Puppy Support Group

[Peony]

Good idea for a thread!

Here's the lowdown on Gracie...

The good!

1. Sleep! She has slept from 10pm until 6am from the first night with no crying and has never messed in her crate! (Sorry ladies who aren't getting much rest!!)
2. She eats well and having now been on JWB fully for a few weeks her poos have firmed up!
3. Learning commands well, she can now do 'sit', 'down', 'paw' and 'wait'.
4. OK being left in her crate when we pop out, usually she's asleep the whole time! The most we've left her is 2 1/4 hours.
5. She's met 3 family dogs and a cocker from my Mum's work and it was lovely to see her building up confidence and then playing happily!
6. She's got the hang of house training and hasn't had an accident inside for over a week. She goes to the back door when she needs to go out 

The bad!

1. Biting! Of course this is just a puppy thing but it can really hurt! It's at its worst when she's over-tired or needs a poo haha, that's when she gets hyper!
2. Whining. Not a huge thing but sometimes she whines while I'm preparing her meals, or if she thinks someone's coming in the door etc.
3. It's still a week until her second jab (they do them 4 weeks apart)... time is dragging so much and it's so frustrating that I can't walk her yet! I think she's desperate for it too!

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Wow Peony, you sound as if you've got the easiest pup in the world! Lucky you!
Out of interest, does she have somewhere to poo or wee in the night, or does she just hold it in for 8 hours?

[Peony]

Wow Peony, you sound as if you've got the easiest pup in the world! Lucky you!
Out of interest, does she have somewhere to poo or wee in the night, or does she just hold it in for 8 hours?

She's in a crate, and we've never used newspaper or puppy pads or anything so it's purely for sleep/quiet play. The first few nights we slept so lightly listening out for her, thinking at some point she would need to go out, but nothing. And then each morning I'd be checking her crate for mess and smells but again nothing! Think she must just have good control, we're really amazed... never expected it at all! (Perhaps our run of good luck will see a relapse at some point!!)

[Chocolate Hero]

you have my complete sympathy. The first month at least with Jethro we sat wiped out & hoping we had done the right thing. He was so much hard work. I was close to tears half the time, i seemed to always be sat on the floor with a dog on me. He couldnt consentrate for long enough to learn anything. Once he could it seemed like a weight was lifted & we could enjoy the affectionate rouge that he is 

[Jenz]

We are a few weeks down the line with Jenson now.  He is 14 weeks now.

The POSITIVES:-

Toileting doing reasonably well, still have the odd accident but mostly my fault for not being vigilent enough.
Will sit, stand, lie down, watch on command when Im training (not so good when I dont have treats though!).
Loves all people, especially children, has been around kids of all ages now and not phased by them at all.
Loves all other dogs although a bit too boistrous with them.
Takes all new things and places in his stride, been to the beach, pubs, refuse centres, shops etc with no problems.
Is fine in the car lies down and goes to sleep.

The NEGATIVES:-

Worst is the hyper behaviour.  We have a few periods of mad zoomies every day which I know are normal with a cs pup but he seems to take it to the extreme becoming very bitey and even a bit aggressive e.g. after a walk I have to isolate him in the kitchen during these times, as quite frankly I dont want him near my son when he is like this   Im hoping he grows out of this soon!
Chewing everything still even my skirting boards which are apparently far yummier than any of his toys or chews!
Chasing the cat, he loves her really and she tolerates him fine when he is calm but then he is off chasing her bowling her over and trying to nip her tail.. poor cat, he has had a few swipes now for it.
Pulling on the lead, I have now ordered a no pull harness to try with him as he is terrible on walks despite me doing alot of leash training with him (or trying to!)
Cloth ears, goes completely deaf when he has a scent or sees another dog/people, am really strugging with recall training with him, but keeping at it
Most nights is up every 2-3 hours... Im tired, really tired, but now and then he will go 6 hours which feels like heaven now lol.

Hmm negative list seems awfully long but truthfully he is a lovely dog, and great with kids which was a very important thing to me.  I have sat down and cried a few times usually in the wee hours of the morning when Im just shattered, but its forgotten about the next day when I get puppy cuddles 

[Monty12]

hello,

I am new here and Monty is now 5.5 months old - but i thought i would give my experiences of having a little'un - this is our first puppy and i was in for a big shock! In the early days I often had tears and thoughts that we had done the wrong thing....however i am happy to say that Monty has calmed down a lot now, and some of his issues are being to get better...

Monty has always slept throught he night and as soon as we stopped leaving paper in his crate at night he stopped using it as a toilet.....however he still woke up at 5am....this has now stopped (usual get up time is about 7 - the same as us) and i am pleased to report a 10 o clock lie in last Saturday......i was soooo impressed!!!

He is also less clingy and doesnt whine for attention as much as he used to (although this still happens a bit!) and he is getting better at being left alone during the day...

he is a super smart boy and always does well at his obedience classes, but most of all he is the most loving dog ever and i dont know what we would do without him now....he is totally part of the family...

Emma

[**purpleprincess**]

Oh this is fab guys, feels so good to be supported and know that we're not alone. I know that it'll all be worth it in the long run, and I really do adore him so much already!! 

Today has been a good day 

[TracyR]

Bella - good points will sleep all night, won't wee in crate will wee on command, loves everyone/thing except light pull in bathroom, eats well, ok on lead not bad in car, loves my toddler, will sit on command, came when recalled even when cat and baby were around to distract her.
Bad points - totally hyper at times and bites like a maniac at these times and can now get on the sofa so my feet have no escape, has a dummy obsession and still working on pooping outside.

We love her to bits and she is adorable so all is forgiven lol

[Chillis]

while I'm enjoying the warmer weather, it's meaning peps having lots of naps & not eating to much & then becoming a nut case in the evening when it's cooler! Hoping her room will cool down before bedtime

[Helen]

the entire Puppy Board is set up as an information and support network.

Please keep on posting individual questions on the appropriate board so you will get the best advice. 

Threads like this tend not to get definitive responses as they go on and on and experienced members who have the answers either don't see them or want to wade through pages.

[lola B]

correct me if i am wrong but what i found from this group was that i went on not for advice but just for support the stories of others peoples new puppies helped me not with specific problems but just general moral support 

[Jane57]

correct me if i am wrong but what i found from this group was that i went on not for advice but just for support the stories of others peoples new puppies helped me not with specific problems but just general moral support 

Thats what the whole puppy section is, after all they are puppies till they are a year old,
I felt that I couldnt comment much on this one as Riley is 5months so a bit older than the new puppies, but still a pup none the less and the full puppy section covers all new and nearly new owners of puppies.

[Chillis]

still very sleepy here but so glad to read I'm not the only one! Even enjoying training classes, don't know what do without them- really look forward to them in the week
One positive is she let's me brush her without wiggling, it's so calming, for me anyway

[**purpleprincess**]

Ooops, sorry guys, feel free to close this if you like 

[blueroanmum]

Good to know others have hyper pups in the evenings too! And very bitey ones also!  We have one here... plus we have to make sure she doesn't chase our cat so we have her on a houseline which makes the cat more secure and relaxed; I wish we could let her off in the house, but it is not worth the risk of one of them being injured.  How long we will need to do that for I don't know - we were hoping she would get used to seeing the cat around and just not bother but it's not happening yet.

Georgia is 11 weeks old nearly and hasn't messed in her crate once; she goes to bed at about 11.30pm and we get up at 5 or 6am to let her in the garden for a wee. She does it more or less immediately and then we put her back to bed in the crate for an hour or two.

She is very good in her crate and has several 'time outs' during the day.  She is quiet and doesn't complain - just goes to sleep.

Bad points - ahhh the biting of course..... wanting to chase the cat and also ... (hope you haven't just had a meal) digging up cat poo out of the garden!! She had a mouthful of it this afternoon.  Ugh. 

I know cat poo is attractive to dogs but I think she is a bit young to be eating it so it does worry me.