Hello! We are loving our new addition Mole aged 11weeks, much loved after we lost our two old labs last year within 8 months of each other. But.. I seem to have forgotten about the puppy part (it's been 12 years!!) Little Mole seems to go ballistic for an hour, sometimes two after his last feed at 6pm! He has lots of outside time in the day as I am home and he loves the garden. He is exhausting and bites in the evening until about 8 (he then crashes and sleeps at my feet I front of the fire!!) - is this normal?!! Any suggestions on ways to keep him occupied as its dark outside so that's not too appealing! Also, any thoughts on rawhide - I used to use it with my old dogs and I now see it's not so safe - can I give it to him supervised - he loves it... thanks for any suggestions and this forum has been a fantastic resource!! Sam and Mole
I used to call it the "The Six O'Clock Stupids" Have you tried a stuffed, frozen Kong? It gives little mouths something to do. Molly is over 2 now, but she will still do things in that time window that she doesn't do the rest of the time. I take her for a walk, it saves my house and my sanity
Hi and welcome to the forum to you and little Mole. Sounds as if you have a perfectly normal puppy to me . Juno always had a mad spell in the evening which often resulted in mad bum-tucks around the coffee table . I always used to sit and play on the floor with her after dinner, in fact I still do. That time is still very much "Juno" time. We used to play lots of fetch games and tug games to keep little teeth away from me. I also encouraged her to rest on her bed in the living room which was place next to me after a good play and told her we had finished playing. I found that the routine helped her to recognise the end of the game and to settle. We would love to hear more about Mole and we absolutely adore pup photos
My two are now 9 1/2 and 6 1/2, they still have their zoomies and wrestling match around the house every evening. Distraction is the only cure.
Yep, remember that - early evening zoomies. We'd have the puppy with us during this time until it got too much (we deserve some quiet time at the end of the day!) and we operated a "3 strikes and you are out" system. We'd intervene to try to calm him down twice, and the third time it was crate time. We didn't use it as a punishment, just a cheerful "in your crate for a kong!". He'd eat his kong, cool his heels, snooze, and come out slightly more sane!
Sorry, on rawhide, I used to give this to my puppy under supervision. I used simple 'cigar' shapes (a rolled up single sheet). I used small amounts, and he did love it. As he got a bit older, it started to upset his tummy so I stopped using it. But apart from that, and being very careful about the quality and the supplier, I thought it was fine.
Oh yes, it's normal! We used to call it 'happy hour' (two bites for the price of one...) And you're right about how it's easy to forget what puppies are like after an old dog. It will pass. I found rice bones were really good when Molly was tiny - no use once the adult teeth come through. At that point I moved on to rawhide and Molly is fine with it. (Rawhide used to upset my last dog, but different dogs react differently.)
Hi and welcome, I remember the evening times only too well . We found it was when our pup was over tired so popped him in his crate where he soon settled and slept . Yep, 3 strikes and out
Hi there and welcome to you and little Mole. I also use the little rawhide sticks for puppies, but always hold onto one end. They are reserved for 'lap time' so I can enjoy a cuddle without being gnawed. I throw them away when bits start to come off, and never let the puppy have them on his own.
Thank you!! Will try a Kong and see how that goes! I do play lots of games with him but he is much more over excited at this time of day a bit like an overtired toddler! Can't complain too much though as he's very chilled after the crazy hour or two and then trots into his crate from 10-7 not a squeak Only a week to go til final vaccinations- do I then have to wait a week before taking him out or could I take him for a short walk in the countryside when he's had them? Not looking forward to the rain predicted this weekend! Will have to be creative with indoor games!! Thanks again, will post pics when I can work out how!! Sam
And yes, regarding the rawhide, I hold onto the "cigars" while he chews and he thinks it's the best thing ever!!
Check with your vet - some areas are really bad for Parvo at the moment, so different vets will give different answers depending on where you live. Guide dog pups are not allowed on grass (apart from fox-free gardens) until a week after their 16 week vaccination (they are vaccinated at 6, 12 and 16 weeks) due to losing some pups to Parvo. It feels like forever lol! .
My Willow always went completely nutty at 6pm. Before she could go for walks, I used to take her for a carry around the village at that time. It really helped to calm her down and she'd snooze in her crate when we got back.
Is it pronounced "mole", like the little furry animal, or "mol-ay", like in Spanish? Or something else? How did you come up with the name? I can imagine comparing a newborn puppy to a mole
