orloffer's Spoo Puppy thread! 🐩

[orloffer]

if that's as short as it looks, she'll be able to jump that real quick if they all grow as fast as Finn

Yep, I know it's short. I believe it is only 26". It was not something I researched or chose personally, but it is very sturdy, which is good. We'll see how it goes...

 

[NatJ]

I used a pen of similar height for a Labrador Retriver puppy.
At first, she could not get out.
And because she was used to staying in, she continued to stay in even when she got bigger.

I have heard similar stories from other people, too. One used a child gate to confine their Lab puppy in the kitchen, and the dog eventually grew tall enough to put her head over the gate and look around--but she always waited for a person to open the gate, instead of jumping it.

(I'm not sure if these dogs accepted "that thing keeps me in" as a rule, or if they were just stupid!)

 

[orloffer]

I used a pen of similar height for a Labrador Retriver puppy.
At first, she could not get out.
And because she was used to staying in, she continued to stay in even when she got bigger.

I have heard similar stories from other people, too. One used a child gate to confine their Lab puppy in the kitchen, and the dog eventually grew tall enough to put her head over the gate and look around--but she always waited for a person to open the gate, instead of jumping it.

I hope that's how it will go with our spoo puppy! I want the exercise pen to be a comfortable space for her. It will have a crate and probably a couple of chew toys in it, and once we are pretty confident that she will not pee in the house, the crate will have a dog bed/mat in it. I might also do a bit of training with her in there, as well as playing with tug toys and the like.

(I'm not sure if these dogs accepted "that thing keeps me in" as a rule, or if they were just stupid!)

Hopefully it was the former!

 

[orloffer]

According to the vet documents we were sent, it appears that we are getting the "purple wave" puppy (referring to collar color)! There aren't any recent pictures from the breeder that are clearly of the purple wave puppy (their hair usually covers over their collars so it is impossible to tell which puppy is which), so you all will have to wait till tomorrow for pictures.

 

[black_cat]

I hope that's how it will go with our spoo puppy! I want the exercise pen to be a comfortable space for her. It will have a crate and probably a couple of chew toys in it, and once we are pretty confident that she will not pee in the house, the crate will have a dog bed/mat in it. I might also do a bit of training with her in there, as well as playing with tug toys and the like.

The concept of crate training is that puppies don't want to pee/poop where they sleep, so the point of confining them to a crate for sleeping will teach them to hold it, because they don't want to pee where they sleep. With something larger, they can pee elsewhere and come back to sleep. I'd have her sleeping on the same bed until she grows out of it, not adding one in later. Also, dog beds will get dirty, so if it's not washable/the cover's not washable, you have an issue anyway.

 

[orloffer]

The puppy is here!!
The breeder was so nice, and we got to meet all the remaining puppies as well as their parents. Tessa the spoo puppy is now sleeping on a dog bed in her exercise pen. She has not yet peed outside, though we gave her an opportunity. She was too overwhelmed by her surroundings and preferred to climb into my lap instead. We will give her another chance when she wakes up.
I will give a better, more in-depth summary later tonight. And there will be pictures, of course!

 

[black_cat]

The puppy is here!!
The breeder was so nice, and we got to meet all the remaining puppies as well as their parents. Tessa the spoo puppy is now sleeping on a dog bed in her exercise pen. She has not yet peed outside, though we gave her an opportunity. She was too overwhelmed by her surroundings and preferred to climb into my lap instead. We will give her another chance when she wakes up.
I will give a better, more in-depth summary later tonight. And there will be pictures, of course!

Hooray!!!!

 

[orloffer]

Alright, here is a more in-depth summary, along with several questions at the end. "We" sometimes refers to the whole family, and sometimes it refers to my sibling and me:

We drove 2 1/2 hours to the breeder's house. We had a great experience there; we got to meet the six remaining puppies, all of whom were so adorable, and the breeder also brought in each of their parents for us to meet. They were both calm, happy, and overall wonderful dogs, and they gave us hugs. She answered the questions we had written down to ask her, and then gave a brief example of how well our puppy tolerates grooming.

In the car, the puppy was in a box full of towels, located between the back seats (between me and another family member). She quickly began drooling (poor puppy!) and, within the first 20 minutes, threw up four times (in sets of two). For the rest of the ride she did not throw up, but continued to drool for awhile and then finally went to sleep, adjusting her position often. When we arrived home we took her outside in the backyard. She was rather apprehensive at being around new people in a new place, and did not go to the bathroom. We brought her inside and she went to sleep on my lap for a for a few minutes (aww!) before being transferred to her dog bed.

When we went to the table for dinner (no more than 8 feet from the exercise pen), she promptly began whining. We tried to ignore her, knowing that she will have to learn to be okay when no one is right next to her, but then, unfortunately, she pooped in the exercise pen. We took her outside....but still nothing, so we brought her back in. By this time I had learned that she does not really like her kibble and will not eat it unless it is moistened and mixed with cooked meat. So I moistened a handful of kibble, mixed it with a bit of cooked chicken (which is what we were having for dinner), and gave it to her in a stuffable toy. This occupied her for a few minutes, and after the meal we let her out again. She peed outside that time, if I recall correctly, and my sibling and I tried to get her interested in playing with a tennis ball. She pounces at the ball but does not pick it up and carry it to us yet. Since then we have let her out at regular intervals, though out of all the times she has only peed twice. The other times she either just followed us around and sat down expectantly, or ran back to the door to go inside. Now she is resting in a mat in her crate (door open) in the exercise pen. She has to have someone right near the exercise pen (if not in it), otherwise she starts whining.

Questions:
- How much cooked meat is too much for a puppy? (If we don't mix some with her food she won't eat it).
- Any recommendations for keeping her calm when we are not right next to her? She starts whining if someone is not directly next to or inside of the exercise pen.
- What should I work on training her first? I am thinking "look at me when I make an attention noise," "sit at the door to come in (and eventually also go out)," "sit or lie down calmly if you want attention (aka no jumping for attention)," handling exercises, and a few others I can't recall this moment. Anything else?

Sorry if this isn't very well written. I am not proof-reading.
Pictures to come tomorrow--they aren't uploading right now.
-

 

[black_cat]

Alright, here is a more in-depth summary, along with several questions at the end. "We" sometimes refers to the whole family, and sometimes it refers to my sibling and me:

We drove 2 1/2 hours to the breeder's house. We had a great experience there; we got to meet the six remaining puppies, all of whom were so adorable, and the breeder also brought in each of their parents for us to meet. They were both calm, happy, and overall wonderful dogs, and they gave us hugs. She answered the questions we had written down to ask her, and then gave a brief example of how well our puppy tolerates grooming.

In the car, the puppy was in a box full of towels, located between the back seats (between me and another family member). She quickly began drooling (poor puppy!) and, within the first 20 minutes, threw up four times (in sets of two). For the rest of the ride she did not throw up, but continued to drool for awhile and then finally went to sleep, adjusting her position often.

Understandable- puppies can get carsick easily, and drooling is also a sign of stress. I'd sure be stressed if I wasn't feeling good, in a scary new thing with new people, and away from all of the people that I knew.

When we arrived home we took her outside in the backyard. She was rather apprehensive at being around new people in a new place, and did not go to the bathroom. We brought her inside and she went to sleep on my lap for a for a few minutes (aww!) before being transferred to her dog bed.

When we went to the table for dinner (no more than 8 feet from the exercise pen), she promptly began whining. We tried to ignore her, knowing that she will have to learn to be okay when no one is right next to her, but then, unfortunately, she pooped in the exercise pen. We took her outside....but still nothing, so we brought her back in. By this time I had learned that she does not really like her kibble and will not eat it unless it is moistened and mixed with cooked meat. So I moistened a handful of kibble, mixed it with a bit of cooked chicken (which is what we were having for dinner), and gave it to her in a stuffable toy. This occupied her for a few minutes, and after the meal we let her out again. She peed outside that time, if I recall correctly, and my sibling and I tried to get her interested in playing with a tennis ball. She pounces at the ball but does not pick it up and carry it to us yet. Since then we have let her out at regular intervals, though out of all the times she has only peed twice. The other times she either just followed us around and sat down expectantly, or ran back to the door to go inside. Now she is resting in a mat in her crate (door open) in the exercise pen. She has to have someone right near the exercise pen (if not in it), otherwise she starts whining.

Questions:
- How much cooked meat is too much for a puppy? (If we don't mix some with her food she won't eat it).

Is it the same food that she had at the breeder?
Honestly, I'd want to get her used to just eating kibble. No dog ever starved with a full bowl in front of it. Give her just kibble in a bowl, give her 15 minutes to eat it, and anything that she doesn't eat gets taken away and added to her next meal. She'll be fine, and when she's hungry enough, she'll eat. You want her to eat just kibble because imagine you had her staying at a boarding house or a relatives house- it's a massive inconvenience to cook meat three times a day for a dog to eat.

- Any recommendations for keeping her calm when we are not right next to her? She starts whining if someone is not directly next to or inside of the exercise pen.

Do it when she's calm and sleepy. Leave, and come back in when she stops whining (give it like 10 seconds of quiet before going into view). She'll learn that whining won't do her anything, and also how to tolerate being away from people/

- What should I work on training her first? I am thinking "look at me when I make an attention noise," "sit at the door to come in (and eventually also go out)," "sit or lie down calmly if you want attention (aka no jumping for attention)," handling exercises, and a few others I can't recall this moment. Anything else?

I'd start with a basic sit. The easiest way to teach it is to have a treat in a closed fist. As she's sniffing to try to get it out of your hand, tilt your hand back toward you using your wrist. For some reason, they naturally sit when you do that, at least most of the time. Once you have a sit, you can do the sit at the door, which has been TREMENDOUSLY helpful with Finn.
I don't think that you should be teaching 'sit to get attention', you should be teaching 'jumping takes away your attention'. If she jumps on you at all, say 'no!' and stand up, turn your back, and cross your arms until she's calm again. If this persists when she's older, you can actually leave the room if she jumps.

 

[orloffer]

I'd start with a basic sit. The easiest way to teach it is to have a treat in a closed fist. As she's sniffing to try to get it out of your hand, tilt your hand back toward you using your wrist. For some reason, they naturally sit when you do that, at least most of the time. Once you have a sit, you can do the sit at the door, which has been TREMENDOUSLY helpful with Finn.

Sounds good! She actually sits naturally all the time. When I take her outside and she doesn't need to pee, she sits down. She also sits when she is slightly startled, when she wants something, and when she doesn't know what else to do. I will work on capturing her sit as well as luring.