I thought it might be useful for some of the new puppy owners to give a bit of an update on how my puppy has developed. Henry is a show-type blue roan boy, now 24 weeks old. Sorry it's a bit long, but I keep thinking of things to add which I think may be relevant!
1) Overshot jaw - When he was a lot younger he had a slightly overshot jaw (about 8-9mm), but it is now almost completely fine - it was something I worried about and his bottom canines made holes in the roof of his mouth, but found out that the lower jaw grows slightly more than the upper jaw. So, if yours has the problem, it's quite possible they'll grow out of.
2) One undescended testicle - when we got him the vet noticed that he only had one testicle. I have been checking him about once every day or two (I called myself a puppy molester!, although the trainer said you should check the dog from head to tail every day, all over, so I felt a bit better about it!). Anyway, I always thought I could feel something inside, and now the other ball is there, which will make his eventual castration much easier. It has only really been "down" for a few weeks. They are still tiny and not really hanging down, like you see with some hairless adult dogs. And they're covered in lots of fluffy hair! We plan to get him done at about 10 months.
3) Sleeping - Henry was crate trained from day 1 overnight and would almost always wake up once a night (usually around 5ish), and he'd have a wee & poo outside (sometimes more often). At about 17 weeks he went to stay with my mum for 5 nights and while he was there he started to sleep through until about 7. This continued when he got home, but then relapsed and then slowly improved again (7am is good!). We took him to Cornwall a couple of weeks ago and he woke up in the night on a few occasions there (strange place). Since we've been back he's been a bit better so for the last few nights we've left the crate door open. He's whined a bit at 5.30 (bored and wants his mummy cuddles on the sofa) but I've left him until he wakes up later, or I wake up (latest lie-in now 7.45am!!). I think we're on the right track now. Once he's been out we always have a snooze curled up on the sofa before and after breakfast - the loveliest time with him! At about 10.30pm he now takes himself off to the crate to sleep. When did other people stop using the crate? I'm planning to keep it up, but without closing the door again.
4) Food - he started off on Chudleys from the breeder (which apparently is poor-quality), we moved him onto Hills Science VetEssentials (free from vet!) but he was pooing about 8 times a day - nightmare! We then switched him to Barking Head Puppy Days and he goes 3-4 times - and usually pretty good consistency. He's had diarrhea a couple of times, but 24 hours on boiled chicken and rice seems to cure it. The pooing less definitely helped with him sleeping through the night. If anyone has problems with this - have a look at what you're feeding them (and when). He seems happy with the food, and it's a great size for training. We don't have any space to consider a raw diet (only have a bar fridge for us!).
5) Separation at home - this is something we've been appalling at! I'm not working at the moment, and my husband has been off for part of the last few months (eg. over the Olympics, then last few weeks). As a result, we've spent most of our time with the pup and taken it in turns to go shopping. He's come out with us a lot - well-behaved on public transport and in pubs. Henry's never liked being crated during the day, and I can't blame him. I used to put him in there a few times a day to get him used to it, but if he was awake he howled and barked and sometimes weed - something I didn't want to encourage. We just popped out and left him with the run of the main room (we have an open plan sitting room/kitchen) and videoed him. A new toy (grunting pheasant!) had just been delivered and he played with that for a bit and then settled down - not one single bark or whine! We're going to do this a couple of times a day, but I think he'll be okay now. His bladder is so much stronger and he seems happy to play by himself and potter about. Always during the day he moves positions (from kitchen to corner to sofa) - I think trying to get him to stay in the crate was never going to work.
6) Separation outside - he developed this really irritating habit recently of howling (a very strange raow-raow-raow noise) when we're out and one of us goes off somewhere. Or he just whines or barks. Really annoying and strange, as he's happy to settle down if I stop and chat to a neighbour. Hopefully he'll grow out of this. He sometimes does this if I go downstairs to sign for some post too.
7) Toilet-training - our breeder was a bit worried as we live in a first floor flat, so would be spending the whole time running up and down the stairs. Well, we did spend a lot of time doing this, but it worked and he was trained by about 3 months. He had a couple of accidents after that when he had a bladder infection, but I can't remember the last time he had an accident. He whines or barks at the door to go out. He's never had any problems "going" away from home, although sometimes has whined when he's somewhere strange and needs a poo. Now he goes in the gutter outside or in the park at the end of the road.
8 ) Teething - this started when he was about 4 months - starting with the little front ones, then the canines, then the side ones. I think some huge molars came through, but I think there are still some baby pre-molars (one is quite covered in plaque and he's not good at letting us stick the toothbrush (rubber) in his mouth). I hope it's going to be replaced. Any advice on brushing teeth? He has always chewed toys, but never destroyed anything - he seems to suck things more (like rug tassles). His favourite thing is cardboard (mainly toilet roll holders and Amazon boxes) - which he eats; I hope this isn't bad for him - seems to have relieved his teething. He does still bite us a bit, but never in a snappy way, more mouthing when we're playing with him. Quite funny now with his new comedy teeth! I've got a bunch of his baby teeth on the mantlepiece!
9) Walking - we let him off the lead from an early age and he seems fine when we're in the park, and when we've been out in new places (beaches in Cornwall, Hyde Park, common near my parents, etc.). The trainer recommended a high-value treat for recall, and we have tiny bits of frankfurter (chop it up into strips, freeze them and then unfreeze a section and chop it up for a walk, rather than wasting the rest of the packet!). Otherwise we give him kibble for training. He has had problems walking on the lead, however, where he just sticks his stubborn little legs into the ground. This seems much better now, and I think going somewhere completely different (Cornwall) helped, as he got more confidence in unusual places. Some people say they grow out of it, so hopefully he has, as it's been one of the most frustrating things about him.
10) Fur - he's a complete fur-ball. I trim his feet from time to time (when I can - he's not too keen on it). He just gets so muddy and wet ALL the time! He likes digging mud. We've got some Aquasorb towels, which are great for getting the worst off (he also loves to chew them while we're drying him), but he ends up in the bath getting his feet cleaned fairly often. His ears get quite wet and don't dry very quickly - anyone got any ideas on this? We're going to try to hand strip him - I may even try myself, or take him to the groomers at 7 months, which is what his groomer recommended.
11) Humping - he's fortunately not much a humper - occasionally tries on one of his playmates in the park, although he's usually the victim! He does, however, try to hump his Snugglepuppy - the only toy he does it to. We removed it - he even managed to jump on the sofa to retrieve it (he can't get up on his own usually - just two front paws up). Not sure how to break the interest. He also uses Snugglepuppy as a cushion in his cage, which he loves, so I don't want to remove him completely.
12) Socialisation - he grew up in a house with 4 cockers (including his mum) and 2 red setters, so I guess he'd met a few dogs by the time we got him at 9 weeks. When we got him I took him out (in my arms or a bag) about 4 or 5 times a day (in addition to going out the front to go to the loo). I let him meet quite a few dogs nose-to-nose that I thought were up-to-date on jabs (eg. neighbourhood puppies). I took him buses, tubes and trains and walked along main roads. He met as many people - men and children especially - as I could pass. He got a LOT of attention (doesn't get so much now). Now he goes out a few times a day to the local park and plays around with other dogs for ages. There are loads of puppies of a similar age, which is great for him. He loves nothing better than rolling around with other small dogs. Not too keen on whippets as their legs and noses are so spindly and jabby, but otherwise he seems to like any breed.
13) Training - he is so easy to train with treats! The Dog's Trust training videos were really helpful (particularly for "down") as were his local training classes - he's off to a follow-up one next month. It was really interesting seeing other breeds and how difficult they were. Having a dog that'll do anything for food definitely helps!
Right, that's quite enough! I hope it's useful for those new puppy owners to see what you might expect.
Would love some updates from the other puppies that arrived in July and any newer ones.
Last thing - I have to say that my life has completely changed having him (including some bad ways - like being tied down and lack of sleep), but it is so much better having him in my life - I absolutely adore the little fella - he brings me so much joy
