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!!!!

Well thats Christmas over for another year, just the New Year to get through. My New Year will consist of a bottle of wine, a couple of DVDs and a puppy book, oh and the hubby somewhere in the background!!

To be honest i've not really been into the festivities this year, I usually am but I think the excitment of picking the puppy up in the New Year has just over shaddowed it.

We travelled the 2 1/2 hrs to visit the litter a couple of weeks ago, they were 4 1/2 weeks old and absolutely adorable bundles of fluff.

One really stood out for me, he was big, forward and very fluffy! Ali (the breeder) said that the sire occasionally throws a longer haired rottie and I think this is him. As i'm not planning to show him the longer coat dosen't matter to me, in fact i love it that hes going to be different.

I'm a little apprehensive about him being so forward as he is likely to develop a strong personallity which is going to take work to establish myself as pack leader but on the other hand who wants a shy retiring dog!! and I enjoy a challenge.

My living/dining room has been rearranged to fit in his crate, its huge! but its important to me that hes in amongst us and part of the family, this area of the house is where we spend a majority of our time so was really the only option.

Theres been another trip to the pet shop to buy his first collar and lead, some more toys and a bed which we couldn't resist. As hes going to be crate trained the dog bed is probably a little premature but never mind, there is one member of the family who appreciates it and the pup is going to have a fight on his hands to get near it I think!

More decisions!

Went shopping the other day and just happened to end up in 'Pets at home'! I was like a child in a sweet shop, just as well hubby was with me or the bank account would have suffered.
Such an array of 'stuff' for your four legged friend.
I did manage to hold myself back and left with a couple of toys, a Kong, a blanket and a brush.

I've spent a few hours researching the 'BARF' diet, Bones And Raw Food diet. This seems to be becoming a very popular way to feed your dog, due to recent research into commercial dog and cat foods people are concerned about the amount of additives and chemicals which are finding their way into the commercial foods, even more worrying is the other additives such as deceased cats and dogs which includes the collars and name tags! It seems that commercial feeds are causing many health problems in our animals and are contributing to a reduced life span. The BARF diet means no added chemicals, its an all natural diet.

I want to do what is best for my dog but I feel the BARF diet is going to take excellent time management which I do not have, it requires you preparing and making up your dogs meals and to be honest cutting up raw meat is not a favourite pass time of mine!

There are some commercially prepared feeds which have passed the close inspection of researchers and you can also get prepared, frozen, raw meat feeds so I think i'll be looking into those a little more before making a final decision on what to feed my pup.

Planning and more planning!

Its been many years since I had a puppy to take care of, and even then I don't remember so much planning going into it!
A majority of my spare time seems to be spent with my head in a puppy training or Rottie book, if i'm not buried in a book then i'm on my laptop engrossed in a Rottie forum or an online pet shop, I don't even have the puppy yet and already its taking up most of my spare time!
There are so many plans and decisions to make, where he'll sleep, where, when and what he'll eat, who'll come visit him on occasions we are out longer than usual, to crate or not to crate (have decided we will, at least till hes house trained) what and when to train, the list is endless.
I'm one of those people who like to know what i'm doing well in advance of it happening so I have lists and schedules all ready for life with a puppy, somehow i'm feeling these will eventually be forgotten and i'll have to learn to live with a lot less order!!