Surviving puppy parenting
Discussion
We have our first puppy arriving in a few weeks - an eight-week old yellow lab. I've been around dogs most of my life, but I've never looked after a puppy before. I bought a book on puppy training and I still feel a bit like a rabbit in the headlights, so I was wondering if the good people of PH could lend me some advice.
Specifically:
Specifically:
- We have quite a long car journey back from the breeder. Any advice for keeping the puppy calm and safe? He won't have been vaccinated by that point so I presume we can't let him stop and have a sniff anywhere people may have done the same with their own dogs?
- We've got a nice big crate for him to sleep in, which we're going to make as homely as possible. Any advice for the first night? Opinions seem to vary from setting an alarm and checking on them every two hours to trying to last the duration.
- Any tips for if/when you do have to take them out in the middle of the night? Our garden is fairly secure, but I don't fancy a game of hide and seek at 3am in the rain, so presumably, lead on, take them to their toilet spot, give them a treat when they get back in but don't play?
I picked up our new puppy last weekend (had plenty dogs before)
We stopped every two hours on the way home and simply picked a small patch of grass in the quietest bit of the services to let her have a pee and a walk. Dont feed her too much before or during the journey as she might be a bit sick travelling.
The best advice for the overnights is do not go downstairs when the puppy starts whining. Every dog we have had has whined for between 1 or 3 nights as they settle in. Even the new puppy now understands that whining is pointless and so is totally quiet overnight. She is 9 weeks old and is clean in the crate between about 1030pm and 6am when she gets out again. Its hard to listen to them cry but its worth it to let them learn.
Sometimes I have been letting her out on the lead but she is starting to learn to come back on command (plenty of treats) so i'm relaxing more and letting her out without the lead under close supervision. (Garden is fairly secure).
Not sure what puppy book you've read already but if its your first time, then id recommend "The Perfect Puppy".
We stopped every two hours on the way home and simply picked a small patch of grass in the quietest bit of the services to let her have a pee and a walk. Dont feed her too much before or during the journey as she might be a bit sick travelling.
The best advice for the overnights is do not go downstairs when the puppy starts whining. Every dog we have had has whined for between 1 or 3 nights as they settle in. Even the new puppy now understands that whining is pointless and so is totally quiet overnight. She is 9 weeks old and is clean in the crate between about 1030pm and 6am when she gets out again. Its hard to listen to them cry but its worth it to let them learn.
Sometimes I have been letting her out on the lead but she is starting to learn to come back on command (plenty of treats) so i'm relaxing more and letting her out without the lead under close supervision. (Garden is fairly secure).
Not sure what puppy book you've read already but if its your first time, then id recommend "The Perfect Puppy".
Edited by david mcc on Tuesday 15th September 12:06
david mcc said:
I picked up our new puppy last weekend (had plenty dogs before)
We stopped every two hours on the way home and simply picked a small patch of grass in the quietest bit of the services to let her have a pee and a walk. Dont feed her too much before or during the journey as she might be a bit sick travelling.
Well, I say a long journey. It's two hours or perhaps fractionally under, so I reckon we could do it in one go. Was thinking a shallow box padded with blankets sat on someone's knee?We stopped every two hours on the way home and simply picked a small patch of grass in the quietest bit of the services to let her have a pee and a walk. Dont feed her too much before or during the journey as she might be a bit sick travelling.
david mcc said:
The best advice for the overnights is do not go downstairs when the puppy starts whining. Every dog we have had has whined for between 1 or 3 nights as they settle in. Even the new puppy now understands that whining is pointless and so is totally quiet overnight. She is 9 weeks old and is clean in the crate between about 1030pm and 6am when she gets out again. Its hard to listen to them cry but its worth it to let them learn.
I have prior form here. When we were trying to get our son to sleep through the night my wife found it torturous, but I was quite happy to stand outside the room with a stopwatch (to time the 'controlled crying') and ignore him. I prefer puppies to children, but think I could quite happily do the same. Did you go back downstairs at regular intervals to start with or did she stay in the crate the whole night from the word go?
david mcc said:
Not sure what puppy book you've read already but if its your first time, then id recommend "The Perfect Puppy".
Funnily enough, that's the one I've got. There seemed to be a lot of philosophical stuff - positioning yourself as the head of the pack etc - but most of that just seemed like common sense after 30-something years around dogs. What I wanted was more step-by-step instructions. ('Get them to do X, give them a treat, then change to doing Y...')As above really
You're going to hit the teething stage at some point in the not too distant future - frozen carrot sticks are your friend here
From the transport PoV - the breeder should provide you with a blanket or something with Mum's smell on.
They should also give you some of the food they've been weaned on so that you can either stay the same or slowly move them onto your choice
Ours slept downstairs in his crate on the first night and the crying was awful. We moved the crate upstairs into our room from then until he grew out of that and moved into his larger crate. Since then he has slept downstairs.
We've never had to get up during the night with him - happily goes 11pm until 6am now (he's over 2)
Lots of conversation around walking - try and limit it to 5 minutes for every month of age in the first year - stimulating them mentally is your friend here
You're going to hit the teething stage at some point in the not too distant future - frozen carrot sticks are your friend here
From the transport PoV - the breeder should provide you with a blanket or something with Mum's smell on.
They should also give you some of the food they've been weaned on so that you can either stay the same or slowly move them onto your choice
Ours slept downstairs in his crate on the first night and the crying was awful. We moved the crate upstairs into our room from then until he grew out of that and moved into his larger crate. Since then he has slept downstairs.
We've never had to get up during the night with him - happily goes 11pm until 6am now (he's over 2)
Lots of conversation around walking - try and limit it to 5 minutes for every month of age in the first year - stimulating them mentally is your friend here
Good advice regarding teething, car transport and staying strong for the first couple of nights.
I would say don't be tempted to take a 5 minute walk into 10-15-20 minutes. I have a mini sausage and she's got a friend who has some joint issues and I wonder is that breeding, over walking or something else.
Also making training fun and something you're in the background always working on is important.
We love ours and she's very good in so many respects up to the point we go out for walks where we allowed her to pull and do what she wanted (to an extent). Other than the command WAIT and COME walking can feel like a workout and feel uneasy taking her off lead without her running off to other dogs or people to say hello. She's certainly not timid.
I would say don't be tempted to take a 5 minute walk into 10-15-20 minutes. I have a mini sausage and she's got a friend who has some joint issues and I wonder is that breeding, over walking or something else.
Also making training fun and something you're in the background always working on is important.
We love ours and she's very good in so many respects up to the point we go out for walks where we allowed her to pull and do what she wanted (to an extent). Other than the command WAIT and COME walking can feel like a workout and feel uneasy taking her off lead without her running off to other dogs or people to say hello. She's certainly not timid.
Pieman68 said:
We moved the crate upstairs into our room from then until he grew out of that and moved into his larger crate. Since then he has slept downstairs.
I don't think we've got enough room in our bedroom to do that. Did contemplate 'camping' in the lounge with him for the first night, though. Just whether I could resist the urge to play when he wakes up. I am already utterly besotted with this dog (and we haven't even picked him up yet) but I reckon I could shut out the crying if it was safe/advisable to do so.
Pieman68 said:
From the transport PoV - the breeder should provide you with a blanket or something with Mum's smell on.
Someone I know had mentioned he was given that and thought it really helped in settling his newly arrived puppy at home as well and would definitely be remembering that next time round. CooperS said:
I would say don't be tempted to take a 5 minute walk into 10-15-20 minutes. I have a mini sausage and she's got a friend who has some joint issues and I wonder is that breeding, over walking or something else.
This5 mins walking, maximum, for every month of age; I was told.
It seems like all good advice so far. We picked up our first dog six weeks ago, a black lab puppy. There are a few things we did that helped pup and us acclimatise.
The journey home (about two hours) was relatively easy. Pup sat in my daughter’s lap with several puppy pads underneath to mop up any spillages. Luckily the breeder had taken her out in her car a few times so the puppy was fairly used to travel. I took it gently and drove fairly sedately. She was fine - no spillages at all. Ask the breeder not to feed her for a few hours beforehand so her stomach’s not full.
Once home, crate train her immediately so she has a safe space. There are loads of great videos on YouTube on this subject (I rate Zak George and Robert Cabral for YouTube trainers - the latter is quite strict but his training is astonishing and his dogs clearly adore him). It took our pup a matter of minutes to happily go in there for treats and she loves it as her peaceful spot away from family chaos.
Oh yes, treats. I get through tons of Barker & Barker training treats. They’re invaluable for training and getting pup to do your bidding. Training should start from day one - sit, stay, leave it are vital, and pup will enjoy the process too. Consistency is the key to training. Change commands even slightly and pup will be confused. If the family want to get involved you’ll need to train them first on what words to use, tone of voice and when to reward.
Food. It’s been said already but keep him/her on the same as the breeder for the time being. Our lab pup is the working variety and she’ll be staying on Chudley’s, which is perfect for working labs.
Bedtime. Myself and my daughter camped out next to her crate for the first three nights. She whined a little bit we ignored her. It stopped after the third night. We took her out every few hours to go ‘pee-pee’ (good idea to get the puppy used to a toilet word) but by the fourth night, amazingly, she’d go from 11pm until 6am without an accident or needing to go out at all. Maybe labs have strong bladders, as I know sleeping through can take weeks or months for some dogs. Maybe we just got lucky. But the key is ignore the whining. If you go to her she’ll just learn that whining works! We sleep trained our two children and it was excruciating to hear them cry, but so worth it when there was silence after a few days.
I hope you have a great time. I’m astonished at the bond I now have with my dog after only a few weeks. I’ve always had cats and this is my first dog. I wish I’d done it sooner but the lockdown has given us the perfect space to bring a dog into the family. Post some pics when you have some. This is Lila:
The journey home (about two hours) was relatively easy. Pup sat in my daughter’s lap with several puppy pads underneath to mop up any spillages. Luckily the breeder had taken her out in her car a few times so the puppy was fairly used to travel. I took it gently and drove fairly sedately. She was fine - no spillages at all. Ask the breeder not to feed her for a few hours beforehand so her stomach’s not full.
Once home, crate train her immediately so she has a safe space. There are loads of great videos on YouTube on this subject (I rate Zak George and Robert Cabral for YouTube trainers - the latter is quite strict but his training is astonishing and his dogs clearly adore him). It took our pup a matter of minutes to happily go in there for treats and she loves it as her peaceful spot away from family chaos.
Oh yes, treats. I get through tons of Barker & Barker training treats. They’re invaluable for training and getting pup to do your bidding. Training should start from day one - sit, stay, leave it are vital, and pup will enjoy the process too. Consistency is the key to training. Change commands even slightly and pup will be confused. If the family want to get involved you’ll need to train them first on what words to use, tone of voice and when to reward.
Food. It’s been said already but keep him/her on the same as the breeder for the time being. Our lab pup is the working variety and she’ll be staying on Chudley’s, which is perfect for working labs.
Bedtime. Myself and my daughter camped out next to her crate for the first three nights. She whined a little bit we ignored her. It stopped after the third night. We took her out every few hours to go ‘pee-pee’ (good idea to get the puppy used to a toilet word) but by the fourth night, amazingly, she’d go from 11pm until 6am without an accident or needing to go out at all. Maybe labs have strong bladders, as I know sleeping through can take weeks or months for some dogs. Maybe we just got lucky. But the key is ignore the whining. If you go to her she’ll just learn that whining works! We sleep trained our two children and it was excruciating to hear them cry, but so worth it when there was silence after a few days.
I hope you have a great time. I’m astonished at the bond I now have with my dog after only a few weeks. I’ve always had cats and this is my first dog. I wish I’d done it sooner but the lockdown has given us the perfect space to bring a dog into the family. Post some pics when you have some. This is Lila:
Wise words Ross. I think you're on the right lines there.
No need to sleep by the crate (IMO). It's a dog! Feed at 5pm, remove the water bowl shortly after, empty before bed and you should be good from 11-6 from day 1.
It will whimper and yelp when the crate door is shut. Ignore and it will stop within 3 nights. 20 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins, nothing.
Don't try and "wear it out", (you can't), instead teach it when it's time to settle.
Get it off the lead from day 1. Train come, sit, wait, at a minimum.
Don't wish away the puppy days. Put the work in in the early days and you'll have a dog you can rely on and be proud of for life.
Here's ours, she's great!
No need to sleep by the crate (IMO). It's a dog! Feed at 5pm, remove the water bowl shortly after, empty before bed and you should be good from 11-6 from day 1.
It will whimper and yelp when the crate door is shut. Ignore and it will stop within 3 nights. 20 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins, nothing.
Don't try and "wear it out", (you can't), instead teach it when it's time to settle.
Get it off the lead from day 1. Train come, sit, wait, at a minimum.
Don't wish away the puppy days. Put the work in in the early days and you'll have a dog you can rely on and be proud of for life.
Here's ours, she's great!
Chester draws said:
Wise words Ross. I think you're on the right lines there.
No need to sleep by the crate (IMO). It's a dog! Feed at 5pm, remove the water bowl shortly after, empty before bed and you should be good from 11-6 from day 1.
It will whimper and yelp when the crate door is shut. Ignore and it will stop within 3 nights. 20 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins, nothing.
Don't try and "wear it out", (you can't), instead teach it when it's time to settle.
Get it off the lead from day 1. Train come, sit, wait, at a minimum.
Don't wish away the puppy days. Put the work in in the early days and you'll have a dog you can rely on and be proud of for life.
Here's ours, she's great!
Don’t you just love those wing-nut ears!No need to sleep by the crate (IMO). It's a dog! Feed at 5pm, remove the water bowl shortly after, empty before bed and you should be good from 11-6 from day 1.
It will whimper and yelp when the crate door is shut. Ignore and it will stop within 3 nights. 20 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins, nothing.
Don't try and "wear it out", (you can't), instead teach it when it's time to settle.
Get it off the lead from day 1. Train come, sit, wait, at a minimum.
Don't wish away the puppy days. Put the work in in the early days and you'll have a dog you can rely on and be proud of for life.
Here's ours, she's great!
Ah, seems the dog photos have come out...
This was just after we'd picked which puppy we were going to get. It's probably the next closest thing I can think of to the first time I held my son. Absolutely smitten.
We are getting the obligatory puppy pack with a bit of his mum's blanket. My only slight reservation about using that on the drive back is what happens during the night if he has an accident and we have to wash it. Could it be better to put it to one side and bring it out when he goes into the crate?
This was just after we'd picked which puppy we were going to get. It's probably the next closest thing I can think of to the first time I held my son. Absolutely smitten.
We are getting the obligatory puppy pack with a bit of his mum's blanket. My only slight reservation about using that on the drive back is what happens during the night if he has an accident and we have to wash it. Could it be better to put it to one side and bring it out when he goes into the crate?
Chris71 said:
Ah, seems the dog photos have come out...
This was just after we'd picked which puppy we were going to get. It's probably the next closest thing I can think of to the first time I held my son. Absolutely smitten.
Don't forget to post here https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...This was just after we'd picked which puppy we were going to get. It's probably the next closest thing I can think of to the first time I held my son. Absolutely smitten.
Chris71 said:
Ah, seems the dog photos have come out...
This was just after we'd picked which puppy we were going to get. It's probably the next closest thing I can think of to the first time I held my son. Absolutely smitten.
We are getting the obligatory puppy pack with a bit of his mum's blanket. My only slight reservation about using that on the drive back is what happens during the night if he has an accident and we have to wash it. Could it be better to put it to one side and bring it out when he goes into the crate?
I’d definitely save it until you get home. He’ll be far too overwhelmed to be comforted by the blanket. Just give him lots of cuddles if he needs reassuring, although try to keep as calm as you can during the journey. Animals will pick up on human anxiety so the calmer you are the calmer he’ll be. Good luck! He’s a stunner!This was just after we'd picked which puppy we were going to get. It's probably the next closest thing I can think of to the first time I held my son. Absolutely smitten.
We are getting the obligatory puppy pack with a bit of his mum's blanket. My only slight reservation about using that on the drive back is what happens during the night if he has an accident and we have to wash it. Could it be better to put it to one side and bring it out when he goes into the crate?
Chubbyross said:
I’d definitely save it until you get home. He’ll be far too overwhelmed to be comforted by the blanket. Just give him lots of cuddles if he needs reassuring, although try to keep as calm as you can during the journey. Animals will pick up on human anxiety so the calmer you are the calmer he’ll be. Good luck! He’s a stunner!
Thank you. Yeah, he's a handsome lad. 
With regards the journey home... Someone elsewhere suggested using a car harness. I know that's generally considered to be a good idea for routine trips once they're used to it, but he's never worn a harness before and I wonder if it might add to the stress?
Chris71 said:
Chubbyross said:
I’d definitely save it until you get home. He’ll be far too overwhelmed to be comforted by the blanket. Just give him lots of cuddles if he needs reassuring, although try to keep as calm as you can during the journey. Animals will pick up on human anxiety so the calmer you are the calmer he’ll be. Good luck! He’s a stunner!
Thank you. Yeah, he's a handsome lad. With regards the journey home... Someone elsewhere suggested using a car harness. I know that's generally considered to be a good idea for routine trips once they're used to it, but he's never worn a harness before and I wonder if it might add to the stress?
CooperS said:
Chris71 said:
Chubbyross said:
I’d definitely save it until you get home. He’ll be far too overwhelmed to be comforted by the blanket. Just give him lots of cuddles if he needs reassuring, although try to keep as calm as you can during the journey. Animals will pick up on human anxiety so the calmer you are the calmer he’ll be. Good luck! He’s a stunner!
Thank you. Yeah, he's a handsome lad. With regards the journey home... Someone elsewhere suggested using a car harness. I know that's generally considered to be a good idea for routine trips once they're used to it, but he's never worn a harness before and I wonder if it might add to the stress?
Chris71 said:
Chubbyross said:
I’d definitely save it until you get home. He’ll be far too overwhelmed to be comforted by the blanket. Just give him lots of cuddles if he needs reassuring, although try to keep as calm as you can during the journey. Animals will pick up on human anxiety so the calmer you are the calmer he’ll be. Good luck! He’s a stunner!
Thank you. Yeah, he's a handsome lad. With regards the journey home... Someone elsewhere suggested using a car harness. I know that's generally considered to be a good idea for routine trips once they're used to it, but he's never worn a harness before and I wonder if it might add to the stress?
Oh yes, try to not overload the car with people on the first journey. I know my children were both desperate to come with me to pick up our puppy but I only took one of them and me in the car. I didn’t want to overwhelm her with people, especially on her first outing away from her siblings. I’ve only had a few journeys with her still but I make a point of not comforting her. I treat the car and car trips as normal. If you overly comfort a puppy in a situation they find stressful, such as a car journey or when on a busy street you teach them that they’re right to be afraid. If you stay calm and treat the situation as normal they’ll look to you and learn that it’s normal too.
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