New puppy Jeeves - sleeping problem

[MellowYellow]

Hi there, from me and Poppy (9) and Merlin (4). Poppy was good as gold with her crate, loved it from day 1. Merlin on the other hand loathed and hated it. We persevered for six miserable weeks until I gave up and just let him sleep in a dog bed next to Poppy - from that moment on he slept through the night good as gold. So I'm not one of those dog owners who thinks a dog has to be crate trained - I mean, that is quite a new thing, I had never used a crate until we got Poppy. I'm not saying they are a bad thing, and they work really well for lots of people/dogs, but just not for Merlin... I suppose all I'm saying is, good luck and do persevere, but if it really doesnt work out then there are other ways of settling him at night.

PS Welcome to the forum! And Jeeves is a lovely looking puppy.

 

[Candy]

I used to give Joy all her meals in her crate and make a point of putting her favourite toys in there. When I eventually put it away ( she was ten months old by then and very settled in) she seemed to miss it at first. I found myself feeling a bit sad for her and was considering putting it back up again. Then I remembered all the times I banged my hip on it in passing and held firm. She soon forgave me!

 

[jazzmynn]

I used to give Joy all her meals in her crate and make a point of putting her favourite toys in there. When I eventually put it away ( she was ten months old by then and very settled in) she seemed to miss it at first. I found myself feeling a bit sad for her and was considering putting it back up again. Then I remembered all the times I banged my hip on it in passing and held firm. She soon forgave me!

We used to put Ariel’s away at Christmas as we needed the extra room, and yes she missed it too. She was always excited when it came back out in the new year!

 

[Atemas]

Regarding puppy classes - yes I've been looking into them in my area, some interesting options. Has anyone here had any experience with puppy classes? And I've also been looking into puppy daycare -because in a month, I will need to be in the office 1 day a week (100% wfh at the moment). And rather than leave him alone, I'd prefer he gets to spend time with other dogs/trainers which could further help his socialising skills. Anyone tried this?

Apologies - meant to reply to this yesterday. I think a large number of us attended puppy classes. I did a beginners, then follow on class. I later took Red to a scent/tricks/all sorts outdoor training class when she was about 10 months which was fun. The puppy classes however were mainly stressful as Red was in ‘overdrive’ the whole time with the other puppies around. Since then of course there has been lockdowns and dog trainers have successfully done online classes. If I’d had that option, I’d definitely have done that.

I have used daycare in the past when I needed to. We have a local Facebook page and people are always asking for recommendations for both training and daycare. You quickly get to know who locally is good.

Let us know how you get on

 

[M.F.]

Lovely name—Jeeves. And very gorgeous!!!

When Snowie (now 10 yo) was a puppy, he went to puppy daycare once a week from age 3 months to 6 months. He couldn’t stay as they had a neuter rule from 6 months and we didn’t want to neuter Snowie so young (in the end we left him intact). He loved daycare and I do think it was a good place for him to learn how to behave around older dogs. However, I know a lot more now than I did then, and we were lucky we seemed to choose a good daycare. But some can be terrible and really negatively impact your dog. So, if you go that route, make sure they’re run by people who know about dog behaviour. I’ll try to link a really good article that explains how to select a good daycare.

 

[Lab_adore]

I was just telling hubby about our new forum puppy Jeeves and we reminisced about too often sitting on the back porch at 4.00am with shredded hands and arms and a seemingly demon-possessed small ball of fur racing around chewing furniture, plants, humans, toys, walls etc. The best thing we did was buy a pen that could be made smaller or larger. Maxx settled into this as we could cover one corner and give him some darkness and he could still wander around and stare balefully at his parents! But we finally had some peace!

 

[M.F.]

Here’s the post on what to look for in a daycare:

https://www.facebook.com/857426880942607/posts/3999832700035327

 

[Betelgeuse]

I wanted to provide an update! On Sunday night, Jeeves slept most of the night by himself, I was very proud of him. At about 10:30pm, I headed upstairs, there was a very small period of whining (maybe 4-5 minutes), and then he settled down. I came down at about 1:30am to let him out, stayed for a while, and then heading back up and he slept until 5:30!

Monday and Tuesday - again he slept by himself, very minimal whining when I first left, and on both days he woke me up at about 6am (a sleep in for me!) to tell me wanted the toilet. The only thing we haven't quite mastered yet is that when I come down the stairs, he is so excited to see me, that we don't make it outside for the toilet! But his bladder control will get better, poor guy. And that leads me to another great benefit of sleeping upstairs, Jeeves and I get to do a proper 'hello' each morning. We're usually joined at the hip (well, his mouth is joined to my arm), so to be able to come down and get all that happy puppy energy is a great way to wake up!

He still isn't spending much time in his crate, he usually goes to lie in it just before meal times, and at night, he sleeps on one of the two sofas. But I really don't mind where he sleeps. Thanks to all for the great advice!

@M.F. - thank you for the daycare article! I'll do some more research and go visit a few places. It seems some daycare centres only take neutered males from a certain age (often 9 months). This bothers me a little because I haven't decided whether Jeeves should be neutered yet. I have read so much conflicting information, scientific studies, opinion. Some say that it helps reduce aggression, has health benefits and is 'good doggy etiquette' - in that, some owners may frown upon your unneutered dog. While others say that neutering doesn't make any difference to aggression, and it can actually affect health.

I think it's fair to say that there isn't enough evidence either way on the health issues, too many variables. On the aggression, it strikes me that behavioural training may be a good route. So that leaves 'etiquette' - do some dog owners look down upon those owners who choose not to neuter? I want to make the best decision for Jeeves, rather than any human sensibilities, and at the current moment in time, I'm leaning towards not neutering. Any comments welcome - for either side of the argument.

 

[Granca]

I wanted to provide an update!

That all sounds like really good progress!

 

[M.F.]

Snowie is 10 years old and not neutered. We ummed and ahed when he was young, read all the studies and opinions, and left it so long and realised his personality did not change—he remained as friendly as ever to humans and all animals. He does go mad when a bitch in heat is around and then I must keep him on a leash and get far away! And he does hump some dogs, but it’s infrequent enough not to be a problem, although it is very annoying for me and for the other owners and their dogs, but I do quickly get him on the leash. I have no idea why he chooses to hump some dogs. There’s no aggression associated with it, but he gets very determined!

My vet always comments what good condition he’s in. It could be that he’s intact and had all his hormones to help keep him this way. But other factors also contribute—diet and exercise are obvious ones.

He also has good joints, and apparently being intact is a contributing factor.

My biggest concern was cancers in the long bones, which apparently is increased in neutered dogs.

If you do neuter, the general advice is to wait till he’s fully grown—2 years old.

 

[Selina27]

I really enjoyed reading your update, your obvious enjoyment of Jeeves is a delight!
Look forward to hearing more

 

[Atemas]

Thank you for the update. All sounds very positive and yes his bladder control will get better as he gets older. Red’s last wee is at 5pm before her tea. She then doesn’t go again until we get up at 5.30am. This is the dog who as a puppy I got up twice a night until she was nearly 5 months so she could have a wee

 

[Joy]

Coming in late to welcome you and lovely Jeeves. Glad you are now getting some sleep! I know many people find crates useful but I have never used one so they're not essential. Just make sure that the room is puppy safe - eg that you have blocked access to electrical sockets, wires etc.

 

[Loraseal]

That sounds really positive and I also enjoyed reading it.
Regarding the "to neuter or not to neuter" question, well it really depends upon your dog.
I agree with @M.F. about the 2 year wait, if possible.
Hunter's "urges" kicked in at 11 months so you still have plenty of time to asses Jeeves.
We did not want to neuter as Hunter has joint issues and being in tact helps with muscle tone and joints. However Hunter decided to make himself the neighbourhood porn star and a menace to both male and female dogs. We tried to wait it out but we live in suburbia and there was always a bitch in heat plus it was not helping his joints. We first went down the chemical castration route (Superlorin). It is temporary(6 months)and gives you an idea if neutering helps. There are quite a few blogs on here about it.

I would also recommend the puppy classes and do your research on them. Class size, area etc. Our instructor had a rehomed Lab and had grown up with Labradors so she really helped us and understood my mangled puppy battered hands. There are still some techniques that I use from the classes.
Well done with the sleep training and more puppy photo's please!! Puppy belly is a firm favourite!!

 

[Stacia]

I have had two previous males castrated, wasn't going to do my present one but he had preputial catarrh which made a mess, so he was castrated at 19 months. With neutering male dogs it is best to wait until they are around 2 years ish. My dog is well muscled but does have arthritis, may have had that anyway. I think it is personal choice, but think it unwise to have a dog castrated as young as 7 months.

 

[MellowYellow]

So glad you are getting there with Jeeves and the sleeping!!! Well done!

I have had four male labs, and have never had any of them neutered. Can it be a bit of a bother when a neighbouring bitch comes into heat? Yes, but that is minimal. I have never seen the need, and none of my dogs have been aggressive, overly sexually stimulated, or difficult. That said, each dog and each situation is different, and ultimately it depends on what works for you - and if I had a male dog who would do better neutered, then I would ultimately probably take that step. But I agree with the others, wait a while and see how Jeeves develops before making any decisions.

 

[snowbunny]

Another unneutered male here. Shadow is 7 and one of our bitches going through cycles as if she's entire, due to a likely retained ovarian fragment. She acts as if she's in season, and becomes very flirty with him. He's not really bothered much at all. Some dogs would be beside themselves and wouldn't be able to exist in the same house as that twice a year.

Shadow does have dog aggression issues, but this is nothing to do with his being entire: we have used suprelorin a few times with him, and it never made any difference to his behaviour. If he ever needs to be neutered for health reasons, we'll make that decision at the time.

I really don't think that there's a culture in the UK of people looking down their noses at those who choose to keep their dogs entire. In other places in the world, there absolutely is.

However, you have to do what works best for you as a team. If he needs to go into daycare rather than having a dog walker past the age where it's an issue, if you can't come to an agreement to "see how he goes" with the facility, then the decision may be made for you. I certainly wouldn't be doing it before he's fully grown, though.

 

[Cath]

Fred is unneutered and he is very gentle. We have never had a problem with him. Jeeves is your dog and you must do what you think is best for him.