Author Topic: WCS puppy experiences/stories  (Read 1034 times)

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Offline IonaD

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WCS puppy experiences/stories
« on: January 11, 2021, 04:37:34 PM »
Afternoon all,

Firstly I hope wherever you are in the world you are all keeping safe and well. Bella and I are working from home and as per usual she is snoring on her bed next to me!!

I just wanted to ask for you guys to share some experiences or stories with me from your time with a WCS or show cocker in the early days of you didn’t mind? My Mum has recently got a WCS who is just 10 weeks old and I just wanted her to know that what she is experiencing is normal and that she’s not the only one who has been through it. This isn’t her first dog but it is her first cocker.

Layla has nailed the toilet training within two weeks of being home apart from the odd accident but she’s mastered the art of going to the door and letting you know she needs a pee.

For the first couple of nights she slept in the crate and woke for the loo then settled back in her crate no problem.

For the last couple of nights she has woke in the middle of the night for a toilet break but then just won’t seem to settle back in her crate. This is despite it being nice and cosy and even if Mum sits with her til she settles she just doesn’t seem to be having any of it.

I’ve also read on here about when they get over tired and the cockerdile comes out to play...do you advise just popping them in the crate/pen until they calm down/crash even if they are crying and barking?

Bella has never been hugely driven by play but Layla loves a game of tug or fetch. My Mum is also starting to teach the basics of sit, stay, find it etc all to engage her brain.

I guess what I’m asking for is to hear about your experiences so I can share them with her so she knows she’s not on her own and that there is a whole raft of people who have been through what she’s going through and come out the other end with a devoted companion..all be it with a few scratches and a destroyed garden!!

As always thanks you in advance for taking the time to read this and I look forward to hearing about your experiences.

Iona & Bella
x

Offline Shaun W

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Re: WCS puppy experiences/stories
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2021, 10:18:10 PM »
Sounds normal to me!
We got Alfie at 12 weeks and he settled quite quickly, he went through the night after around a week, but that is more because he just was not interested in getting up in the night..
I got up with him at 0600, then 0630, over Christmas once my son came home and stayed up later with him, I have now got into the habit of getting up at 0730.
But...
When I come down the tail explodes and it is a full on cuddle storm.  I have to carry him outside as all he wants is to cuddle and check that I am all there even after a 20 minute walk the morning is me and him until anyone else gets up.

He is very inquisitive and can jump and take food off the kitchen sideboard, daughter had a late menu change from sausages to chicken dippers tonight.

Loves to play tug and seems fairly good off lead, but pulls on the lead, but will spend 5-10 minutes walking nicely.

Loves to play tug, will play chase.
Isn’t bothered by people outside of the family and will either ignore other dogs, unless he wants to play with them.

With the cockerdile, he gets put in his crate, but we have also played tug for 20 minutes before it gets too bad which sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

Offline IonaD

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Re: WCS puppy experiences/stories
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2021, 11:12:32 AM »
Thanks for the insights into your puppy story!!

Funnily enough after posting that...she slept through from 10 till 5 and didn’t even need to get up for a pee!!

Offline Shaun W

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Re: WCS puppy experiences/stories
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2021, 08:14:22 PM »
I remember when our first child was a baby, we discovered we were the reason he wasn’t sleeping through as I kept getting up and wondering why he wasn’t taking a full feed.
We applied the same technique with Alfie when he wasn’t bothered about getting up.