Bored puppy

Londonwriter

QUOTE=suki1964;26617963]
Do you use dry food? Dont know if you have tried it yet but hiding the food around the house to let him find his dinner can keep him occupied for a while.
[/QUOTE]

Yep - I hid it under the bookcases and he still goes under there from time-to-time incase there's any food! Am now worried that he'll still be trying to wriggle under the bookcases when he's got too big!

I filled a shopping bag with ripped up tissue and newspaper yesterday, and put treats in, and he didn't even need the treats the second time before he was rooting around enthusiastically.

Rosie75 wrote: »

The thing we like about working cockers is that they love sitting on your lap / the sofa / sleeping on the bed, but they can also take a 40-mile hillwalk in their stride.

That's what we liked about them. We wanted a hiking/jogging/biking dog who could turn around without filling our living room (ok, the house isn't that small, but...).

Everything's a bit better now. I was having trouble finding a puppy class for him (all booked up - I've found one now) so I had someone come to give me a bit of guidance at home.

He was good as gold with her and she said he was remarkably calm for the working cocker spaniels she met. She said part of the problem was my being highly strung and energetic. I was getting excitable, fidgeting, and rushing around, and he was feeding off my energy.

She also said I was getting too enthusiastic while training. For example, she said he tended to come in the house and poo because I didn't let him finish outdoors. The minute he started something, I'd be praising him like he'd won the Olympics. This interrupted his poo so he'd come indoors and finish later.

I'm now trying quiet, focused training. This is working.

callywally

chris_n_tj wrote: »

It has been known for a puppy to choke on treats. Ask any vet, most will say the same. Also look on the packets, it states not for puppies under 6 months.

So why dont they choke on puppy food!

Of course you can use treats to help train a puppy. You can buy treats made for pups or use pieces of their own food. you need to be sensible of course and not give anything likely to choke or upset tummys.

You should not be allowing such a young puppy to jump brooms etc. you will be straining joints etc and possibly causing problems such as hip dysplacia.
A working cocker is a very energetic breed and needs lots of attention.
If you dont put in the work now to train and socialise it you are heading for trouble!
He needs more than 2 mins every hour!
Toliet training a puppy is a full time job for a few weeks.
you need to be spending more time with the puppy, toliet training and playing sensible games that will help train him and use his brain and energy.
If you are not prepared to spend a lot more time than 2 mins every hour you really should have thought more carefully before getting a puppy. There are lots of adult dogs looking for good homes.

Londonwriter

callywally wrote: »

He needs more than 2 mins every hour!
Toliet training a puppy is a full time job for a few weeks.
you need to be spending more time with the puppy, toliet training and playing sensible games that will help train him and use his brain and energy.
If you are not prepared to spend a lot more time than 2 mins every hour you really should have thought more carefully before getting a puppy. There are lots of adult dogs looking for good homes.

Oh, for goodness sake. I'm a childless woman who works from home 99% of the time.

56% of dogs + in the UK (can't remember the exact stat) are kept by people who work full-time. Many of the rest are kept by mothers (who have other things on their plate besides the puppy) and elderly people (who need a more sedate dog).

It gets lots of attention in the evening from my husband, all weekend (from both of us), first thing in the morning from me, and every hour during the day. I don't commute so he gets until I get up (6am) until I start work (8am) with my almost undivided attention while I make breakfast.

If I'm not 'good enough' for a puppy then no one else is. An elderly person or unemployed childless person are the only groups who could be full-time carer for a puppy. And an elderly person is exactly the wrong person to have a working cocker.

Sorry for getting annoyed, but I felt absolutely out of my depth when my puppy arrived, and people who believe I should be getting up every hour 24/7 for six months and never leave the animals side don't help! No one can or should do that. Even the mother dog has to divide her attention between 5 - 7 babies.

suki1964

Londonwriter wrote: »

Oh, for goodness sake. I'm a childless woman who works from home 99% of the time.

56% of dogs + in the UK (can't remember the exact stat) are kept by people who work full-time. Many of the rest are kept by mothers (who have other things on their plate besides the puppy) and elderly people (who need a more sedate dog).

It gets lots of attention in the evening from my husband, all weekend (from both of us), first thing in the morning from me, and every hour during the day. I don't commute so he gets until I get up (6am) until I start work (8am) with my almost undivided attention while I make breakfast.

If I'm not 'good enough' for a puppy then no one else is. An elderly person or unemployed childless person are the only groups who could be full-time carer for a puppy. And an elderly person is exactly the wrong person to have a working cocker.

Sorry for getting annoyed, but I felt absolutely out of my depth when my puppy arrived, and people who believe I should be getting up every hour 24/7 for six months and never leave the animals side don't help! No one can or should do that. Even the mother dog has to divide her attention between 5 - 7 babies.

Take no notice, theres some on here who think only they know how to bring up a dog and its their way or no way.

Of course you have committed the cardinal sin of choosing to get a pup - and one thats not out of rescue so you are going to get those who are here to knock and not give any constructive help and advice -just ignore the posts


On a good note, isnt it great when you have someone removed from the situation being able to stand back and say how they see things and where there may be room to work? The getting wound up and wanting things done like yesterday I can so totally understand, i was like that with the lad I have now. I was so caught up on how to do things "properly" I forgot that A - I was human, and B - he was a pup.
It wasnt until the owner of one of his siblings came calling for a play time that I was able tosee how stressed I was getting and was able to sit back and ease off

Made life a lot easier


You are getting there, you are doing a terrific job, keep at it and get whatever support you need wherever you can - and keep us posted how things progress once he starts walkies


xxx

peachespeaches

We've got a pup at the moment and I know what you mean about keeping him occupied. I have bought quite a few dog toys, but recently found that the pound shop (poundland) sells quite good dog toys, These are the rope type tugs with different arrangements of tennis balls on, or just rope, they also have squeaky toys which ours doesnt like and solid rubber tugs etc. At only a £1 each I have decided next week to go and get another 5 or so and swap them round to avoid boredom.

I have also found our pup likes cardboard boxes and also empty plastic pop bottles with a couple of dog biscuits in.

You sound like you are doing all the right things, just keep going and it will get easier.

callywally

Londonwriter wrote: »

Oh, for goodness sake. I'm a childless woman who works from home 99% of the time.

56% of dogs + in the UK (can't remember the exact stat) are kept by people who work full-time. Many of the rest are kept by mothers (who have other things on their plate besides the puppy) and elderly people (who need a more sedate dog).

It gets lots of attention in the evening from my husband, all weekend (from both of us), first thing in the morning from me, and every hour during the day. I don't commute so he gets until I get up (6am) until I start work (8am) with my almost undivided attention while I make breakfast.

If I'm not 'good enough' for a puppy then no one else is. An elderly person or unemployed childless person are the only groups who could be full-time carer for a puppy. And an elderly person is exactly the wrong person to have a working cocker.

Sorry for getting annoyed, but I felt absolutely out of my depth when my puppy arrived, and people who believe I should be getting up every hour 24/7 for six months and never leave the animals side don't help! No one can or should do that. Even the mother dog has to divide her attention between 5 - 7 babies.

First of all I didnt say you should get up every hour, just spend more than 2 mins with the pup.
It does take a lot of time and effort in the first few weeks to toliet train a puppy, if you dont do it properly now you will regret it!

sarabe

I'm with callywally on this one. A nine week old puppy needs constant supervision.

I work from home and I have several adult dogs that need my attention but when I have a young pup nothing much else gets done for a couple of weeks. When puppy sleeps I rush around and do the important stuff.

These early days are soooo important and once they've gone that's it, there is no turning back the clocks.

House training is a doddle if puppy is with you and not out of sight for more than a few minutes.

There is so much for a puppy to learn, they are like a sponge at this age and they are learning all the time not just when we think we are teaching them.

It is so worth the time put in at this age to make sure that you are influencing what they learn instead of leaving them to learn the wrong things.

This is something that is very close to my heart because in the last twelve years I have taken on nine dogs from previous owners that couldn't cope with them and said they were untrainable and/or aggressive. All were pups under a year old. Most were about 4 or 5 months old, one as young as 10 weeks whose owner was at the end of their tether.

They all thought they would get a Border Collie because they are born ready trained didn't ya know.

Anyways LW put whatever you can on hold and spend as much time with that pup of yours as you can.

Oh and as an afterthought my dogs are calm indoors, happy to laze about and wait until I am ready to take them out but this is only because I gave them as much time as they needed and taught them this from the get go.

smily

it is hard to keep them entertained all the time,we've just got a puppy lab and she seem to have her own routine already she normally plays for about 1hr to maybe 2hrs then sleeps for about 1hr 45min ,but i have to admit at the moment there is someone there all the time to keep her busy ,but we've had her a week now and we are starting to let herself keep her entertained as there will not always be someone there,i personally think that if your on the go with the dog all the time thats what they get used to ,so they do need some time to do there things (eat your sleepers,chew your table and chairs,your pillows,you know normal dog things)also she does not appear to have many accidents in the house guess we got lucky with that,she knows her name,and sit and f@&ksake not another chair but she worth it so far (touch wood)

k.o.d

callywally wrote: »

So why dont they choke on puppy food!

Of course you can use treats to help train a puppy. You can buy treats made for pups or use pieces of their own food. you need to be sensible of course and not give anything likely to choke or upset tummys.

You should not be allowing such a young puppy to jump brooms etc. you will be straining joints etc and possibly causing problems such as hip dysplacia.
A working cocker is a very energetic breed and needs lots of attention.
If you dont put in the work now to train and socialise it you are heading for trouble!
He needs more than 2 mins every hour!
Toliet training a puppy is a full time job for a few weeks.
you need to be spending more time with the puppy, toliet training and playing sensible games that will help train him and use his brain and energy.
If you are not prepared to spend a lot more time than 2 mins every hour you really should have thought more carefully before getting a puppy. There are lots of adult dogs looking for good homes.

I think your holier than thou attitude is pretty poor show.
LW has asked valid questions and in all honesty seems a pretty good and responsible owner ( a little bit fitter than I am too )
Adult rescue dogs also come with problems too, lots due to the inability of previous owners to train them properly.
Am sitting here writing this with the 2 cockers running amok with the Shiba and the cats looking on in total disdain.
Keep asking the questions LW, some will answer with good grace

callywally

k.o.d wrote: »

I think your holier than thou attitude is pretty poor show.
LW has asked valid questions and in all honesty seems a pretty good and responsible owner ( a little bit fitter than I am too )
Adult rescue dogs also come with problems too, lots due to the inability of previous owners to train them properly.
Am sitting here writing this with the 2 cockers running amok with the Shiba and the cats looking on in total disdain.
Keep asking the questions LW, some will answer with good grace

I am very well aware that adult rescues can come with problems. Most of them caused by people not putting in the work when they were puppies.
I do not have a holier tha thou attitude at all.
Its a fact that puppies should not jump until they are twelve months old because it will damage joints.
If you take on a pup you should be ready to spend the time on it in the first few weeks. you will never get these important weeks back and a bit of effort now will pay off later.