Welcome to the puppies board

Please feel free to post up any tips or questions about choosing a puppy, caring for your puppy, and specific puppy problems. I have placed some links to Totally Dogs where some of my puppy articles are now housed!

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Afternoon to all you labrador lovers....We have today brought home a new lab puppy as an addition 2 the other 2 we currently have...It has been quite a while since we've had a pup in the house, and can't remember the best ways 2 settle the pup overnight..Any ideas would be appreciated. JEM our new pup will be crated during the night & @ times when not about, and will be in the same room as our other two...Need 2 understand best way possible 2 ssettle her, on her 1st night.

Thanks
Clair

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Hi Clair, congratulations on your new arrival!

Having two older dogs is a big bonus when it comes to settling new pup in.

I have always found that pups settle very easily if they are in the same room as an older dog. You shouldn't need to worry about 'ticking clocks' and the like, and the weather is fairly mild so he shouldnt get too cold when the heating goes off.

The fact that they will be sharing a room is ideal and the chances are pup will happy to be left for a few hours after a last trip outside for a wee.

Don't forget to leave quite a gap between the last feed and bedtime, to give his tum time to settle! Also whilst you want him to be fairly tired at bed time, a 'winding down' period before being left is a good idea, so that he is not too hyped up to sleep!

It will all come flooding back to you over the next few days, don't worry and hope you have a good night!

Pippa

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Thanx Pippa...watch this space

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Thanks for the good luck messages...well its night two and Jem cried on and off for about an hour, even though are other two dogs are in the same room. Didn't hear her again until about 5am this morning when my husband went downstairs to get ready for his early shift @ work. She cried for about 10 mins whilst he was having his breakfast, after spending 10 mins on garden with her, so fingers crossed tonight may be slightly less in whineing/crying.
We are going to try and see how we go with no light on downstairs when we go to bed tonight (light left on for our son coming in), as he said she stopped crying about 15 mins after he got in & when all lights were off downstairs...fingers crossed guys..

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Oh dear, poor little thing, she is obviously feeling a bit homesick still, lots of luck for tonight!

p.s. We love puppy pics!

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Night 3 beckons: Last night we left our stairs light on & switched the room light off, and Jem cried for 15 mins, so we shall do the same tonight, and see how things go...the other problem we now face is that Jem is a rather exhuberant puppy and continues to run and jump @ our other two labs...both are extremely tolerant, but Skye our middle lab is alittle unsure of Jem & will growl @ her if Jem runs or barks @ her.....I know that the older 2 have to keep Jem in check, but unsure when to intervene, as I dont want to put any of our dogs in a difficult position where 1 of them ends up getting hurt...any ideas. Thanks Clair

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

It's a difficult one isnt it? A little bit of growling if the pup is being a pain is normal. Most adult dogs are very tolerant of small puppies, especially once the puppy has become part of the family. Your puppy is still very new though and it may take a little while for the older dog to accept her.

The only way to be really safe is to supervise them. Especially in the early days. It helps if the older dogs can get away from the pup when they have had enough. If in doubt, give the older dog a break. She will probably become more relaxed around the pup as the days go by.

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Thanks Pippa. The only time the dogs are unsupervised is when they are left. For short periods or @ night.During these. times Jem is. In a puppy crtae. As i type this message i'm sat on the settee with Skye one side of me & Jem the other...so a quite night hopefully.Will keep u updated.Thanks Clair

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Hi Sam

Last night wasn't too bad...we've decided that we have to try and get back to some normality with the dogs etc...which means trying to get Jem the pup into one as well. So last night I decided for the last half hour or so, I would watch the TV with no dogs in the same room (husband was on nights, so I could choose something really girly on TV to watch), before going to bed. So I let all the dogs out for the last time, and put them into the kitchen where their baskets and puppy crate is.
Jem cried for about 15 mins which I persevered with (as she has quite a high pitch whine/cry)...and didn't hear her again until 6am this morning when I got up to start the doggy chores, feeding and letting out for their business etc....before going to work. Not sure how my husband has got on today as he will have been in bed until @ least lunchtime, but he does tend to get up mid-morning to use the bathroom, and normally would go down to let dogs out etc... before going back to bed for another hour...

We do also have really good neighbours, and they would tell us if she got really bad, but they are fairly laid back, as both know what its like having a new puppy about... after all they do have young children!!

Being realistic we've not had her a week yet. She is 9 weeks old today, and is so confident and already knows what no and leave means, so hopefully shouldn't take too long to get her to realise that its ok to be on her own.

Hopefully we'll get there.

Clair

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Jem cried for about 15 mins which I persevered with (as she has quite a high pitch whine/cry)...and didn't hear her again until 6am this morning

That is fantastic Clair, well done you. I genuinely think that dogs are happier too, when they know what is expected. Even if that means settling down on their own at night.

It sounds as though she is settling in really well.

 

Help! My puppy will not sleep at night!

Hello all,

My darling chocolate lab puppy Max came home to us last week and we are having a rough time getting him to sleep through the night. Is it normal for an 8 week old puppy to need to relieve themselves every hour? I have tried not letting him sleep before we go to bed and taking his water away an hour before he goes to bed but he will just not sleep through the night. Usually he wakes up every other hour and wants to play and my significant other and I are quite tired when the morning comes around.

We are working on crate training him but we can only get him to stay in his kennel for about an hour or so before he wakes up yelping and barking. He is getting a lot of play time all day but when the early evening comes around he wants to sleep and by the time we want to sleep at night he is up every other hour.

Is there anything I can do or is it just a puppy phase?

Thank you!

Sarah

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Hi Sarah and congratulations on your new puppy. It can be pretty exhausting getting up in the night to a pup, and many small puppies cannot go more than three or four hours at night without a wee, to begin with. This usually extends to six hours over the space of a few weeks.

During the day, an hour between wees is good, some pups go even more often!

With night-times you have two options really, because sleep deprivation is just so gruelling and so disruptive to family life. You can either leave him downstairs to cry at night, or you can try having him in his crate in your room. Either way, it is important that you do not interact with him in any way at night other than to let him do a wee outside.

In your room
This can work well with puppies that are very homesick. Because he is close to you he may relax and go to sleep. If it doesn't work and he won't settle and sleep in a crate near your bed, then you will have to go to option two

Leaving him to cry
This is tough, and he may cry for several nights. But once it is done, it is done. You will need to get up in the night to let him out for a week for the next couple of weeks or so. Try and make sure you only let him out when he is quiet. Don't wait for him to start crying. You may find it helps him to settle if you put a ticking clock or a radio on quietly near his crate.

He can't get out of his crate, only you can make that happen. It is really important that you chose when to let your puppy out. It should not ever be his choice. If you don't take the initiative on this one, you will have a dog that rules your life.

You might find these articles helpful
http://rachaelsjourney.com/click-for-a-quiet-labrador-puppy/
http://www.thelabradorsite.com/?p=2633


Let us know how you get on, and good luck!

Pippa

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Hello Sarah,
We used to wrap a warm hot water bottle in an old towel and a piece of the vet bed with the mother's scent on. This gives them something warm to cuddle up to as they 're used to curling up with litter mates.
Good luck,
Sharon

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Good idea from Sharon, also, some people find a blanket or towel over one end of the crate makes it more cosy.

Here is another article that might help.

How to cope with a crying puppy

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Hi there
Just joined the Forum, have a 11 week old black lab pup from a gundog breeder in the North of England. The breeder recommended we buy a bag of the puppy food they have been feeding the litter on which is 26% protein. Is this too much? Some research I have done suggests at 10/11 weeks you should bring their protein levels down to about 20% otherwise they grow too quickly putting strain on joints/bones. A recent trip to the vets for his 2nd vaccination suggests he's put on 2kg's in 2 weeks - again, is that deemed growing too quickly? Any advice would be much welcomed, it's 14 years since we had a pup having only just lost our beloved boy in May...

 

Re: Welcome to the puppies board

Hello Lisa and Neil,
I'm not an expert but it does seem high. We fed our pup Burns mini bites which is 21% protein. If you do decide to change to another food it is generally advised to wait a couple of weeks as your pup may be stressed settling into its new home. After 2 weeks gradually introduce the new food over a period of about 10-14 days to help avoid an upset tum. Hope that helps.