Urgent support required!!

[Coopers mum]

Hi Sophie
Cooper also has an upset tummy so after advice from the vet today we have been giving him a small portion of scrambled eggs made with water and your right I think we were feeding him too late, his last small meal was 7pm tonight.
He has been wonderful tonight and loves his new den we have made him in the dining room and even goes and plays by himself with me on the other side- this is something I never thought would happen a couple of days ago when he wouldnt let me out of his sight without howling the house down!
I think me and the hubby were very naive and thought by reading lots of advice on the Internet we were prepared but the reality is you have a baby who is looking for guidance and reassurance and it's not going to be plain sailing for quite some time
I will take your great advice and look in to the food the breeder started him with as this could be a contributing factor, all I can say is I am so thankful I found this forum it's totally addictive and when something pops in my head I run a search and get the answe
Fingers crossed you get a whole night sleeps too, let me know how you get on
Claire and coops xxxx

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

I forgot to mention that over the first couple of weeks Henry was often waking me up two or three times a night and went down to once a night more consistently when he was about 13 weeks (just looking back at my diary where I wrote eveything down - very useful to do, if you're not already doing so!).

BTW - my vet said egg was a bit rich for puppies and suggested plain boiled chicken and rice to settle their stomach. Lots of people also recommend yoghurt.

I too didn't realise how hard it would be - never seemed that hard when my parents had puppies. Yes, they are just little babies that need guidance and reassurance.

My last thing to master (now Henry's more-or-less house-trained and hopefully sleeping through the night) is to be able to leave him during the day - he doesn't like his crate during the day unless he's really tired. Need to work on this so I can actually go out for more than five minutes at a time! I have some Fish4Dogs salmon mousse frozen in Kongs (lots of people on here have recommended) - tried it a couple of times last week and seemed quite successful until he knocked one of them out the cage.

Yes, this forum is very useful for reassurance and information. And very addictive! Nice to know others are all in the same boat with their lovely little furry bitey babies 

[maddy74]

Sounds like things are improving, so pleased for you 

It not unusual for pups to get an upset tum during the transition period from being with mum and litter mates to moving in with you. Willow had an upset tum and we gave her cut up chicken breast, (no skin) cooked in a little water in the pan and rice, that seemed to firm her up.

Good luck 

[jonnytrabant]

Quote> Coopers mum>>>"I think me and the hubby were very naive and thought by reading lots of advice on the Internet we were prepared "


Both informative and a load of conkers!

Go with your own instincts and do what you feel is right for your dog.

[Jenz]

I agree with the "going with your instinct". 

From day one after lots of research we used a crate with Jenson.  He never liked it.  We tried everything, positive reinforcement, treats, building up time slowly, nothing worked, he just hated being confined in there. The longest he ever lasted was 4 hours overnight when he was extremely exhausted, I was so sleep deprived. 

About 2 weeks ago I was so tired I gave up and let him sleep on a pillow on the floor next to my bed.   He slept all night, and so did I!  ... and that is where he sleeps now, most nights he sleeps through from 11pm to 6.30 am which is so much better.  I have left the crate in the kitchen and carried on using it with positive reinforcement as I wanted to be able to use it when we travel but he simply never goes in it unless I throw a treat in it.  I have decided to pack it up and put it in the loft as its now taking up so much space.

Im sure crates work wonderfully for most dogs, and might have for us if I had persevered more, but exhaustion won out, and at the end of the day you need sleep, you have to do whats right for you.  Good luck   

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Fingers crossed you get a whole night sleeps too, let me know how you get on
Claire and coops xxxx

Henry slept in his crate from 11pm until 6.40am without a peep, so hopefully this will be the way it is from now on! He'd been asleep from about 9pm too, so lots of sleep (and after he woke up at 6.40am we had a nice snooze with him in my arms on the sofa for half an hour - he's the most affectionate in the mornings, asking to come up on the sofa with me )

How did Cooper get on last night?

[Coopers mum]

Hi Sophie

I am every pleased to report we had the best night last night, he took himself off to bed at 10.30 and we didn't hear a peep out of him till gone 4, when my hubby got up he hadn't used his pads at all he must have been exhausted and slept straight through!!
We have been popping him in his own play area and going upstairs or in the kitchen where he whines for 10 mins and then gives up and lies down, I think for us this is the key to our success so far because he now knows the rules. This also enables us to feel confidant of going out and leaving him which we have done for short periods of time over the last 2 days.
So pleased Henry slept through for you fingers crossed this will be his routine from now on, you can't beat puppy cuddles in the morning can you
We are now lead training him in the house which is going ok but he is such a biter he thinks it's one big game, any advice?
Claire and Cooper xxx

[JeffD]

For lead training I use treats, once he knows these are in your hand he will forget all about the lead. I am doing the same with Teal for 5 mins a night and as soon as she switches into sod mode I let her smell the treat in my hand, she then sits like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, I give her the treat and walk around and all eyes are on me again lead forgotten

[Coopers mum]

Thanks for the advice Jeff we have started walking with him by our side while holding a treat and has responded really well, I will take your advice and let him sniff the treat if he is biting the lead. We are fast learning he will do anything for food 

[piph]

For lead training I use treats, once he knows these are in your hand he will forget all about the lead. I am doing the same with Teal for 5 mins a night and as soon as she switches into sod mode I let her smell the treat in my hand, she then sits like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, I give her the treat and walk around and all eyes are on me again lead forgotten

We tried this with Ozzy - he's so greedy and becomes so excited that he just leaps up at my hand all the time.  We've had to stop using treats for other training as well, using a toy now, but I know it's not as succesfull as using treats.  I think I need some training in how to do it!  Never had this problem with our GRs or our old collie/lab cross (all at the Bridge now)