Melina Bea

Dory, I'm following along those lines, he gets nothing rewarding unless he's quiet and calm. I hope I'm not bring overly harsh on him... It's amazing, he stops from one second to the next. He's turned around and gone to sleep in his crate.

Sounds brilliant!!

Thanks! Still learning the lingo! :D

And yes, the snuggle puppy is too big for him, as he likes to use things as pillows... ETA: its actually a Night Comforter, which is even smaller than the Snuggle Puppy!

Thanks Moosepup, so it sounds like I'm doing the right thing. I wonder how many days it will take. If I have to leave him for a long time (shower or making dinner etc) it takes him 10-15 minutes to quiet down, without fail. But he goes mental when I come back, thinking he gets cuddles. The breeder didn't nurse him nearly as much...

Love it!!! Thanks!

Sujo, thanks, although that picture is actually from a week ago! This one is from last night: Question: How long does it take a puppy to understand that Tantrum = Mummy leaves room and Quiet = Mummy comes back / cuddles etc ??? /Tired

What's an opshop? Is it like a charity shop?

At least I am more settled! I feel a lot less guilty about a lot of things :-)

Okay, I can finally sit down to write a proper introduction of of my puppy! Meet Toracheeny Yatties Boy, aka Louis the Great, aka The Piglet, aka Spoiled Brat.... He is a Yorkshire Terrier, born on the 19th of March. As some of you know, he was brought home about a week ago, and had to be taken back to the breeder's the next day. He finally came back home last night, so I'm over the moon! He's relatively well behaved, but over the last week he's found his bark, so last night was tougher than that first night a week ago.

Koda is gorgeous! Welcome Fairystar, Samoyeds are stunning, can't wait to see pics! Louis is sitting on my lap, trying to che my ipad. He woke up at 5:30 (always does, like clockwork) and did a wee outside the newspaper, while I ducked out for about a millisecond. Then he splashed out on his water bowl in his excitement to be SET FREE from his pen. I just want to sleep! (Disclaimer: He slept through the night, I was the one who didn't.)

Only 3! Time really does fly. Louis settled quickly. He had a good whinge after being put in his pen, but he soon got the hint and settled down for a nap. He'd had lots of cuddles back at the breeder's (OH was fixing her computer), and he'll get some more before bedtime. We are gaga over him, over how well behaved he is (apart from normal puppy behaviour). Of course, by saying that I've probably jinxed it.

According to the website, they're frenchies. Ridiculously cute

Picking Louis up! Thought we were just visiting but he's coming home!!

What's the pineapple for?

Lisa - Mustn't forget the puppy! :laugh: KyKy- Ah I'm a little further north so Philip was perfect for me :-) Steph - You can count sleeps now! How exciting! We're visiting Louis this evening. The problem right now is that the vet wants him to stay at the breeder's until he's doing two poos a day. But it looks like he doesn't NEED to go that often! Now that his sister is gone, the Piglet label doesn't suit anymore. He's not constipated, he's not 'holding it', he's not trying to go. So I kind of feel like we might be waiting forever for something that will not come, while he should be home with us. In the meantime, we (breeder and us) can see that the puppy is just fine, so who knows what's going to happen. Breeder feels bad, embarrassed, she says. Because she is a reputable breeder and hasn't had this happen before, but to be honest we feel she's been amazing, and has become more of a friend than just "the person we're buying a puppy from".

Woohoo Steph! How long now? KyKy, what a gorgeous puppy! Have you settled on a puppy school yet?

Unfortunately he can, however be harness/collar/lead trained inside ..and taken on car rides , carry tours of outside ...so he gets to see/smell /hear the world :) Training can and should include toileting on command , grooming procedures, giving medication (using small pieces of treats) , Swap (giving up toys/contraband because he WANTS to get a reward ;) ) Eating after permission is given ... All sorts of things like this .. done in 5 minute grabs during the day will provide him with good mental exercise . For the physical, AND mental fun .. get him a soccer ball, and partly deflate it ... so he can chase it , chew it , jump on it, growl at it ...wrestle it :D I second chewy things like deer antler ! Absolutely, lots of things to do indoors! I was responding to the post about teaching "outdoors is for playing, indoors is for calming down" difference.

I'm sorry You've had to deal with such bullies. As a new dog owner it makes me sad to learn that this kind of thing is so prevalent around the country. I agree with sending a letter and avoiding face-to-face confrontation. Put everything down in writing for the record, including a warning that if it happens again you will be 'forced to' report them for harassment. I also agree with media involvement in cases where this is more prevalent and the council takes no notice. The media so often works against us, fearmongering when it comes to dogs, it would be only fair to use them to our advantage for once. Also bear in mind that dog owners tend to walk / train alone or in small groups so they may not realise there's a large group of like-minded people wanting the same changes and respect from the public. So awareness is key for mobilisation in more extreme cases.

Bear in mind this is a young puppy in an apartment. There's no back yard to tire him out, and he doesn't have all his shots so its not safe to take him to the park yet.

Gosh Smash, hope he's OK

That's the cutest thing!

Sujo, I'm missing him like crazy, way more than I thought I would. He was taken to the vet today, and he reckons it was all started by him 'pigging out'. He ate too much, did a big poo which caused a tear, and it was a repeating cycle from there. He's still on penicillin and will stay with the breeder for a few more days. *cries in a corner* Going to visit him in an hour.

Just called breeder. Louis is staying with her for a few more days. Didn't think I'd miss him this much after having him only a day, but I do, it feels horrible

I slept like a baby last night, AND slept in this morning :D I'd really underestimated the whole sleep deprivation thing!