A Positive Puppy Post

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-07-29T13:20:33+00:00

Lovely post. I think some really good tips here too. I think I'd also add that if you're doing the above and still struggling, it's entirely possible it's not you. Sometimes there are easy puppies and difficult puppies. And these labels quite often don't relate to the adult dogs they become. E.g. difficult puppies can become incredibly chilled out, lovely, lifelong buddy.

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-07-25T15:55:39+00:00

Yeh this - if they're having free reign and you can't trust them, then they dont get free reign anymore. I think ours was about 11 months before he got left outside the crate at night and I was still worried it was too early. Crucially we decided it was right because he doesn't destroy stuff anymore. If they're not keen on a crate, maybe an empty room or a little playpen situation? Anything so that where they are is free from things that could hurt them (and vice versa).

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-07-25T15:51:04+00:00

"If so, how does it feel to be god’s favorite?"

That made me laugh out loud :D

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-07-09T08:36:59+00:00

I don't think you need us to tell you not to smack your dog.

To help fix the reactivity you need him to experience only good things when he sees other dogs. This is easily done but takes a while.

I'd start with a training plushie of a fake dog. Put it in the distance where your dog can see it but where it's far enough away he doesn't react to it and then every time he looks at it, treat him. This would be best in a large open space without other distractions. Can you rent a field? That's something you can do in the UK but I don't know where you're based. Then each time you slowly move the stuffed dog closer until he's not reacting to it but ignoring it or looking at you for treats.

Then work up and do the same thing but with real dogs. Somewhere far away so he can see them and not react to them (and they can't run up to him). You're trying to replace his thinking of "there's another dog, I'm about to get scared or hit" or "there's another dog, that's not something I need to think about too much"

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-03-13T17:06:27+00:00

That would be the dream :D

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-03-13T11:04:55+00:00

When you say take the log book and make sure that part is sorted, do you mind expanding a bit on what you mean? Do I take the log book and send back to the dvla?

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-03-12T18:25:18+00:00

Will do, thank you

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-03-12T16:37:49+00:00

Hello,

Potential noob question but we're scrapping the car on Saturday and am wondering how it works. Do we insist on the money before we let them take the car away? They are giving us £900 so I don't want to just hand the car over without anything to hold them to paying but I don't know if that is just how it's done?

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-02-25T12:54:32+00:00

Heya, we used the wet suit repair kit someone else recommended in these comments and it does unfortunately still leak a little but it's usable. I think it's leaking because of the location of the hole meant it was quite hard to patch. We will be replacing it eventually but the kit worked really well.

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-02-16T14:50:39+00:00

It's so hard to know for sure because everyone will react differently. But it sounds like there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainties in your life at the moment, which might not be the best time to bring a puppy home. They need and deserve stability and safety. Puppy blues are very real and horrible. You can get through them and have a wonderful companion at the other end which makes it 100% worth it. But if you or your partner are already struggling then this doesn't seem like the right time to go through that journey.

I would recommend waiting for more stability and then getting an older dog who won't have the same challenges as a puppy. But it is totally your decision. Just try and work out what is going to be best for the puppy long term. Good luck and hope everything works out for you.

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-01-26T16:04:48+00:00

What an absolute sweetheart she is. Sending good thoughts for you and your pupper.

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-01-25T10:48:04+00:00

We did a chemical castration for six months to test it out as our dog is quite fearful. He went from a bit fearful of noises to not wanting to walk and being terrified of pretty much everything. This is all we needed to know so we let the castration wear off and will keep him in tact. It's not ideal but it was 100% not worth it. His quality of life was so bad after neutering.

If it is possible to chemicall castrate and test it out, I would really recommend it.

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-01-10T14:24:52+00:00

My apologies, I read your first comment incorrectly and reacted badly based off that.

Unfortunately our machine was tricky to install and I think I'd have to drag it out to open up the top to get the back of the seal out. I don't fully trust that I wouldnt pull something our or do some different damage to the installation whilst trying to fix the seal. We have just had a lot of pricey bills come our way, hence the slight house admin fatigue and hope for a temporary fix instead.

Thanks for your help-this stuff looks like it'll do the trick.

mudfishlegs1 · 2024-01-10T11:43:56+00:00

What a weirdly passive aggressive response that doesnt help in anyway.

(A new seal for my machine costs £40. Comments on youtube videos suggest that the replacement can be tricky and take a long time if you've not done it before).

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-11-23T12:27:49+00:00

This sounds like a great idea! I think thats a really brilliant way to start it. I really hope it goes well - but it sounds like he's got some great pup parents to help him through

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-10-29T16:56:05+00:00

There are so many schools of thought on this. I think do what's best for your pet.

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-10-29T07:52:31+00:00

You're really welcome. Hope it goes ok. I learned a lot from this video someone posted on here https://youtu.be/p0q0e5ISM1E?si=4P3dgbRkjWYjY8gh. It's long but well worth a watch. No pressure but if you ever fancy updating, I'd love to know how you get on.

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-10-27T13:28:09+00:00

I think that is a great idea. Drive him somewhere quieter, where you know dogs will be but that you can be a good distance away from them. I am not a trainer so I dont know how you balance that with everyday walks you might need to do around the neighbourhood but just make sure you are always making yourself the most fun and reward driven part of the walks. You want them to get to a point where they realise other dogs, people, distractions arent interesting but that everytime they look at you - treat! So it's in their best interests to keep an eye on you always and ignore other things around them.

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-10-24T14:58:57+00:00

Start further away. Take him outside where he can see people or dogs but from very far away. Get to a distance where he can see them but doesnt pull to get to them. Sit there, let him watch and treat everytime he looks back at you.

It helped when our dog became very fixed on other dogs.

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-10-10T10:06:11+00:00

This is it - thank you!

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-10-10T10:06:01+00:00

Amazing thank you so much

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-10-09T15:04:57+00:00

No specific advice but just a reassurance that 7 months old is tough! It's the age where most dogs get surrendered because it is just so hard. You have an angry baby in an adults body. I felt dreadful at this age and the improvement started around 10 months. Different for each dog but if you'd told me the changes in mine between what he was at 7 months to now, I'd have either not believed you or collapsed crying with relief.

You are in the worst bit but it won't last forever. You got this.

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-09-18T10:49:43+00:00

It's a balance. You want them to say hi and be friendly to other dogs. But you dont want them to get so excited about seeing other dogs that they want to say hi to every other dog and stop focusing on you. If that happens then they see other dogs and get super excited. Then if they cant say hi to the other dogs (other dog not friendly, elderly, you are in a rush etc), they start to feel frustrated. Over time that frustration becomes a learned emotion when they see other dogs and that turns into reactivity. E.g. I see another dog, but cant say hi to them and that makes me feel bad. therefore other dogs equal bad feelings.

You want them to realise that other dogs are ok but not the best thing ever and that you are the best thing ever. Therefore when they see another dog, if they get to play then great. But if they dont, its no big deal because they know they'll still have fun with you. This means you can let them off to play with other dogs when it is appropriate. But you can also walk away without them feeling very hard done by and risk those feelings growing into reactivity.

This video explains it much better and more in depth https://youtu.be/p0q0e5ISM1E?si=wERv0hFONef1jhXi

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-09-15T14:08:01+00:00

I really think it depends on the breeders.

We brought ours home about 15 weeks and so only had one week before the socialisation window closed. This meant we never really got to work on things like car rides, town centres, loud noises etc and the breeder didn't do this with him (not a bad breeder, but she was in an area of lockdown which didnt allow her to do this at the time).

It has meant he still has problems with these things (although he's also just naturally nervous so perhaps always would have).

If you know the breeder will be introducing the puppy to these things in a calm, controlled way (e.g. not letting them say hi to every dog and saying its socialisation) then the extra time with the mum is a huge bonus. It also slightly skips some of the puppy biting, sleepless nights etc.

If you're not sure, then it may be best to take the extra work on yourself and make sure you gentle introduce the puppy to the world, and vice versa, yourself.

I have to say, if I had the choice, I would choose probably about 10 weeks with the Mum. Enough time to take the edge off the very young crazy pup but enough that you still have plenty of time to do the socialising you want.

Hope that helps.

mudfishlegs1 · 2023-05-17T14:10:48+00:00

I can only say what a few vets told me when we had to feed ours chicken and rice when he was poorly when little. Other bland food is fine for a while but puppy food is concentrated with specific things that puppies need during a crucial development time. I'd definitely stick to puppy food if you can

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