New puppy

So, after all my anguish, the holiday has been and gone and all went quite well. The pup loved exploring the new surroundings, we had him off lead and he didn't wander too far. He wasn't overly fond of being tied up but when people were downstairs with him we let him off again and he was ok. We went on lots of walks which kept his mind and body active and he was allowed on the balcony at night so I didn't have to worry about him wandering or hurting himself in the dark. He intereacted well with the two older dogs and wasn't fussed that he was sleeping in a new environment. All in all I think for his first holiday he coped really well so I'm extremely pleased. Looking forward to our next holiday away already!

Hi all - thanks for taking the time to give advice, you can't imagine how much this decision has been on my mind! Pup isn't crate trained, it's just not something I wanted to do. I can definitely see the benefit if it would help him to feel at ease while he was on his own for a while but given there'll be two other dogs in the same room, I'm not sure crating him would help anyway? At home he's pretty good, I can have all the doors open but he wont go into the bedrooms unless I'm in there so don't have a roaming pup situation! The holiday house hasn't been organised by me, I completely take on board that it would be better if the home was entirely dog friendly but short notice has meant the best we can do is a part dog friendly home! The yard isn't 100% secure but others have suggested the long lead and we'll be outside for the best part of the evening anyway. Sleeping wise there is a bedroom downstairs in the doggie area so I have requested that room so at night time he'll be relaxed and able to sleep. The idea of being able to have him with us, taking him down the beach and generally exposing him to new things I hope outweighs the possibility that he may be a bit upset during the times when he can't be with me.....

Sounds easy enough! What I didn't mention is that there'll be about 10 people at the house and also potentially 2 other dogs - the dogs are not going to be allowed upstairs where the people will be sitting. Given my boy is extremely social, is there any way I can stop him from being upset/barking/crying the whole time? Of course there'll be people checking on the dogs and looking after them throughout the time there. But, him being upset is my major concern It will be our first holiday with the dog and I would like it to be a good experience so we can do it more in the future.

Hi all. Quick question... How do people go when taking their pup away for a few nights? I am contemplating taking the pup to a beach shack but there are strict stipulations about where he can/can't go and also the area isn't completely fenced so I'm a bit worried about him getting out. Are there any tips/rules for keeping an 8 month slightly excitable puppy in control in a new environment??

Cone is off and he's not showing any interest in the stitches. They're internal stitches too. I may leave the cone on when he's by himself just in case. Worse of all is he's a small pup with long nose so had to get the larger cone which means poor dog is bumping into things and unable to pick up anything. Oh and I had to scratch behind his ear for him

The vet put the fear in me that if he chews his stitches it'll be another big op to fix it. Its breaking my heart watching him so upset tho so am going to try some supervised cone free time. Surely 10 days is a bit over the top?

Hi all. At a bit of a loss. Poor Baxter was desexed on friday and while his health is ok he's totally frustrated wearing his cone. He is biting a bit and generally won't settle down. He also seems to not like me?! He has to wear it for 7 more days and just wondering how to help him through the next week... Any thoughts?

Thanks for sending through the links. It is frustrating but I'll take a deep breath and hopefully help my pup fix this little issue :-)

My pup has an interesting story - he's from a regular farm and was an accident with the next door neighbour's dog jumping the fence! Hence why I also don't know his true breed. A friend of a friend put me in touch. When I got him he was already 18 weeks old and with no training (toilet or otherwise) so I knew I'd be facing an uphill battle with him. In saying that though, it's really only this outside toileting issue that I'm really concerned with. He's quite a good puppy and so cute too! He is not crate trained but is doing really well with his inside toilet training and I manage his movement in the house with closed doors, he sleeps on his bed in my bedroom with no issues. I have bio-zetted everything a few times to get rid of the smell but unfortunately for me he seems to have a very good nose. I guess I am just wondering how I can put his slow start behind us and get him to toilet in the right place, even though I cannot watch him all day. Any ideas are appreciated otherwise, yes, I think back to basics is the key

I know toilet training threads have been done but I think my pup has a real issue. He's a 6 month old Spaniel X and getting desexed in 2 weeks. The problem is that when my dog is outside, he pees on his blankets or the outside couch or in his kennel - then he doesn't mind sitting on it??? I can control his toilet habits when I'm home but when I'm out during the day I don't know what to do. When I am home and take him outside to toilet, I take him to the designated area and he tends to be pretty good with that. I also bought "attractant" drops which is meant to make the designated area more appealing. Is there anything I can use to stop him peeing where he shouldn't? I didn't think that dogs liked to toilet where they eat/sleep/play? I am worried that he hasn't quite grasped the concept so any thoughts/advice would be most welcome.

Hello to all... I just wanted to quickly let you know how Baxter is going. I took your advice and organised a puppy play date - well it was a puppy with a big old Labrador but the Lab is really gentle and calm and after about 10 minutes of Baxter barking at him, he ended up getting used to the other dog and they were fine. At puppy class last night he seemed to want to play with the other dogs, I think the actual problem is that he just isn't sure how to play! He was a bit awkard but not afraid - relief! Anyway, I am really thrilled with his improvement and cannot wait to get him out and about again and meeting new dogs. He seemed a lot happier last night so hope is not lost! Thanks again for all your comments - much appreciated!

Thank you for letting me know about the DOL meet up this weekend. I have a play date tomorrow night booked in and then puppy school on Thursday so if we see some improvement with Baxter and the other dogs then we might come along. If I think it still may be a little too much for him I will wait until the next one. Thanks again for all your advice, much appreciated!

I would like to hear about the DOL meet ups, it would be great to get Baxter mixing with other puppies. I am in Adelaide, not too far from the city so it would be great to be involved. Hopefully it is just a case that my puppy is scared of other breeds that he's not used to and that this fear will pass soon... I will keep you posted after the play dates and next puppy school class. Wish us luck!

I didn't get the puppy until he was 19 weeks old so it seems that he hadn't had a lot of contact with other pups although I know he had 2 sisters and a brother who were with him up until the week before I took Baxter. I like the idea of playing with the other dog as Baxter loves his food and will want to get involved! I guess the only interaction he's had with other dogs has been out in public so he's restrained by the leash however with the play dates set up this week, he'll be able to get comfortable in his own time. I hope it's not too late for him because he's a lovely pup with such a good nature... he's just better with people than other dogs at the moment.

Thanks to all for your advice. I have booked Baxter in for a few play dates with other dogs and try to get him used to them. My friend's dogs are biggr but calm so fingers crossed. Unfortunately yesterday I took him to the park and he was frightened of an 8 week old pup so I think it's fair to say that we have a bit of a problem. Hopefully if we get him used to our friend's dogs then he might go better in puppy school. As for uploading a photo of my little Baxter, all of mine appear to large to upload but watch this space... would still like to know your thoughts on his breed!