Hello everyone. The last time i posted was about one of my old dogs not been well. Unfortunately she is no longer with us, and i miss her so much. I still have my other oldie Archie, and this weekend we bought a new puppy, Izzy. Shes actually a Springador, but i hope you wont mind me still posting. Its been 12 years since my other labs have been pups, so its a bit of a shock to the system having a new pup and all it entails. It helps reading all your posts,even though im seeing double as im so tired! Izzy is just 8 weeks and as manic as they come. My main issues at the moment are biting, and getting her used to been in her crate. Ive had 2 sleepless nights as she just wont settle in the cage, so i end up getting her out and taking her into the lounge so my husband can get some sleep. The biting is non stop, i try to distract her with toys. Help!
Re: Starting over Hi Wendy , so sorry to read about your old dog , they leave a big hole for sure Of course your puppy is welcome here, she sounds like a very typical 8 week old youngster to me I really do recommend you buy Pippas book ( Amazon ) The Happy Puppy Handbook , it really will become your best friend , covering all aspects of puppy ownership and training . Pups do bite, mini crocodiles at times and this is covered in the book too , distraction is the way to go . I know about the shock to the system , I felt the same when I first had Sam ( now three years old ) but it does get easier, honestly it does
Re: Starting over Hi Wendy - exhausting, oh yes! It soon passes 'tho and then the fun begins ;D Here are some excellent articles on puppy biting - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/your-labrador-puppy-biting/
Re: Starting over I remember feeling the same (shell-shocked!) when I first got Molly and desperately missing my calm old dog. It's hard to remember back down the years to how our oldies were as puppies isn't it. Things will change and improve - hang in there! If you're desperate for sleep, would you consider having the pup in the bedroom with you? Or, if you have a spare bedroom, sleeping in there with the pup as a temporary measure? Everything is easier to deal with if you get enough sleep. Good luck with Izzy - my Molly is 15 months old now and those difficult early weeks are fading from memory. I'm sure it will be the same for you.
Re: Starting over Thanks for the replies, Izzy is sleeping at the moment and all is calm. I have the cage in our bedroom, as i wanted to leave my old dog with peace and quiet in his room. The first night Izzy did eventually calm down and slept for about 3 hours in the cage, but as i say last night was horrendous. Ive tried sitting and playing with her next to it so she sees it as a nice place. I suppose i just have to keep trying. Ill order the handbook and have a look at the articles, thankyou. Can someone tell me how to put a pic on here?
Re: Starting over Hi I too reccomend The Happy Puppy book - it really does have everything you will need to know in there. The biting will stop, hopefully soon As for sleeping, my pup wouldn't sleep in her crate but would happily be in there during the day when I was at work. Harley sleeps upstairs, usually on our bed and sleeps from about 10/11pm til I have to push her off the bed around 8am......at least 9-10am on weekends. It worked for me, but I know not everyone wants dogs on their bed.
Re: Starting over Hi Wendy - welcome to the Forum. Sounds like you have your hands full with Izzy! To post a photo you need to upload your photo to a third party hosting site like Flickr or Photobucket (these two are easiest to use. Rachael (Oberon) put a good series of screen shots previously and this helps show you How To Do Photos from Flickr I think it may have changed a little bit, but gives you the idea. You can post a photo direct from Flickr but might need to use the "image tags" from other places. Check out the Technical & Help section or just ask if you are struggling. jac
Re: Starting over Hello, very sorry about your loss, but happy that you have a new family member. I had a labrador / spaniel cross for sixteen happy years; he was a wonderful dog. Looking forward to your photos!
Re: Starting over Hi Wendy ,great to see you here,you Archie and 'Busy Izzy' ;D are most welcome. I have Dexter ,a yellow 2 year old.it must be a shock to the system having a puppy after older calmer dogs. There's lots on the forum and the main site to help you get through the puppy fog....and there is always someone around to offer a bit of advice if you feel like you are sinking x
Re: Starting over Hi Wendy. My lab puppy Phoebe is 11 weeks old and yes it's hard work!!! Don't really even have time to post on here!!! Phoebe cried at night for the first three nights but then settled. Our bet recommended a plug in called Adaptil which we used. The biting is terrible I agree! We have tried absolutely everything and nothing really works. We do use time out in another room which I think helps us! I keep getting told it gets better so am just working through it! We start to go out for walks this week so hoping that may help. I haven't had time to work out photos yet!!!
Re: Starting over Its so nice to have somewhere to come to ask questions and get reassurance. We had an incident at teatime between Izzy and my old dog Archie. She was running around and chasing him and he was growling which he has been doing when shes got on his nerves, but this time he snapped at her. I dont think he caught her, but it was quite upsetting. She was very subdued after that and is giving him a wide bearth. Will they get used to each other or should i be worried?
Re: Starting over I think it is GREAT that he snapped at her!!! She needs to learn that he will put up with just so much, and no further. Dont worry, it is extremely unlikely that Archie will actually bite Izzy. I am talking from my own experience - we had an elderly 13-year old lab when we got Poppy. He was sooooooo extremely long suffering with her bullying and biting - I used to wish he would growl at her or snap! Don't worry - they'll sort it out. Just make sure Archie has a place to escape from the puppy. In a few months they'll be best friends.
Re: Starting over Thankyou for your reassurance Karen, i was a bit worried, but what you say makes sense. Archie can always go to his own room, infact hes there now as he likes his sleep. Also i wouldnt leave them alone together, ill put her in her cage when i have to go out.
Re: Starting over [quote author=Wendy68 link=topic=9114.msg130703#msg130703 date=1418674801] Archie can always go to his own room, infact hes there now as he likes his sleep. Also i wouldnt leave them alone together, ill put her in her cage when i have to go out. [/quote] That sounds perfect. We had two old dogs when Wispa was a puppy. They both treated her differently. Callum was very gentle and enjoyed her company, but she seemed to know when he'd had enough. Amber was more wary and would warn Wispa if she overstepped the mark, but then take herself off to her favourite place.
Re: Starting over Yes - the snapping is a warning and pupster needs to take heed. We had my 15 year old Cavalier when 10 week old Tatze arrived. He was a lovely boy but had very old, creaky bones and couldn't play at all, much as he wanted to. He soon told her when she overstepped the mark. He let her on his bed, but only if she didn't move one paw! I wished I could control her so well!! Dogs speak dog so well
