Well it’s been 6 weeks since we got Noodle, our black and tan working cocker whose now 13 and a bit weeks old, so I thought I’d post some thoughts.
She has slept through the night since the day we got her, in this regard we must be blessed. We took a blanket when collecting her and got the Breeder to rub it all over her mum. This went into her bed when we got her home. Not sure if this helped to settle her, but it did no harm. The first week was spent very much ‘finding feet’. The plants in the garden took a hammering. She learnt to fetch/retrieve during this time.
The next few weeks were very much up and down. There were periods of brilliant puppy play, intersected by madness with biting and ‘perceived’ aggressiveness, which drove us to despair. We tried to stop this by means fair to some, foul to others. Things did get easier when our three year old learnt to stand up, raise his arms and shout ‘down’. She very rarely hassles him now and she’s the first thing he looks for when he gets home- result. With hindsight, it seems that she goes overboard after 6/7pm when she is overly tired. I think we need to take some blame in not realising this earlier. She has been very good as far as chewing is concerned, our old TV cabinet, which is being held together by willpower, has taken the most damage. She will toilet when we take her into the garden and she has the occasional accident. Getting through the night ‘dry’ is yet to be seen, but hey, she only has a small bladder.
Now that she is allowed out and about, things are so much better. We have taken her to the beach, where she paddled a bit and chased some gulls. She gets a walk in morning and at tea time, she’ll need to have more as she gets older. Butterflies in the fields around our house are a source of much amusement. She has been off the lead from day one. She comes to be put on the lead when called (with the aid of some treats!). She doesn’t seem to be afraid of other dogs, but we put her on the lead to be sure. Cars don’t seem to bother her. What is strange though is that she is a real scavenger when we eat. She gets enough of her own food, but still wants ours, despite never having been fed scraps.
For all those going through a stressful time, in our experience, things get immeasurably better when you can take your pup out.
Anyway, I’ve posted a video of our walk this morning in the video forum. She hasn’t been still long enough to take a photo!
