Just thought I would do a little update on Red. She is now 18 weeks and not the croco puppy she was. I won't lie and say it's all easy but there are many many positives and I can feel the blues lifting slightly. She is housetrained and has been for quite a few weeks (I still get up to her once at 4.00 - we go to bed early about 9.00 and are up at 6.00 - she still doesn't make any noise, so it's guesswork on my part - she very sleepily comes out of her crate so I think I shall extend this). She is learning her manners and sits to wait to be let out the back door and at the front door when we come back from walks etc. She is getting much better at settling on her bed especially if she has a kong. She is still on the Hill's I/d diet which suits her well - I have to let the vet know next week and we will plan next steps. She travels well in the car now. She is becoming very affectionate and loves her belly rubs. She loves to play touch. We get the occasional croco moments and frustrating things like wanting to just eat everything on the ground either on walks or in the garden. Progress with the older dog Sky is still painfully slow but they are in the same room more when she is in her crate or on her bed. She licks Sky more now. Sky is still not interested but does occasionally check her out when she is in her crate. We have them together in the evening though Red is generally on lead. The 6 week puppy training is coming to an end and I hope I can find the next step on as she and I are definitely going to need lots more help. I have had a terrible cold this past week which has really not helped but I actually feel a bit better about things generally. The past two and a half months have been extremely hard for me and at times I have felt very frightened at feeling so close to the edge. I do not remember ever feeling like this before in my life and it is extremely scary. I know I am not 'out of the woods' yet but I look at everything in 'baby steps'. Everyone's support, help, guidance and being there for me has and does mean a lot to me - thank you so much
Pleased for you! And the summer's on its way, when hopefully you can enjoy them both outdoors even more
@Atemas wow, what an uplifting post. Red has come such a long way with you. Definitely seek out further training. This is been our saving, a weekly class. We're not really learning anything new as such, we're just honing what we've got, and Coco enjoys it more than anything. I can't see us ever not going.
That's good news @Atemas , thank you for letting us all know things are starting to improve.. Cassie is just about 12 months and it seems her puppy days are over in such a short time, although she is still a young bouncy Labrador with much to learn. It is, as everyone says, all about the little steps and you have had so much to concern you.
Yay. First night of not taking Red out for a wee. Reckon we have been there for a while but because she doesn't make a sound to let us know, I have had to use guesswork on timing through the night. When I went to her last night she was curled up at the back of her crate so I left her
Hurrah - now for some proper sleep! It's a bit like having a baby, some sleep through in no time, some just don't. My son wet the bed until he was seven Mollie Monkey now wakes up at 6:30 for the toilet but I put her back to bed until 7:30. I hope she starts to wake up later for the sake of her new Mummy who she'll go to in September.
So glad things are improving and you're sounding so positive. Unbroken nights will certainly help, so I hope your cold goes soon, then it's onwards and upwards!
Yep, Luna normally goes through until 6:30am now, which is when we get up to give Willow her medication. We're going to put that back until 7:30am in stages now.
Aah that's good about Luna. I wish I could have had more faith in the earlier days. I think I was so sleep deprived and arthritis affects my sleep badly anyway so I can't put it all down to Red in anyway as I am often awake not because of her. I suppose it is all a maturity thing with puppies. Red is keen to go in her crate at 9.00 pm when we start to go up as we then get up at 6.00 am. She has her breakfast and then wants to sleep from 6.30 am to about 9.00 am so reckon she must be doing a lot of growing in her sleep!! Do other people get into a good routine about the 4/5 month stage. Suppose I am interested in how other puppies routine to their days/night's are, not that I know one should compare dogs. Just want to know we are on the right lines. From a very insecure puppy owner who is slowly coming up for air
They are all different. Mollie is very wakeful all morning then sleeps the afternoon away, then has a playful three hours from 4pm ish. She's the best by far with her spending routine - poops like clockwork and wees whenever we ask her. I do our walks/work/training in the morning. Bruce tended to snooze on and off whenever he got the chance, so did Kara. Twiglet and Gypsy tended to do like Red and have a good snooze after breakfast. Tatze is four now and goes for a long two hour walk in the morning then snoozes the day away until 4pm when the pup persuades her to play!
Bailey likes to be up by 7.00am, sometimes he will wait until 7.30pm then its all bets off to wake me up! However, we come downstairs and snuggle up on the settee (after a quick trip to the garden) and back to sleep he goes for about an hour...then its back upstairs to wake my OH up - and boy does he get persistent about it! OH gets up and breakfast is put down - he has about three mouthfuls then wants to go for his toilet walk (he will only wee in the garden first thing, after then its down to the grass area at the bottom of our road for lots more wees and poos), then back for the rest of his breakfast and more sleep! He will nap whenever he wants during the day - although if we are at the rugby club all day he is quite happy bumbling about outside with the OH or if he's inside with me then he follows me around (loves running like a loon through all the changing rooms while I am cleaning them) or if I'm behind the bar then he settles down in front of the bar and snoozes! Evenings he starts to settle about 10pm, then once we go upstairs to bed he settles down for the night. We don't have a set bedtime due to my job - weeknights it is normally between 11pm and midnight, but at weekends I can be home anytime between 10pm and 3am. Bailey insists on waiting downstairs for me (OH is upstairs snoring away), so long as we have half an hour (after the 10 min welcome of course) snuggle on the settee together, he is then happy to go to bed. BUT he will still get me up by 7.30am no matter what time I have come home
Plum's a bit changeable with her routines (she's a week shy of 7 months). Yesterday morning she woke at 6.30 but on the few days previously she slept through til 8 ish. I don't know what makes the difference. She tends to have her last wee of the night about 10pm. When my son was a baby I used to think anything earlier than 7am was uncivilised and I still feel like this even though I'm often awake much earlier! Snooze-wise Plum can be ready for bed again after breakfast but I usually take her out for a walk during the week between 8 & 9 and then she snoozes for a couple of hours. In the afternoon she also snoozes for a couple of hours unless it's a weekend and I'm in the garden and then she bimbles about. But if I go indoors and sit on the sofa she'll join me and be out like a light in seconds, for a couple of hours. In the evening she pretty much crashes from 6.30/7pm with a stretch of the legs and a drink about 8/8.30pm then back to sleep until final wee trip about 10. At weekends and on holidays it's all a bit more easy-come-easy-go.
Thank you all for replying - I find this interesting - I suppose basically dogs kind of fit in with our lives. Samantha, I don't envy you your late nights working. I feel so deprived sleep wise these days but hopefully this will get easier.
It was the last of the six week Puppy course last night but hopefully I have got the next training sorted - should know this week. From the minute, I get Red out the car, she pulls like a steam train into the building, through doors, down corridors to the training room. Last night, I thought I had her settled on her bed with a Kong - her lead was under my foot. I was getting clicker, treats etc out of my bag and she manages to break free, run across the room and gets tangled up with another puppy who was on its lead being held by a young girl. Young girl falls over whilst I am desperately trying to drag Red off the rest of the family - there were 4 of them. I was so embarrassed . There I am apologising profusely, checking the girl was ok - she looked shocked as did the rest of the family . Crikey. Last night we had to get them to do an obstacle course - each taking their puppy around whilst others looking on! Well my arms certainly ache this morning. All these other demure puppies doing their bit on loose leads and then Red and me charging around the room, lead so taut - oh boy, do we need lots of training . I find the constant pulling draining. Anyway, I thanked the trainer at the end for doing the course and she said I had 'a cracking puppy'! Wasn't sure how to take that really .
Red won't be the first or last to do that - when a pup gets free at our puppy class they wheeeeeeeeeeee! around all the pups like loons! All destined to be steady, sensible Guide Dogs with their owners lives in their paws!
I feel like Rolo never naps, still. He wont settle in the living room after numerous attempts he gets wild, ive tried putting himoutside the door for 2 minutes to calm down. put him on his lead to settle, nope. I have to still crate him at 8 months for naps. and he sometimes doesnt even settle there. blah just a bit of an off day.
I'd say Stanley sleeps about 18 hours of the day now. He has a few mad hours and a few just plodding around. A couple of walks and he's happy to just get on the couch or in his bed and snooze. He's definitely his laziest on a morning, comes more alive in the afternoon then by about 7.30/8pm he's dead to the world.. unless there's food around of course. He always wakes for the food
This is just like Monty. His day doesn't really start till 11 ish. I would agree with minimum 16 hours of snoozing a day, often 18. We are quite lazy at the weekends and will often have a long lie in. As long as Monty has been outside and had breakfast by 7.30am he will then happily snooze away on the bed with us for hours. But I would say the first 10 months was very up and down until he settled into a pattern.
