A few musings and observations of the ups and downs of 3 weeks with Dexter our first puppy who will be 11 weeks old tomorrow. I think the best way to summarise this is that he is very hard work and we learn something new every day ..... I am sitting here writing this as he sleeps at my feet in a lounge that has been stripped of most of it's contents and undertaken several reorganisations to protect cables, loose cushions, furniture and every item you can think of within his expanding reach or is chewable ! It is now littered with toys and multiple cardboard boxes which are very useful as he loves chewing and playing with them though we are forever removing the debris before he eats it this is better than furniture etc. We have a larger than average garden with many trees and this has had a similar evolving makeover of restricting access and moving plants and other items. He chews/eats everything and has found where to lie to make it difficult to retrieve the offending items. There is a never ending supply of wood and pinecones (everyday more falls off) plus the plants, of which coriander is one of his favourites to tug off and run around the garden with, but it does improve the smell of his breath. He has had 2 of his 3 injections and gone from 6.5kg to 7.5kg over the first 2 weeks and is visibly growing rapidly So far we have carried the big lump out to various garden centres, pet stores etc, and he has been really well behaved taking everything in his stride. He wags his little tail as you walk past people and wants them to stroke him, takes a healthy interest in all the noises and activities without being scared and usually falls asleep on your lap in the outdoor cafe's. Can’t wait for when we can take him out properly and all of those new challenges ! To be continued ........
Hi Diablo,i loved your post and it really summed up exactly my last 5 months! My pup is 7months now and things are getting easier,still chewing, zoomies and pulls on the leash,hmmm. No honestly it is getting easier
Second round - will post a few more thoughts on the early weeks later. Everything we have done with Dexter is a learning exercise and you make many mistakes to make progress. For the first 2 weeks he slept in a crate in a downstairs bedroom with us alternating who was on duty to sleep in the bedroom, going outside regularly through the night. This meant he suffered no obvious separation anxiety and has not been using puppy pads etc. The downside of this has been human sleep deprivation though the trips outside quickly diminished to a couple of times each night. The past few nights he has now moved into his large crate on his own in the conservatory and we are both back upstairs with an alarm set for 5am when one of us comes down. Sometimes he is up or sleeps a little longer so we wait and let him out and put him back into the crate - which he is not always happy about. We are hoping he may soon stretch out right through the night until about 6.30am when one of us normally gets up. We have been very lucky in that the only accidents in the house have been wee related and not for a week now (fingers all crossed) but we do have a small run outside of the back door and keep the door open as much as possible to allow him free direct access and watch for all the signs he might want to go post sleeping, playing etc. and take him out. When the door is closed he wanders towards it, so we are always vigilant to let him out especially as it is likely he is up to no good otherwise ! TBC
This reminded me very much of my pup when he was that age (although it sounds like you're handling it better than I was!) He's 7 months now and an absolute dream, I've even managed to get rid of the myriad of pens, baby gates and crates and my home is back to looking like it used to! It sounds like you've got a good grasp of it all, but I will say that all the little behavioural niggles you're experiencing go away so fast and before you know it your pup will be a joy (90% of the time at least )
Love this.....these first few weeks are filled with laughter and frustration and love and "what did I let myself in for?" and then it is laughter and frustration and love and.... again! And then one day, it hits you that there hasn't been an accident for more than a week and that he's been out in the garden and you didn't have to say "drop it" or "leave it" over and over again and there is much more laughter and love than frustration and questioning "what did I let myself in for?" And then, they are 2 and then 5 and then 12! Keep up the journaling! And takes lots of photos!
I would say it is not all going great, and is hard work and I do not envy this task with a young family. The fortunate part is that I do not work and for the past few weeks someone else has been around at various times which provides support. I have lost a lot of freedom to go out and pursue my hobbies but hopefully this is a temporary situation that will gradually improve. The biggest challenge has been his biting and chewing as the more excited he gets (and over tired) the worse it becomes. There is no malice just that he gets a bit much. Though our children are much older (18 & 20) they describe him as having no respect for them and behaving 5 times worse with them as he does with my partner and I. We have been doing all the documented things, stand up, ignore, leave the room, crate him etc but he can be so naughty with them and just jump up and bark or grab clothing etc. Been getting them involved in the training and this week we had our first group training session which 3 of us attended with myself on the lead whilst they watched. Dexter is very laid back to noises and strange situations and people when out but this was a new situation with over a dozen dogs aged from puppies to mature adult dogs. He went straight in, unphased by any of the dogs no matter whether they were twice his size (including the playful adult greyhound who had Dexters head in his mouth at one point) and immediately identified a doberman puppy who is just about his size and a week older. This puppy was nervous of Dexter for a few minutes then chaos ensued with these two playing continually - the other two lab puppies being very reserved. Once the training started Dexter only had eyes for his new friend and barked and pulled towards him most of the evening which was incredibly hard work for me as you feel you have the worst behaved dog ! My family said it was no where near as bad as I was imagining. Quite surprisingly Dexter had all the commands and tasks sorted within a minute or two and far better than most but would not leave his new friend alone - so there is hope for him but his ongoing relationship with other dogs may be more challenging. By the end of the evening we were both exhausted and he slept on my knee as we discussed any dog issues as a group which was really good as owners have all sorts of problems (several months old and still sleeping in the kitchen with the puppy) which you share and is supportive. I would thoroughly recommend taking your puppy at whatever age to a similar class and no matter the challenges you are facing. I cannot wait for next week - my other half will be on the lead and I will be spectating !!!
