The Spotted Devil

I could get used to this...although it took a LOT to get these two lying so quietly :laugh:

Isn't he lovely! Are you going to do agility with him DC? A bit different from the BCs!

Well I have a Spotty dog and I just about guarantee your door frames will start getting chewed in a few months time :laugh: Zig is AWESOME now and is the patriarch of the house but I was really lucky to not have to leave him for more than 4-5 hours at a time when he was young. I don't have a doggy door but am considering that I might need one down the track.

Just remember that if you are getting a puppy, the first 18 months is a lot of work in terms of training recalls and supervision with kids - I'm not big on young kids racing around with puppies and young dogs as it often causes over arousal of the young dog, they start nipping, the kids squeal etc etc - it's much easier with a mature, trained dog. Similarly keeping your eye on your dog at the park and your kids simultaneously won't be easy. A lot of the time I leave my adult dogs in the car to train and exercise my pup and give her my full attention. My adult dogs have good recalls but they all disappear in different directions and it's difficult to watch them all at once. Not saying it can't be done but that it's good to have realistic expectations.

I understand as my lot are indoors when I'm out too. However, that's a long time for a youngster to be in a laundry and you will probably find that she will get bored and start chewing soon! If you must leave her inside I would put up a LARGE play pen in the living room where there is likely to be much more natural light and interesting things happening through windows. The pen will keep her safe and stop her wandering around the house. Think about her 5 senses - how can you stimulate her sense of touch, her sight, her taste, her hearing and her sense of smell? You can rotate her toys, put in different surfaces, textures, safe potted plants etc to discover, boxes are AWESOME as are empty cardboard tubes etc but you need to make sure there is nothing she can swallow and do damage - which is why I like boxes! I only give the plastic milk cartons filled with dry food under supervision to begin with - Em was great, she'd just bash it around and get the food out but two of my pups from this litter demolished it immediately - plastic is way too dangerous so they won't be getting that again. My litter had a clam shell pool indoors full of stuffed toys and then plastic balls - they would demolish the latter now but would still enjoy the former. What does she toilet on? You don't need to walk a 4 month old puppy - you need to PLAY and LAUGH and TRAIN! Walks are about training and socialisation for my youngsters. I'd rather put them in the car and drive to a local shopping strip as you say to watch the world go by :) ETA: Sorry keep editing with more ideas!

I have a goal in my house for puppies - they need to be up and active (i.e. training, play, self-exercise) for 2 hours before I leave the house. Generally I can manage it, even it means a 5am wake up on occasion and I usually come home to them snoring still :D

Fantastic!

How long is your pup confined for? And how old? I feed my youngsters their actual meals in Kongs, cardboard boxes and milk containers but my pups are normally pretty tired by the time I leave them and are just as happy to sleep. But that's only 4-5 hours on their own though.

My ACD was 17 when I had her put to sleep after a liver tumour rupture. She was one craaaazy dog - had to keep her on leash in her last few years as she went deaf (properly not just convenient :laugh: ) and would run and run on the beach like a puppy. Couldn't hear me calling and could barely get out of bed the next day. But happy? Absolutely!

10 weeks megan - the boys are having a lovely time here but they need to get out and see more of the world! I have taken Sir Humphrey out and he was all over everybody so I think I will start doing that with both of them this week a bit more. I'm very conscious that it's a critical time for socialisation although I know lots of puppies don't leave the breeder until 10-12 weeks.

Yes exactly Tassie! So glad they brought him back but it makes it hard to trust your instinct about people after all the visits and phone calls! The boys make everything as easy as 2 puppies could - Ginny would like to hang out with them more but I keep her very busy!

We are having lots of fun together - several brief training sessions at home every day and some fun outings too! Tugging and socialising at the hairdresser! Tugging and exploring at one of my favourite retrieving training spots yesterday… She even ventured into the FREEZING cold water…Em actually went swimming until her teeth were chattering. We headed out to KCC Park, did some classical conditioning around the barking dogs and happened to meet up with another field-bred ESS puppy (from a breeder I know) so they had a really good rumble. Ginny was a little shy to start with but soon started to use her agile body to slam her bigger playmate into the ground. They played beautifully! I now have TWO boys home with one of my pups being returned from what I thought was a perfect home when the new owners decided they couldn't give him what he needed. It was a very odd situation, particularly since Jim was the model puppy! On the up side I know what I did with these pups in terms of enrichment was spot on…noises don't phase them, nor does traffic, car travel, different surfaces etc. Ginny runs to grating in the footpath and walks across it purposely, runs up and down the trunks of fallen trees (whilst playing tug with the bark) and the pup in SA is apparently racing over all the "new" surfaces at puppy school like a pro. There just appears to be a shortage of committed owners out there at the moment. We had some sunshine yesterday and the boys are venturing further afield in the back yard to chase it…

Huh? Neither do I. Just make what I have puppy safe.

Fantastic! I did Recallers 5.0 and am signed up for 6.0 plus Puppy Peaks. I really enjoy SG's insights.

Agree that an undescended testicle is not a big deal if you intend on desexing anyway. Puppies have sensitive stomachs and get upset eating something they shouldn't (eg possum poo...looking at my boys now!) - so I would want to know if it was something simple like that or something more serious. I certainly wouldn't fly a pup that even had a mildly upset tummy even if they were otherwise bright and well. Above all it's your decision of course. And I know puppy prices can seem very high but my pups don't go cheaply either and there is no way I will break even. It's one reason many folk only breed when they want a pup for themselves.

Slightly off topic - but not really: Do bitches need multiple matings/serves to be really sure the deed is done? Probably depends on whether you prog test or not - helps a lot with timing but I still mated Em twice to be sure. The sire's owner is in a similar situation to the proposed OP's and it worked out fine BUT there is a really good prior relationship with the dog's technical owner. I definitely prefer to take the bitch to the dog, especially having a male here myself.

I don't have water in with pups at night (because it ends up being a play thing) but they do have opportunities to drink until just before we go to bed (anytime between 10pm-12pm). Ginny certainly shows zero interest in drinking first thing in the morning. In Summer I definitely wouldn't restrict them.

Yes, Mr TSD really connected with one of the boys in my litter…I said I'd only consider keeping him if he put as much work into training him as I am into Ginny. I simply can't do two pups justice - life is just too hectic as it is. He didn't mention it again funnily enough :laugh:

My Dally was much the same and still just wears a sad face when he needs to pee. I just took him out every 60 min at the very least, used a command when he toileted and gave him a handful of his food for peeing in the right place. No crates back then. Crating is not the cure all BUT if they are sleeping it's much easier to get stuff done without watching them and for them to tell you they are awake. I borrowed a whelping box so, yes, I was lucky to only have to do a 5 hour round trip to pick that up but the rest of the fencing I have picked up second hand. I still need to Ginny proof one yard...

If they scream, I would cover their crate. Quiet and it comes off. Still quiet and you get a treat. I picked up a heap of stuff second hand and borrowed a few things too as I'm not exactly made of money either. That said I'm forever adjusting my set up as the pups grow (including dragging big crates in and out of the car) and I'm pretty exhausted really.

Sheridan what's your set up? I have my own youngster plus her brother who hasn't quite found his new home yet and my lot do not have run of the living room unless I CAN watch them 100% and only ever one at a time. I have 2 pens as their "control" areas which they are in to sleep. A secure outside area where they can play (sometimes separately other times together but made secure with compost panels), another area that is puppy proof but not yet Ginny proof so requires supervision plus their day is interrupted with 3 training and/or socialisation sessions at a minimum. Whatever I do with them incorporates some sort of training. I'm also juggling 2 adult dogs and up until today another pup so tonight feels like a breeze :laugh:

My foster kitten "ahem" failure had his eye removed as a young kitten due to cat flu. His recovery and adaptation has been nothing short of extraordinary....he wrestles with the dogs and zooms around the house like the crazy cat he is.

Yep. And the person who shows up with $$$ won't necessarily get one of my pups either. I've talked a few people out of buying my pups because I don't think they are suitable - I am 100% honest so people's expectations align with what the pup needs. Can't see that happening in a pet shop.

Are you feeding skin on? It's very high fat and can certainly can cause sloppy poos.

Yes agree that the process in Vic was really clear - committee did a great job.