A few more pics

E. Coli

Finally an answer to Neos icky tummy. Its been going on since we got him home, most of his litter apparently had a slight tummy bug so we put the diarrhoea down to that and also the stress of leaving the litter and going to a new home.

A week on and it hadn't cleared up so he was taken to the vets twice and given antibiotic injections which seemed to help for a day but then the diarrhoea returned.

On Monday we took a sample to the vet (yuk!) and the results were in today. He was due for his 2nd Jab today so hubby took him down for jab and results.

It seems he has rather too much E.Coli in his gut which is causing an inflamed stomach lining, apparently all dogs have a small amount. We're now just waiting for some more tests to see what strain it is and which antibiotic to use, fingers crossed they will be available by Monday.

Thankfully the vet still gave him his jab, I was worried it would have to be put on hold and it would be another few weeks before he could go out, poor thing is starting to get bored in the house and garden and the cat is getting just a little frustrated at being barked at!

Hes also allowed to go back onto his normal puppy food so we'll reintroduce that slowly over the next few days, hes eating like a horse at the moment, polishing his bowl and asking for more, looks like a little barrel after a meal!!

Only a week to go before his first walk.

Well, the icky tummy drama is continuing, the third visit to the vets resulted in yet another antibiotic injection and a request for a 'poo' sample which Neo dutifully produced yesterday and I left for them this morning, fingers crossed we should have the results by the end of the week.

Even though his 'stools' are not normal Neo is in fact perfectly ok, on the outside at least. He never appears to be in pain, has a good appetite although the bland diet of chicken, pasta and rice is not really too appealing, and when awake causes complete havoc! the sounds of 'No, get off, down, don't eat that, leave the cat alone etc are constant in our house now!

The mouthing and chewing are improving, as in hes doing less of it, hes starting to understand that he has his own chew toys and the sofa and table legs are not included, he is very partial to the shoes though and thats going to take a bit more work I think. The mouthing is getting more controllable as he quits a lot quicker and on the occasions he nips a bit hard as long as you yell loud enough he stops and looks guilty.

We've been out in the garden this morning as its a lovely sunny day and not too cold, I got a Grey Rose that needed moving so got started on that with some help from Neo, he thought it was great fun and even provided some digging power for a few mins before getting bored and wondering off to cause mischief elsewhere. He has a couple of favourite garden toys which include a plastic flower pot and a piece of fleece nicely covered in mud!

It got to the stage where I needed him out of the way so off to the kitchen he had to go. We've got two pet gates, one from the kitchen to the utility room where the cat has his food and one from the kitchen to the rest of the house, both gates have a cat flap. Hubby reported the other day that Neo has finally worked out how the cat flap operates, only from the kitchen to the rest of the house, for some reason hes not attempted the one to the utility room, probably too scared of the punishment the cat might deal out if he ventures near his food! I left him in the kitchen this morning while I popped down to the vets, completely forgot about the cat flap and on my return was met at the front door!!
This time though I got the better of him and locked the cat flaps!

Training is coming on well, he sits on cue almost every time hes asked so we're now learning 'down' which is taking a bit more time but hes getting there, he sits and waits for each portion of his food, a majority of the time without being asked and doesn't approach the bowl until told to, we can also do anything with him while hes eating and he doesn't bat an eyelid. We've started with lead training today, just a few mins at a time, hes not overly keen on it but can be persuaded with a supply of cooked chicken. Hes due for his second jab at the end of the week, (depending on lab results!) so thought I'd better start getting him used to the lead before the big day when he can go out of the front door on his own four feet!!

Two steps forward, one step back!

Or is it 'One step forwards, two steps back'? anyway............

Towards the end of last week there had been some improvement to the amount of interest Neo took in things but I still wasn't happy with him, he still wasn't as 'puppyish' as I thought he should be and was still suffering from diarrhoea.

I went to work on the Tue morning but asked hubby to take him back to the vets.

Two steps forward............

It seemed that he (Neo, not hubby!) was running a slight temp so the vet gave him an antibiotic jab to kill any 'bad gut bacteria' and sent him home with some 'good gut bacteria' powders to put in his food.

Within a few hours hubby was reporting a much livelier puppy who had also regained his appetite, he'd just finished a bowl of food for the first time in 7 days!

Excellent.

By the time I got home on Wednesday afternoon he was full of beans, in fact he was a different puppy....................

By Thursday lunchtime I wanted the old puppy back!!!

He was relentless, playing longer and sleeping less. Now he has got his energy back and is starting to settle in and find his feet he is also starting to push the boundaries a little so Thursday was a bit of a battle between him and me.

One step back........

In the morning I gave him his breakfast as normal, I've been stroking him and putting my hand in the bowl for every meal since he arrived and have not once had a problem...... until yesterday!

While stroking his ears (which he usually loves) he growled, this was a warning growl not a rottie rumble. At the time I had no idea why this had happened, we had a sharp lesson in submission, he ate the rest of his meal without incident but we've gone back to basics for now as I won't tolerate guarding, I know its an instinct for them but that would not be a good enough excuse if a child or anyone else was to get bitten. So now every meal he has he is required to sit and wait, the food is put in his dish one spoonful at a time and each spoonful he has to sit and wait for, my hand stays in the dish the majority of the time and he is stroked all over. There has not yet been a repeat of Thursday morning. I win.

We've also had a couple of growling instances when I've gone to take something out of his mouth, again up until yesterday its never been a problem. Again it was dealt with firmly and swiftly and we've stepped up the training, he doesn't get anything without sitting first and we've increased the times we tell him to leave something, when he does he gets praise a treat and often the item returned to him, again we've not had a repeat of the bad behaviour. I win.

I am determined to nip any unwanted behaviour in the bud as when hes older and braver I don't want to be having a constant battle of wills, having dealt with the above instances calmly and firmly I'm already noticing a difference in his attitude towards me, we are definitely building some trust and respect which will go a long way in his training.

He really is a very bright little thing, hes learns fast and loves being around people but he is also happy to do his own thing which initially worried me a bit as I felt he was too independent and would be hard to train but as time has gone on I realise the independence is a good thing, he doesn't need constant attention, it gives him some character and so far hasn't interfered in his training at all.

Heres to 'Two steps forward' and forward, and forward.............

Improving each day

Well, what a little star last night, went into his crate with no fuss and no noise, I went to bed 15 mins later, still no protests, no ear plugs required! At 03.30 I had to practically push him out of the door for his 'toilet'.

Prior to Neos arrival I'd done a bit of research on puppy house training and was a bit sceptical about the idea of shutting them up in a cage all night but to be honest its been a god send.

A puppy will not soil his bed if at all possible, the crate is his bed so hes not once had an accident over night, obviously the only downside is having to let him out at a crazy hour but its been worth it as hes learning very quickly to go outside and as he get older he'll get better at holding his bladder. We've had a few 'accidents' during the day but this is normally down to me being too slow to open the door. The crate also provides him with a safe place to be during the day if he has to be left alone.

Hes been with us almost a week now and not been left alone for any great length of time so that hurdle will arise on Tuesday when I go back to work, personally I think he'll do just fine especially if its arranged so hes tired and sleeps most of the time. In-laws will be popping in and hubby will be returning at lunchtime so fingers crossed all will be well. The plan is once hes house trained to leave him in the kitchen but that will depend on the chewing situation!!

Each day he comes out of his shell a little more, I was actually greeted with a waggy tail this morning which has to be a first, he likes to be in the same room as us and will often follow us around, hes taken to sleeping alongside the sofa in the evenings while we're watching TV.

My impression is hes going to be an outdoor dog, out in the garden he plays and runs around like a puppy should, once inside hes much more reserved which I guess is going to be an asset as he gets bigger!!

Each day we are learning a little more about each other and working on the trust etc, he has such an easy going and gentle nature and he is quickly becoming a loved member of the household.

Now I just have to get him to eat better!! but thats a post for tomorrow.

Although I've been looking forward to getting 'Neo' for the past eight weeks the first night with a new puppy isn't something you look forward to so I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
Plan A was to settle him in his crate in the living room, go up to bed, put in some ear plugs and sleep, all best laid plans............
Mistake was I didn't put my ear plugs in straight away, I used the bathroom first and true to puppy form he whined and whimpered, once I'd heard him I knew I wasn't going to be following plan A! Ok so plan B came into action, armed with duvet and pillow I went back downstairs (hubby was on a night shift, good planning on his part!) ignored Neo and snuggled down on the sofa opposite his crate. Ear plugs in situ I tried to shut out the constant whimpering, after 15 mins I'd had enough, so without much faith of it working I loudly and firmly told the little bundle of fluff to be 'quiet', the was the last I heard from him until 04.00 at which point I took him out for his wee put him back in the crate, repeat of above and nothing more until 06.30.
That went so well I tried a different tactic the following night, put him to bed at midnight, stayed in the room watching TV, which I could just about hear over the din of puppy, at 24.30 he'd gone to sleep so I made a quiet and hasty exit up to bed, ear plugs in I heard some distant noise but was asleep before I could get all soppy!
A quick 'toilet' stop at 0300 then back to bed until 06.30.
Last night even better, didn't even need the ear plugs.
Since we got him home hes been a bit off colour, in fact I was starting to get worried as he wasn't acting at all puppy like, I know he has a fairly laid back personality but this was positively lethargic! He had little interest in his toys, even those stuffed with tasty stuff, wasn't' eating as much as he should and was very distant with us preferring most of the time to sleep at the other end of the room. And boy did he sleep, 5 mins awake and 2 hrs asleep! He saw the vet on Wed and was given clean bill of health but hardly noticed when he got his jab and a worming tab pushed down his throat.
I spoke to a friend yesterday about how un puppy like he was and she reminded me that on top of the stress of a new home both wormers and vaccinations will make them off colour.
As if by magic about an hour after this phone call I discovered that someone had taken Neo and replaced him with a very puppy like puppy! Complete contrast, lively, interactive, suddenly took interest in the toys he had barely sniffed at the day before and just followed me everywhere.
I think I had 'new mum' syndrome and was worrying about every little thing!

Finally......

Well the day we've spent almost eight weeks waiting for finally arrived, very early!
I was up at 5 O'clock, my husband was on nights so wasn't able to come and pick up the puppy, a friend came with me and he had strict instructions to be at my house by 6 or else, hes not known for his time keeping so when he arrived at 6.05 I was pretty impressed!

We'd decided to leave so early as it was to be a 2 1/2 hr drive, mainly on the M1 and M25 so I didn't want to get caught up in the notorious traffic jams.

We actually made very good time, good enough for us to stop off at a little chef for breakfast, we both remarked that the decor hadn't changed in these places since we were children, (some time ago!) and the food wasn't' much better either.

We arrived just after 9.30 at Alisons (the breeder) and were greet by Cali (the dam) and the four remaining pups, plus an extra mouth, Cali had fostered an 8 (ish) week old terrier pup and was quite happily letting her suckle to her hearts content, this is testimony to Calis good nature I think.

My boy was not difficult to spot, being the only fluffy male in the litter. He'd grown so much and I couldn't believe how laid back he was, 'Mr independent but happy to be fussed as much as possible!'

We spent a lovely hour chatting and playing with the pups but I had to get us out of there or we'd be staying the night! pups are so distracting.

Neo (we've finally agreed on a name and stuck to it) left the house with barely a whimper, I'd brought a cardboard box with me for him to travel in but if i'm honest I never intended for him to go in it! He travelled the whole two and a half hours on my lap as cool as a cucumber, waking a couple of times for a treat and a chew on his nylabone.

On arrival at his new home he explored the garden while my friend and I froze our socks off waiting for him to 'be quick'! I don't actually think this happened but I was willing to take the risk that it hadn't so I could go and warm my toes.

The cat isn't impressed with the new arrival and has spent most of the day sulking upstairs although he did oblige us with his presence for a couple of hours this evening before deciding having his bottom sniffed by a puppy was way beneath him and has gone back to bed.

All in all its been a successful first day, Neo has slept alot, played a bit and has had no 'accidents' I was expecting to be following him around with the kitchen roll all day.

Hes eaten very little but i'm putting it down to being away from his mum and litter mates for the first time and all the excitement, will give it a couple of days before I start to panic.

I have no idea what to expect tonight, hes been so good and laid back today I'm wondering if the monster is waiting for the crate door to shut before being unleashed!

Right now hes curled up asleep at the other end of the room, am guessing he'll wake up full of energy just as I want to go to bed! Welcome to the dog world!!!!