sting out of our puppy paw today. Seems to be ok now thank goodness jut quite scary at the time!

 

[snapdrag0n]

We crate trained both, for our sanity and theirs. It was hard work with number one but number two adjusted well coz of our first. For us it helped manage behaviours as working breeds are all go and often don’t know when to stop. So by crating it teaches them to self soothe and eventually it becomes a place they just take themselves too - now they’re older I rarely close the crate door now. When we go out we leave stuff out but often just find them in the crates when we get back
I know it doesn’t work for all but if you can, it really is helpful and I worry less when we are out. Plus it made kennels for holidays much easier.

 

[nbt]

I don’t have any advice for them crying as ours took to it quite well fortunately. But I would echo making the crate a fun and positive place to be.

Throw some kibble in there and let him go in and out of his own accord to get it. You can then push the door closed but not lock it, giving him more kibble. Then just leave him in there a few seconds at a time, building that up. We did that straight from having him and I think it helped.

You could also put in a blanket or Teddy that smells of you for comfort? We didn’t have any issues with ours chewing any blankets or toys (that’s just started happening with toys as his teeth have gotten sharper!).

When ours woke in the night for a wee, I would go down and take him out, not fussing him or anything. At first it’d take perhaps 30 mins for him to settle again but this only happened for perhaps the first week. He just needs to know he’s only coming out for a toilet break, not for playtime or fuss.

 

[SonicTheSpikeyThing]

So we have decided to get a Puppy. We have two children 10 and 6, and we feel it's the right time to start looking into it. We have a very big garden and access to lots of walks, we're a fairly active family and plan to take a dog with us to the kids football and on weekend walks etc.
We are still deciding whether to go for a labrador, French bulldog or a beagle. Or some sort of cross.
Firstly, any experience of these breeds and the pros and cons? Secondly, any top tips to research beforehand? I've been watching a lot of fenrir canine training on YouTube which I think is good. My husband grew up with dogs and my mum has had one for 6 years so we sort of know what we are getting into.....

I’d avoid frenchies. I know so many people who’ve got them and they’ve had to have surgery to help them breathe properly. The massive hype of them has made so many badly bred dogs unfortunately. Don’t know about beagles, but I’ve always been told labradors are great family dogs and easy to train. I know a man who looks after guide dog pups before they go for training and he says they’re lovely, but the teething stage is very rough compared to his collies he says we always donate our old stuffed toys to him for them.

 

[Lalalalaaaaaa85]

No cockapoo! Thanks again everyone - just trying to navigate myself through everything as we own our house etc … I’m hoping it’ll all be ok in the end x

It absolutely will be ok in the end…in fact it will be amazing in the end. I got divorced 6 years ago and so I know how awful those early days are but you just got to keep trucking xxx

 

[WilmaHun]

I dunno who is the bigger problem at the moment; the puppy or my partner! After his dinner every day the puppy has a mad 30 minutes to an hour where he just goes super hyper and wants to bite everything, including our clothes etc. (we were actually a bit worried about the biting but the vet said it will just be a sugar rush from his excitement of dinner and walkies!) I have been making a really big effort to ignore him and let him know play is over when he starts biting me. Yesterday I went off for a bath and came back to find the puppy biting my partners hand and jumper, instead of repeating what I would do, he was kissing and cuddling him!!!! I said “that’s not teaching him anything! Hell think it’s ok to bite now” and my partner pulled his jumper from the puppies mouth then cuddled him and said “good boy”

 

[S4buk]

I think he’s chosen my boyfriend as his favourite lol which is annoying as I’m the one with him all day everyday! he curls up asleep next to him and gets a lot more excited when he comes home from work compared to if I have been out

I thought I would trust him for 5 minutes last night when I had a shower. He was tired and had his pizzle stick so thought Oh what harm will he do….
View attachment 1337525
Good job we are redecorating the whole house and getting a vinyl floor in the living room (excuse the state of the skirting boards lol)

I always freak out the second our pup goes quiet, always up to no good.

 

[jayne2240]

Am I just harsh but with our dog we just ignored his cries and he soon settled down. Even when we inherited a dog who was used to sleeping on the bed we did the same and she also didn’t take long to be settled sleeping downstairs. I couldn’t sleep with a dog on the bed so I’m very glad that all the dogs I’ve had (3) settled sleeping downstairs. We used a crate for the two we had since puppies but the inherited dog didn’t have one. My dog now has a crate he loves to sleep in but doesn’t get locked into anymore.

Think everyone does it differently, we did the same with all 3 of ours. It took longer with the most recent dog but we persevered and she now loves going into her cage and will go there herself when she thinks it’s bedtime. Some people can’t stand the crying but I’m just a heartless cow I think

 

[Saddlesoap]

I would suggest going to her vets with her and telling them all this. Hopefully if they tell her how bad it is she will listen.
I hope the KFC is boneless as cooked bones are a huge risk.