hi all, we picked up our beautiful black lab puppy Tilly at lunchtime, she has been amazing, settled and relaxed on the journey home, half an hour away, she seems in great spirits, so relaxed in our flat, playing with her toys, tail wagging, seems lively and bright when awake, taking herself to the crate and sleeping in between awake times, she been outside in our back garden a few times, and has had a wee and poo...we are hoping our weekly visits to her since we chose her has helped her get to know us and this is why she is so chilled. She has drunk water but is not at all interested in her kibble (the same as she has been fed with her breeders)..have tried to ring the breeders but no answer to check if this is "normal"...read a few articles that has got me a bit worried..but am I worrying over nothing here or is it unusual that she has hardly eaten anything, she just had a few bits fed by hand and and some that were scattered in her crate, but not really had anything from her bowl...worried new parents here...should we be worried or do you think this is just her settling in..or are we are being overly anxious...thanks for any advice...
Don't worry at this stage! All very exciting. As long as she has been able to nap and have a bit of a drink. See how she goes tonight. It could be that the bowl is a bit strange to her. It is good that she sees the crate as a comfy, safe place, so I would just hand feed her there tonight and see how she is after a good nights sleep
We were lucky enough to visit buddy regularly before we brought him home and I think it made a big difference so great news there. Yes I agree with beanwood, it sounds like everything else is ok so I’m sure she will eat once she settles, good luck with everything!
Mango was the same for the first 2 or 3 days. He only took kibble from my hand or if I put it infront of him on the carpet. He sniffed the kibble in the bowl...nothing. It is not a big issue. Also feeding your pup from the hand can be a teaching moment. You can teach "sit" in no time . Also kibble scattered on the floor can make puppy eat slower, very usefull with labs...
Awww thanks sooo much all for your lovely reassuring advice...much much appreciated...she has had another wee and a poo both outside, is settled and snoozy in her crate now and has been plyaful and happy when awake.. will let you know how she is tomorrow...thanks soo much again xxxxx
Kyko just grazed on his food first day here, by the next day he was guzzling it down in about 3 seconds, but he’s a typical greedy lab
Aww hi @Beanwood and ya'll...thanks for checking in! Aren't you lovely!! All is great today! Tilly was a absolute star dream doggie, she slept in her crate door shut from 11pm til 2pm, took her out for a wee outside, popped her back in crate, wee bit of crying for 10 mins soo hard to not go in but she then settled and not a peep out of her til I woke at 6.15am, so we had a good sleep too.!!! Took her out at 6.15am, she did another wee outside...and then fed her her first quarter portion of her daily amount of food and she ate it all!! Yay!! We soo relieved, mostly from the bowl but also hand fed!! She's poo'd outside too! She's an absolute super star trooper, soo proud of how her she has coped with her first 24 hours....only one wee accident (my fault brought her in too early), all poos outside, sleeping happily in her crate in the day, enjoying playing with her toys and us when she's awake, and has met one of our neighbours this morning too, she's a calm, happy, confident, beautiful girl...we are soo in looove with her..a super special lovely girl! THANK YOU all soo much for your reassuring words I totally relaxed after I read all of this!! Hooray for this fab forum and you lovely people xxx
Thanks @Beanwood she is melting our hearts, makes us smile from ear to ear, she's melting the hearts of our friends and neighbours too...she is just so cute and continues to be a dream doggie, relaxed and contented and unfazed by new experiences!!! First vet visit this morning, she got a clean bill of health, YAY!! She will get her first vacs next Monday! Looking forward to the fun ahead! xx
My pup has been far from voracious but is getting better every week - now almost 13. Sometimes a little warm water in the kibble and holding the bowl as I pet her will get the job done. Also a round of vigorous exercise usually reminds her of her appetite.
@JuliePenguin - All is normal at this stage, but just to add - please do adjust your own attitudes around food and feeding your dog, to prevent future problems and to ensure food motivation. You are teaching the pup how to 'feel' about food. Is it something which is always available? (And so - not valued.) Is it something which, if the pup refuses it, you rush in and hand-feed, giving more attention to the pup? (Thereby rewarding the pup for refusing the food.) Have 'meal times' at certain times of day. Put food down. As soon as the pup walks away from the food, REMOVE THE FOOD. Don't leave it down for the pup to return back to. No more food till the next meal time. And so on... Pretty soon you will have taught the pup to want the food, eat it quickly, and value it - because it won't be around for long. Even better than all the above, is to use the food for training purposes. If the pup gives up training and doesn't want to work for it, stop training and put the food away too - no more food till next meal time, when again the pup has a chance to earn their food. Think about how much more someone values a valuable 'human' possession, like a car, if they have had to work really hard for it - than if they have just been given it and can have any car, any time they want... Get these things right from the start and it will save you so much trouble in the future.
Hi @Jo Laurens hey thanks soo much for responding to this thread...since I've been on this forum I've found all your advice on other threads really inspiring and they always make soo much sense so I appreciate your input here...Tilly is soo much more settled now, so proud of how she is doing, taking it all in her stride, she loves her crate, vet bed and toys, got a few toys out and have a few that we use daily for special play (special snake being one of them!). She is enjoying meeting some of our friends and some children too who have been visiting, sounds of the flat don't seem to faze her (doorbell, radio, washing machine, food processor etc. She's a real gem! Staying dry at night, (waking her around 2-3am for night time wee break) been dry mostly in the day too, all poos outside, just the odd piddle accident, which were all our fault for not pre-empting her and taking her out soon enough, we are all learning lots and getting to know one another. She had her first excursion in her wee doggie backpack today, seems to enjoy the sights and sounds of the world, and meeting passers by. Re her food: thanks for what you said, makes complete sense! Tilly eats her four meals (her daily ration divided into four wee portions) a day spaced out over the day, with the last meal 3hrs or so before bedtime. She finishes each meal fairly quickly, no hand feeding any more, (think that might have been first day nerves??) but have been and stroking her a bit while she eats, does this help if there are food guarding issues later? I have been keeping some kibble back for wee treats when we play in the garden and she comes back to me when I walk away and call her, she had her first frozen kong today too, enjoyed lots of licking, still got quite a bit of mushed up kibble in it at the mo as she is having a snoozy session. (Is a frozen one OK for puppies?)...am I doing this right?? Been reading (and rereading!) Pippa's Puppy Handbook, probably cover to cover a few times, dipping into it now we have her, it kinda makes more sense now Tilly is actually here, feels like a bible to us first time pup parents (although I have a lot of doggie experience as I've been a dog walker for over 12 years now), but this is the first doggie of our own...we are soo in loove with her and want to give her the best start so any advice for what feels like very important first few weeks is soo appreciated... we are little sponges for all things puppy!! Thanks in advance for any replies to all of this xx
No, it might actually cause food-guarding issues if a dog has a tendency to be worried about food. You don't want to practise taking food away from a dog, or put your hands in food, or stroke dog whilst eating - any of this runs the risk of just teaching the dog you actually are a threat to them whilst they are eating. Instead, if you are using a bowl, it is best to walk up and put something tastier than what the dog is eating, in the bowl - so they come to see you approaching the bowl as a good thing. Hands come to add, they don't come to take away. (Or to threaten to take away, which is what your hand might be doing in stroking her!). But really, it's best not to use a bowl at all. You hold the bowl and it stays off the floor, whilst you take food from it, for training purposes. Yes, that's totally fine. Frozen kongs are good for teething and being frozen helps them last a bit longer... If you want to download a free puppy-raising booklet I wrote, which covers just about everything - it's called New Puppy? No Problem - and you can download it from this page on my site: http://dogworks.org.uk/downloads/
Aww @Jo Laurens thanks again for your valuable input here, much appreciated! We have just read your very useful puppy training booklet (and have book marked your website ) lots of ace info and very reassuring to read we are doing things "right". I found the part about leaving our pup alone useful as in time we will be away a few hours each day so be good to slowly introduce your "Home Alone" ways...We are soo proud of our wee Tilly, she seems a really contended happy wee soul, our socialisation is going well, she has seen three fire engines, (no sirens but big with their engines on and hoses out), met our postie, been in a cafe, met strangers, had the washing machine on, bikes, cars, buses and van have all passed her, met friends who have visited and kids too, we've not overwhelmed her and have of course spent most time at home chilling, snoozing, playing...she is dry at night, and in the day too, she's taking it all in her stride and we love her to bits...can hardly remember life before her, she is the light of our lives and a dream come true for us...we feel soo very very lucky that she is ours...our special wee fur baby!
