Author Topic: 3 Days To Go!  (Read 1875 times)

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Offline MaxG

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3 Days To Go!
« on: July 20, 2005, 09:01:43 PM »
Hi everyone,

Just discovered this forum after a friend advised that it may be a godsend for us - we're picking up our 9 week old black/blue little boy on Sunday - Max - sooooooooooooooo excited - can't wait!!

My hubby has had a puppy before but I've only ever had older dogs so I'm a bit nervous about all the issues surrounding toilet training, separation anxiety, barking/howling, etc etc etc - I can see me posting & reading things on here all the time - I've already had a quick look & found some great advice about crate training!!

We've both got 9 full days off work from when we pick him up so we're hoping that'll help settle him in. Then, hubby goes back to work full time & I work locally but only mornings - I leave at about 8.40am & am home by about 1.20pm - I'm very very nervous about whether or not that's too long for him to be left, but I guess we'll have to see.

At the moment, his breeder has been amazing & has got him used to peeing on a puppy mat & he's used to being in a crate & not being allowed out of the kitchen unaccompanied etc. plus she reckons he's a confident bold chap who's not overly bothered by anything, so fingers crossed!...

We're already thinking that maybe we'll get a puppy gate for the kitchen door & leave him in there with his crate door open & his pee mat down & all his bits & pieces & he can have the run of the kitchen-diner when we're not there & at night-time - it's all lino floor & nothing he can really destroy.

We're hoping we can leave his crate in there permanently for as long as we need & get a portable doggy bed that we can have in the lounge for him to be with us in the evenings & for us to take him upstairs if needs be etc.

We're agonising about what to do in the night - do we get up & let him out for pee etc or do we leave him & just clear up in the morning? (Hopefully he'll use the pee mat - he's quite good at the moment apparently!) If we leave him in the kitchen-diner, we'll only hear him in the night if he barks or howls properly - won't hear any whimpering - don't know if that's good or bad - blimey - I'm stressing already - just want to do what's best for him really.

Any words of wisdom so far would be much appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Kath

(Hubby  - Steve)
(New Arrival - Max)



from Kath & 'Mad Max' !!

Offline denisec

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2005, 09:59:16 PM »
Hi and welcome to COL

I too am waiting to collect my puppy, Ghillie she is black and white also, but we will have to wait another 4 weeks.  I have been trawling through here and have picked up lots of tips on all aspects of bringing up puppies.  

I am not sure yet if I will use a create or not.  I have read in a book that I bought that if the pup is shut in it's create at night then it should be let out last thing at night and first thing in the morning as dogs don't usualy soil their bedding area.  The other option was to put down thick paper for any accidents.  Sounds like your little chap is already making headway.  You must be so excited I know I am.  :D  :D

Good luck with Max let us know how you get on.

denisec

Offline pepi

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2005, 10:23:46 PM »
Hi welcome to COLS its a fab website and very helpful :lol:

I wish you both lots of fun with your new puppies :D . I would agree with Denisec let your puppy out last thing at night for a wee and leave puppy in crate with door closed as puppy will not soil their bed and let out first thing for a wee.

It sets a good routine for puppy and you and causes less mistakes on kitchen floor.

Your puppy will learn quick, my Pheobe has never soiled her bed and she is now 18 months old.

Hope you will post your puppies photos, would love to see pics B) .


Good luck and enjoy your cuddles  :) .

Pheobe and Pepi xx

Offline Cob-Web

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2005, 10:28:45 PM »
Hi Kath! Molo was my first puppy as well - lots of rescue dogs before, but no pups  :blink:  OH had a pup as a teenager, but he has rose tinted memories and found puppyhood a bit stressful  :rolleyes:
Quote
We're agonising about what to do in the night - do we get up & let him out for pee etc or do we leave him & just clear up in the morning? (Hopefully he'll use the pee mat - he's quite good at the moment apparently!) If we leave him in the kitchen-diner, we'll only hear him in the night if he barks or howls properly - won't hear any whimpering - don't know if that's good or bad - blimey - I'm stressing already - just want to do what's best for him really.
I suggest a Baby Monitor  -  it was the best thing we have ever done, and still use it now  :)  We had a spare from when my daughter was little, but you can usually buy them secondhand in the free ads of local papers.

I did let him out in the night when he whimpered - it didn't take me long to work out which type of whine meant he needed to GO - but I combined this with shutting him in his crate at night so that he did whine rather than just squat on the kitchen floor  :rolleyes:  Tiny pups don't usually have the bladder capacity to hold all night - and if he has an accident in his crate, it may take longer to train him  ;)

I would also suggest that you recruit a puppy sitter for a few weeks to pop in while you are at work - either a neighbour, friend, family member or a professional pet sitter. 4-5 hours is a long time to leave a tiny pup; we prefer not to leave Molo for that long even now  :unsure:

Molo ripped our kitchen lino up - NOTHING is safe from puppy teeth  :lol:
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Offline MaxG

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2005, 08:29:25 AM »
Thanks everyone!! I can see that this forum is gonna be a source of very useful info!!

Hadn't thought of the baby-monitor thing - great idea!!

We're still agonising about leaving him for 4.5-5 hours a day - we may well have to recruit a proper puppy visitor to pop in mid-morning - it's a bit of a pain in that all our friends & neighbours work full time & our families aren't close enough - Steve's mum would have loved to do it otherwise!

Failing that, depending on how he travels, Steve works in a converted barn in the middle of the countryside & has a friend/colleague who also has a cocker spaniel & he quite often brings his to work in the car & leaves him there for an hour or so at a time with some treats, toys, water etc (big hatchback car - similar to ours) & pops out at regular intervals to check on him & let him out & takes him for a long run at lunchtime in the fields so that he sleeps all afternoon - something we MIGHT consider I guess - maybe once or twice a week to break up the monotony for him maybe? I'll certainly be rushing home at 1pm to play with him & let him out otherwise - half hoping he can't be left so I have an excuse to give up work - ha ha!!

We're hoping to start a family at some point in the next year or so & we reckon this will give us a slight taster of what we're letting ourselves in for!!

I'll post a piccie as soon as we get him & I can work out how to do it - not very technical I'm afraid!!

Thanks for the advice - speak to you again soon I'm sure!!
Kath.

from Kath & 'Mad Max' !!

Offline issey

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2005, 08:56:27 AM »
hi, our puppy is 10 weeks old, we got her at 8 weeks and from the first night we let her go in the garden about 10 ish , then she went in her crate and we didn't hear a peep until about 6 in the morning.Shes done this ever since and doesnt soil her crate at all. Hope yours is as easy .
best of luck . Also I go out to work at about 8.30 and my daughter comes home at 12.30 to let her out and feed and play in her school lunch hour, this is only three days a week as I dont work Thursdays or Fridays. Daughter is also back home at 3.30 and Issey seems to have settled fine in her new routine.
best of luck , let us know how you get on.....
love
Karen x :)
love Karen xxxxxx and Issey xxxxxxxxxx

Offline Gill66

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2005, 09:20:49 AM »
Hi there and welcome. Ruben is 14wks now we brought him home at 8weeks, he did cry solid for 6 nights, at first we did go down to him to let him out for a wee but he got wise to this and just wanted to play, so on night 3 we put his toy in, left the radio on and a night light and left him we did not go to him, andgradually night by night the howling stopped. I agree that you can tell with the different noises they make if they need to 'go' or not, Ruben bangs on his crate door hard and we know this means he needs a wee.

I too work mornings and Ruben is left for 4hrs, i was going to leave him the run of the conservatory and garden while i was away but i am sooo pleased i didnt do that (mainly from advice from here), i bought a puppy play pen that attaches to his crate so his crate door is open and he has his play area (i went back and bought a second so i could make it bigger) and i have this in the dining room. I would not leave a pup the run of the kitchen or indeed any room, your floor and units will end up chewed to bits. Once we had settled him in i started to leave him for short periods every day building up and now he has no problem being left. Myhusband takes him for a walk about 6.30 every morning and when he comes back he sleeps for most of the morning while i am away anyway. I am on holiday this week and he is still in his routine (fast asleep now!!). I too  bought a soft bed for in the lounge with us in the evening but he does not bother with this he prefers to lie on the laminate or on the sofa with us (yes we let him up!!)
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Offline flossysmum

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2005, 09:32:06 AM »
Hello and welcome to COL,

Flossy was the first dog i had, we collected her the day after we went to see her, she was georgous (and still is) For the first few weeks we put her in the kitchen but she would start barking about 6am so we decided that the best thing to do was to put her in my room in her cage and she slept for ages, she's been in my room ever since.It helped her alot with toilet training because she wouldnt do things in her bed and we took her out as soon as she woke up.

Good luck with your new puppy :)
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Offline Jo & Dennis

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2005, 09:33:28 AM »
Hi & Welcome,

We brought Holly home at 8 weeks, we have a large crate in the kitchen, let her out for a wee last thing before we went to bed and very first thing in the morning (5.30am to start with) then lengthened the mornings by 5 mins a day and now she is happy to wait till we get up.

We at first converted half the crate with her bedding and the other half with a puppy pad, she was ok the first night then howled like a banshee for 3 continuous nights but NEVER NEVER go down to them is my advice, we had two small wee's on the puppy pad and have never had a mess since and from the forth night no more fuss.

She is now 7 months old and is an absolute delight I have only ever got up with her once about 2 weeks ago, she was crying and pawing at her crate which is very unusual, turned out she needed a poo bless her but I now know that if she calls she does need something rather than just 'if I cry will you come!!'

Have fun with your puppy, bond well with them in that first two weeks you are at home, follow your instincts and the rest will follow, wishing you lots of happy love & fun filled years together.
Holly's Mum & Dad

Offline MaxG

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3 Days To Go!
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2005, 11:34:32 AM »
Thanks everyone - wise words - we'll give it all a try!!

Can't wait to get him - 72 hours to go!!!!!!!!!!

  :)
from Kath & 'Mad Max' !!