# Puppy blues do exist!



## Wiggins (Oct 26, 2016)

Hi everyone,

I'm new here to posting but have been reading a lot over the past few months. I'm going to apologise now for my post, I'm so emotional!!

We collected our puppy last week at 9 weeks old. Following the recommendation of our breeder, he sleeps in a crate downstairs with a puppy pad. Other than a few little cries when we put him in there he is settled. During the night he does use his puppy pad. If I go out during the day I put him in the crate. On occasion he might use the pad but most often not. 

The first afternoon and evening he was obviously very nervous so lots of accidents. In the days that followed, we would have the odd couple of hours without any accidents inside and after a week he has been following our verbal cue to have a wee outside and most poos. However, he wee's so much that we have as many or more inside. Sometimes I am outside with him every 10 mins. I could never wait an hour. I had been keeping our back door open so he could have free run into the garden but I have to admit, it's freezing cold which in turn makes us feel grumpy. I've got some of the spray so that he doesn't pick up his scent on the floor but that doesn't seem to have any effect.

Today there has been a breakthrough in that when I've spotted him about to squat on a couple of occasions I've been able to distract him. Until today I don't think he had enough control to stop and hold. It all feels so demoralising right now, clearing up seems to be all I'm doing. (And he doesn't make clearing up easy either!)

In the meantime, he has got braver and is now chasing the cat which I feel guilty about. 

Today he is able to go outside for the first time. I have put his lead on in the garden in the days leading up to this, but today he was pulling against it before we'd even left the house. We ended up having about 10 mins of him sniffing around the front garden & drive and a little in the lane outside. As soon as we got back inside he wee'd!

His behaviour had been great, but again the last day or so, he seems more aggressive. He is barking and growling which he wasn't doing before. Yesterday he kept stealing my croc shoes which I keep by the back door. I can see that they might feel nice for him to bite against, but it was a real fight with him to get them back. He was growling and wouldn't drop them. Once I did get it off of him he seemed really angry and was jumping up at me trying to bite. I'm not really sure what to do about this? Is this normal behaviour for a 10 week old? He is pulling at the bushes in the garden and tearing branches off of them. 

(I should add that yesterday he came in the car 'loose' with me for the first time, just for 10 minutes and whilst I was out the window cleaner came so that may have spooked him. Though we had already had the first shoe incident.)

I have been rewarding good behaviour and when he toilets outside. I'm now at the stage where I'm so down about it, I feel that I don't know how to play with him anymore as he just wants to bite/nip me or my clothes. I'm aware he might need more mental stimulation but I'm not sure what to do.

I really need to vacuum today but he seemed quite nervous of that and so I don't want to do anything to make him scared and therefore aggressive. I feel that I've really lost my confidence with him, I seem to be crying endlessly and I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions or support would be most welcome.

Thank you.


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## Gill57 (Mar 20, 2016)

Oh I do feel for you because many of us have been through that stage when we wonder "what we have done". I know you won't be able to see it now, but it honestly will get better. One word of advice though - please don't have him "loose" in the car - he needs to be in a crate because if you had an accident he could go flying through the windscreen or break his neck if thrown against the doors. I use a soft canvas crate which gives Freddie freedom to move, but keeps him secure.
Maybe do not let pup have free run of the garden otherwise he doesn't know if he is going out to poo/wee or play. Make sure you keep saying 'go tinkle' or 'wee wee' so he learns that is what you would like him to do. I personally wouldn't use puppy pads as it gives mixed messages as where it is ok to wee. You could also consider getting a play pen that surrounds the crate......
I'm afraid the nipping will go on for a while yet cos those puppy teeth are razor sharp. Suggest long sleeve tops, thick trousers and ignore when he nips. I used to stand facing the wall and Freddie soon learnt that nipping meant all interaction with Mama stopped!
I'm sure the more experienced posters on here will have better advice for you, but good luck and keep us posted as to how you are getting on and most importantly try to enjoy this precious puppy time.


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## Wiggins (Oct 26, 2016)

Thank you for your kind reply Gill...."what have I done" is exactly how I feel now, and also what have I done to my husband, son and cat! it was really me that wanted to get a puppy, thinking it would be great for my son (now 6) as he grows up.

I take your point about the car. I feel stupid now! I know friends that take their dogs in the car and thought that it would be good for him to come with me on short outings when I'm picking my son up etc. When I brought him home and took him to the vet he was in a cat carrier, he was the first to use it, but he didn't seem to like that. 

He's happy in the garden and definitely fine about going to the toilet out there, it's a matter of getting him there at the right time. I'm either on mega alert and every sniff and getting him outside, or I think he's just been and will be ok, then he goes. He has been countless times inside this morning, one just by the door, which was open! 

I will look into the puppy pen, at the moment I'm putting him in his crate when I'm out, but I feel terrible about that. He only uses the puppy pads during the night and they are heavily soiled which is why I'm unsure about taking them away. He certainly doesn't look to use them during the day. I'm still trying to figure out if he has weak bladder control or if he just goes where he feels the urge. 

Hopefully at some point I will be able to revisit this page and think how far we've come!


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## Gill57 (Mar 20, 2016)

It is such early days and having a puppy around does take a while to get used to. Freddie was my first dog and I also found the first few weeks so hard..... 
They do get the hang of always going outside eventually and some do it quickly and others (like mine) take several months to be completely "dry" in the house. Try keeping a log of food times vs wee and poo times over the next couple of days and you should see a pattern emerging. Freddie was easy to work out after doing that, but guessing when he was going to wee when over excited, tired or when visitors were here was another matter entirely!! 
The same routine every day is the key. If possible doing the same things at the same time like feeding, exercising, playing and nap times makes everything so much easier...... You will look back at this time in a few weeks and smile, but I know how difficult it can seem at the time.


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## Annabellam (Nov 3, 2015)

The first stages having a new dog can be a little stressful but there is no giving up. Most of the people in this forum will tell you that. Things will surely get better with training. In the car i would advice that you get a car seat. It is really important for safety.


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

At 9 or 10 weeks, you want to rethink his behavior as not being aggressive but about communicating. I swear their little puppy growls sounds as of they are ready to kill. I spent the first couple weeks looking up what to do about an aggressive dog, signs of the tail that indicates aggression, etc., because of the noise Beemer would make and the way he would go after Lexi. The two of them would go for each other's jugular when they played or their legs and I thought it was the two of them trying to kill each other. My first time with puppies and the two of them taught me that they were playing. You should see the look of confusion when I would stop their play. Your guy has been playing this way with his brothers and sisters until last week. And like you've described, he is comfortable with you now so he can play. Think about your crocs from his point of view, what a fun game of tug you played. When he has an accident in the house, do you make a fuss and tell him he was a bad boy (attention) or do you ignore him altogether and just clean up. If the cleaners aren't working, maybe try a different brand and you need to put more than a couple of squirts. You need to soak it with as much cleaning liquid as your pup peed. And then let it soak in for at least 10 minutes. Also, if you don't want your pup to pick up things, the easiest solution for everyone is to put it away or out of reach for him. At this point, no need to add more to your plate. 

It gets better. And it helps to think of small wins. Maybe he went from 5 accidents to 4. See that's one less. Yeah! Reframing the whole puppy raising and thinking how you can adjust to make it easier for both of you seems to be the key. 

Do post pictures. It helps when we fawn all over your new baby. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Pups are hard work especially if it is your first dog. I always recommend good reward based training classes - if you are in the UK try here http://www.apdt.co.uk/dog-owners/local-dog-trainers

Your pup is a baby in a world where he does not speak the same language and is now away from his whole family and housetraining will take a while. Take him out after eating, when he wakes, after playing, if he is sniffing around and otherwise every hour or so - as he gets older you will get better at reading his signs and he will start to understand. When he does get it right reward as if it is the best thing in the whole world he has done  

As far as the crocs go - he was having a lovely time chewing them and you came and started tugging away trying to take them off him - from his point of view it was either a superb game or YOU were being the aggressive one trying to take them from him by force. Learning to give things to humans is something he needs to learn gradually and not by force, for now you need to tidy things away or accept they will be chewed - but it is a puppy stage and not forever.

Tuggy toys were my best friend with a baby Chance, I could play gently with her with them instead of her attaching to my hands or clothes and when she got too close and got me instead walk away from the game so she learned to be gentle and careful to keep me involved in the game. Remember to look at things from the puppy point of view, if biting toys results in not much and biting hands results in shrieking jumping humans it is not hard to see why they will choose to bite the hands more - not aggression - fun!

As for the cat you need to manage encounters now and not allow chasing, use a lead to manage pup when the cat is around and reward both pup and cat for remaining calm in each others presence.

They are a shock to the system and a huge learning curve - but get it right and you are rewarded with a superb friend to share your life with


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## Wiggins (Oct 26, 2016)

Thank you all so much for your advice, I do appreciate it.

Everything except the crocs had been put away, in many ways our house has never been tidier! I kept them by the back door for the emergency dashes outside, of which there are many. They are away now, and I take your point about what I took to be aggression is playing, and I will try to view it that way.

We are signed up for classes starting in the New Year, which I'm looking forward to and hoping will help my understanding of him.


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## Wiggins (Oct 26, 2016)

A little update from us! 

We returned to the vets yesterday as we (and others I had spoken to) felt that the number of wees was excessive. Six times in half an hour is not unheard of. The vet agreed, fortunately he did a wee there (I didn't fancy trying to get a sample!) and he has given us some antibiotics. We also have some paste that we have to syringe into his mouth to help firm up his poo as they are still very soft with little to no form. And lastly some very bland, wet food until his stomach settles down. Until now he has been on the same food that the breeder had been giving him.

A couple of days after collecting him he had an ear infection too. The vets receptionist has advised that I should tell the breeder all of this.

Other than the accidents, yesterday was a better day and this afternoon we have a lady coming around who trains dogs to give us some advice on training. 

Last night we made his crate smaller and took out the puppy pads. Every night so far they have been heavily soiled. This morning....completely dry!!!


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Progress! A lot of Cocerpoos puppies have sensitive tummies. Pumpkin is good for this. I changed to raw and all sorts of problems cleared up. Their ears became clean, poos are small and firm, they look forward to eating and no anal gland problems. So maybe food for thought. The very best advice I can give you, is to stay calm, do everything in a very calm non excited way. Speech, actions, reactions, even being stern doesn't require shouting. Distract him with treats if he gets hold of something he shouldn't, keep some handy in every room he's in so you can react. Make sure your pup gets plenty of rest. They need a lot. Teach your 6 year old to be calm around him too. Never, ever encourage them to behave badly. If he grabs hold of the bottom of your trousers don't laugh and drag him round the floor. Same if he grabs a sleeve. Your husband, too, needs to stick to the rules. Be calm. Be consistent. Be gentle. Never startle your puppy. Give warning and....if you are worn out. Grab a snooze when your pup does. A glass of wine helps too. For you, not the puppy!


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