Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 8:08 pm Post subject: Our first fortnight together (with pics)
Hi everyone
Well, it has been 'trying' to say the least. Phoebe has settled well, we have a steady routine, have been out and about, had her 1st jab but she constantly whines - she has toy after toy after toy, plus milk cartons, plus coke bottles, plus loo rolls, plus fuss; yet she still whines. Sometimes I have to leave the house just so I can get 1 minute peace and stop me from loosing it The vet has given her the all clear apart from a potential problem with her hip as she walks funny (xray at 10 weeks will reveal all but vet said not to worry).
One day last week when I had to leave her for a couple of hours, my neighbour called my OH at work to ask if Phoebe needed him to go into her, as she had cried from the moment I walked out the door at 8:30am until John called my OH at work at 10:40am. Luckily I was home by 11am and she was fast asleep when I got in So that afternoon, when I had to return to uni, I called my home phone from my mobile and left it connected next to her crate just in case - guess what? She was silent the whole time!!!! I was , and all at the same time
We had problems with her hyperactivity and I mean HYPERACTIVITY -after meals Phoebe was running around like she was possessed, aggressively barking, vicious growling, jumping up and biting anything that was within 6 inches of her face. It was very scary and very worrying for us and I was honestly 'this' close to calling the breeder and telling her she had to have her back. So after a lovely chat with Pat and Sue in the chat room last Sunday night, we decided to take her off the Burns Mini Bites and give her Nature Diet plus fruit, veg and raw meat - I swear she was replaced by a totally different dog as soon as her food was changed; no more aggressive behaviour, no possessed charging, no growling and no snappy barking or evil eyes. So I would really like to thank Sue for being there for me and saving my sanity and possibly Phoebe's life!
Pheebs has had plenty of fruit and veg and raw meat all week and is a changed dog - here she is enjoying an orange
Phoebe had her first jab last week and has been out and about in my arms all week; she wants to be friends with everyone Thanks to JohnW for his advice about sitting on a roadside seat - she loves it!
We went to watch puppy training on Friday with Lorri and Abbey; she was desperate to join in
Then we went to see my friend's Bull Cavalier puppy today (English Bull Terrier cross King Charles Spaniel) who is 8 weeks the same as Pheebs but is tiny!!!
and she was a proper bully - biting Rabbit and dragging her by her ears needless to say, Rabbit got her own back when Phoebe was sleeping!!
I was fully aware before I got her that having a puppy was never going to be easy, but I never imagined it would be as hard as it is sometimes. This may be a bit harsh but I'm being honest here....sometimes I think that maybe I have made a mistake in having her and sometimes I don't really like her but hopefully one day, things will settle down and we can enjoy having her instead of having to watch her like a hawk every moment of the day and night and stop worrying that she will turn into an aggressive, dangerous dog.
Thanks for reading this far *phew* and of course there are more photos in her album if you click the link in my sig.
Ah Lucy -It does sound as if its been tough. Pups are like human babies -some you bond with straight away and others you have to work at getting the 'love' thing going, but in the end you love them just as much.
You'll be fine and so will pheobe. She's a lucky pup having you as her Mum, and she will be your bestest girl before long. You'll find your second pup much easier!!!!!!!
Love Becs and the Gang
Oh, Lucy, you sound like its been a bit of a roller coaster for you.I'm sure it will get better soon,Marley is 18 weeks now ,pretty good most of the time,little **** some of the time Still nips at us now so i know what you mean about worrying what they will grow up like, i wonder this too.Yes,i would say life was easier before Marley, but wouldn't be without him.Had a lovely morning walking over Cannock Chase with him and he was swimming in the lake (sorry you probably don't know where the hell that is !)then he had a lovely sleep, then this afternoon has been a mixture of nipping,diving on the furniture,digging up my plants and demolishing a pair of my shoes! Think everyone with a puppy on here has their bad and good moments,sure you will both be fine xxx
____________ Marleys_Album
click here to see piccies x
Oh Lucy,
things will improve, you will be rewarded for all your hard work, you will see a huge difference in her over the weeks of her puppy training. It is all worth it! The first few weeks are tough indeed! Phoebe is such a beauty! I remember in the early days when we just got Kyra and we changed her food to Burns, she was hungry and therefore ravenous until we found the ideal amount of food for her. The suggested amount on the bag is nonsense. It was far too little for her. As soon as we found the right balance she completely changed and she was a happy puppy!
I am glad you got help and found the right feed for her. It makes a huge difference. Just like us humans they get moody if unsatisfied and unhappy, especially with anything related to food!
Some pups are easier than others Lucy, give it two to three more weeks and you`ll have forgotten all about what a ratbag she was when you first got her
Very glad that you`ve had lots of advice from the members here thats enabled you to get Phoebe on the right track foodwise and going out
Good to see Rabbit waas able to get her own back to, playing together like that will help teach both of them bite inhibition, it hurts (as you and we all know!) to be nipped, they`llearn to be more gentle when doing it to each other, having bull terrier in her will make Rabbit stronger than Phoebe as she grows I imagine and Phoebe won`t find so easy to drag her round by her ears!
I can totally sympathise with you, the first couple of weeks of having Alfie i kept thinking i'd made a huge mistake and that my life would never be the same again, i had visions of having to watch a pup 24/7 for the rest of his life but trust me it does get easier (thankfully)
At the beginning i would tell Alfie he was going back to the breeder on a daily basis, it made me feel better even if i didn't really mean it I still have days when i tell him he's going back to the breeder though but no longer feel that way everyday (I probably sound like a terrible puppy mum but i'm being honest)
The joys and good days far outweigh the hard work though, he's my little boy and i wouldn't change him for the world
Pheobe is gorgeous, keep up what you're doing and things will get easier
I could just visulise your face !!!! and imagine what you are saying
Yes, thank's Becs, but there most certainly won't be another EVER! What I actually said was unprintable Becs I totally agree about the human babies and bonding thing - I told Lorri a few weeks ago that it was like the puppy I had played with and see grow up from birth had been switched - she just wasn't the same one who was gentle and sweet, and I was having real problems even looking at her. Thankfully that is improving now And Mary, 'ratbag' is a very gentle word for how I would describe her
I'm so relieved that you don't all think I am a bad person for feeling like this about her (well maybe you did but didn't post ) I have threatened her with Sywell Resevoir, a brick and a black bin bag more times than I care to remember - so thank you Ali for being so honest (yes I do know where Cannock Chase is - I used to have a boyfriend who lived in Rugeley) And of course I didn't mean it - you are right Lacey - it makes you feel better even if you don't mean it.
Well she seems to have forgotten our routine this morning cos she was up at 6:40 but wakie uppies is 7:15am in this house (on the dot usually). So she has done her business in the garden and had her breakfast and now she is fast asleep on my lap - I LOVE her to pieces when she is fast asleep Mark said to her last night that she will be too big soon for on the lap cuddles - I didn't tell him that your labs insist on lap cuddles and they're not baby pups anymore
Thanks again everyone - Becs, Mary, Crissi, Lacey, Ali and Lorri, at least I know I am not alone. You really do make things better by sharing your 'naughty pup' stories. xxxxxx
HI Lucy - You mark my words girl..... This time next year you will have forgotten how hard it is having a pup and you'll be all broody again!!!!! If I'm wrong I'll do a lap of the 2007 GT in my birthday suit!!!
Nature has a funny way of wiping the bad memories away and you'll be left with a rosy-eyed-view of how sweet and cute and cuddley lickle-ickle Phebs was when she was a babe and your hormones will be crying out for more puppies!!! (My hormones fool me on a yearly basis - watch this space for me cursing and crying next week when little Ugo joins The Gang!!!)
So long as you maintain your sense of humour (against all odds!!) you'll be fine and Phebs will be a big sis before you know it!!!!
I am glad you and Pheobe are sorting things out Sorry but I had to smile when you said she was really hyperactive and scary at that age.Try having a 40 kg dog doing that,one thats big enough to push you down the stairs or headbutt you so hard you end up with a black eye I have to admit there were times I loathed Dylan and everyone in earshot would know about it.OH who works away from home has admitted he was sometimes too scared to phone home as he all he was getting was me screaming down the phone like a banshee threatening all sorts of things to Dylan Labradors and what they are fed can become a huge problem,hopefully you have will have a much better relationship with Pheobe now...untill the "Kevin "stage that is I have to say that even with all his temper tantrums Dylan was very loving and cuddly but it took me a lot longer to be the one to say "I love you Dylan" I now tell him that all the time And time is a great healer.Dont forget that it may be your worst nightmare having a naughty pup now but sooner or later you will have the most loyal and loving friend by your side Believe me I am talking from experience.
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Phoebe has settled well, we have a steady routine, have been out and about, had her 1st jab but she constantly whines - she has toy after toy after toy, plus milk cartons, plus coke bottles, plus loo rolls, plus fuss; yet she still whines. Sometimes I have to leave the house just so I can get 1 minute peace and stop me from loosing it 
The vet has given her the all clear apart from a potential problem with her hip as she walks funny (xray at 10 weeks will reveal all but vet said not to worry).
, 
and 
but hopefully one day, things will settle down and we can enjoy having her instead of having to watch her like a hawk every moment of the day and night and stop worrying that she will turn into an aggressive, dangerous dog. 
) I have threatened her with Sywell Resevoir, a brick and a black bin bag more times than I care to remember - so thank you Ali for being so honest (yes I do know where Cannock Chase is - I used to have a boyfriend who lived in Rugeley) And of course I didn't mean it - you are right Lacey - it makes you feel better even if you don't mean it.
Labradors and what they are fed can become a huge problem,hopefully you have will have a much better relationship with Pheobe now...untill the "Kevin "stage that is 
