Hi,i was just wondering how everyone else got on amusing their puppies.Don`t get me wrong my GSD puppy has someone to play with 16 hours a day.I`ve had her since she was 6 weeks old and she will be 11 weeks on Monday(when she has her second vaccination) so she wont be allowed out till 12 weeks.She has got loads of toy`s to play with.My wife is at home most of the day an takes her out (carrying her) when she can but obviously the puppies getting bigger an its more than she can do to lift her now.I went to the local APDT an someone said about taking her down the beach to walk her along the water`s edge.Don`t get me wrong i`m not moaning there`s only so much playing, chasing and trainning you can do with a pup in a day before she get`s bored.I just can`t wait till i can take her out properly and start dog training with her.
Andy

I know how ffrustrating it is waiting for the all clear so you can get out and about. I'm at that stage too with my collie pup, and she is becoming ever more active too. At the moment our floors are covered in toys when she is awake. But her favourite 'toy' at the moment is our cat who gets repeatedly wrestled to the ground! Not much fun for the cat but she does keep coming back for more! She also Likes pringles boxes. We put a small hole in the lid and a few stinky dog treats inside and she will roll it around for ages trying to get at the treats! She also spends ages with a pigs ear. I usually keep them for times when I need to be getting on with other things as she is not tough enough to get through one in 5 mins like my GSD does.

Just a warning about Pringles Boxes!!

I know this isn't relevant to your collie as she is too big, but I do know of an instance when a 16 week old Border Terrier Puppy pushed his head into one of these tubes to get at the leftover crisps and suffocated!!!.  So please anyone with a smaller breed please do not use them as playthings.

Oh wow now your talking my pup loves pig`s ears she chew`s happily for ages probably the best discovery i`ve made.I`ve put her on the lead quite a few times but she end`s up going backwards while pulling the lead with her teeth and me.

Taking her down to the beach at low tide is fine, as long as she doesn't play with other dogs. After all, that ground is thoroughly washed every 12 hours! (Keep her below the high-water mark though.)
:)

Thanx JG would you recommend keeping her on a lead or could i let her off? Someone told me as long as you have enough treats in your pocket you`ll never lose a puppy!!!!!

I'd let her off. When they're little like this they aren't confident out and about, and won't want to wander too far. You are the only familiar thing in a strange place! Once they get braver about being out, that's when recall problems start. If you do lots of recall and praise at this stage it'll stand you in good stead in a few weeks' time! Have fun!
:)

Don't forget one of the lessons to be taught at this stage is enough is enough!:)  She has to learn that your attention is not always there at her demand after a reasonable amount of play you can reasonably enforce some rest (for you and her) if she will not accept being ignored you could try a baby gate or cage, this lesson is going to be extremely valuable too in discouraging the development of seperation anxiety later on.

Don't want to be a 'bad egg', but how are the local seals? We had a lot of animals near us last year that were ill with a parvo-type virus that could be passed on to dogs. So just take care.

Puppies have to learn that YOU need a time-out just as much as they do. The earlier you start this type of training the easier it's going to be in the long run, as some friends have found out ;) It's not much fun having a large dog jumping on you when you are trying to sleep :)

Good point about the seals! Don't they get a distemper type of disease as well? (or am I mixing that up with lions :))

i dont think id take a young pup to a beach,who knows what filth is inthe water. all sorts of dead animals wash up on ours,personally i dont think its worth the risk when you are near the time when you can go out properally anyway

I have to say I think the beach is a great idea. I know my GSD loves the beach and we take him whenever we can. We will be taking the pup as soon as BF gets a dog friendly car! When Max was a pup I never used a lead on him as our garden backed onto woods, and two steps out of the garden gate and we were off on walkies. Max and his sister would just follow me, making occasional breaks for stray pine cones! They would both follow pretty close, and because I would talk to them all the time, they tended to listen to me better. Now that he is all growed up, he will still stick to my side if I don't put a lead on him, and I think he is all the more trusting of me because of that early 'bond'. The collie is getting the same treatment.

Personally speaking, I think we can get a little carried away sometimes with keeping our pups away from all sorts of filth. Lets face it, these are animals which are descended from wolves, and they do have a certain amount of resistance to lots of bugs which would probably make people ill. If we let them get accustomed to these bugs then they will naturally build up a resistance to them for the future. Fair enough, keep them away from parvo and distemper if you know it is about, but I would think there wouldn't be too many seals sat on the beach waiting for you anyway! :0)

HAVE FUN WIV YOUR PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Hi thanx smiffchick.Yeah it is true we can be over protective,i`ve decided to take my puppy down the beach tomorrow morning at low tide.Obviously i`ll carry her across the bit of the beach that doesn`t get washed an i`ll keep her on the lead if there r any other dogs about.Luckily at Clacton beach we don`t get any seals so there is no chance of her catching anything from them.

Have fun on the beach then and let us know how it goes. (Cor blimey I haven't been to Clacton for aaaaaaaaages!!) Don't forget to take loads of piccies cos it's bound to be funny when your pup gets in the sand/shells/water for the first time!

Moss went to the beach the other week at Wales and he didnt pick anything up that we know about yet he was born on a farm and i bet theres sure alot of dirt around there plus farmers dont tend to vaccinate their dogs and Moss is full of health and naughtyness

I think that sometimes we can all smother our puppies with kindness by keeping them 'clean' but what they really want to do is be...well....dogs!! My other dog Max is a right minger when it comes to anything nasty, from rolling in things which smell, well, dead, to actually bringing me gifts of things which are, well, dead!! Most of his 'gifts' come with an added freeby of crawling things too and he has never been ill for a day in his life. I'll take a wild bet that of all the 'gifts' he has brought me, he has probably actually eaten twice as many!

mine can go out as much as they like once theyve had all their jabs......just not prepared to risk it before.they do meet other dogs....that im fairley sure are "safe"......id never forgive myself if a puppy of mine got parvo or something common as kennel cough (that can kill a pup) just because i couldnt wait a few weeks

Excuse me being thick but i just looked up kennel cough an parvo distemper on the internet.The injections a puppy has at between 8-12 weeks do they give them protection against these diseases??

parvo and distemper yes and also lepto i think not sure but i think kennel cough is seperate

The vaccinations do not in fact"give"the dog protection they illicit the dogs immune system into response & the antibodies the dogs immune system generates protect the dog

It is a popular misconception that the injections "protect"the dogs

Mine have always had their first outing to the beach before their jabs.  As JG said, stay below the water line and watch them enjoy themselves with the waves.  Take plenty of towels and watch a very tired contented puppy sleep all the way home.

Sandra

Puppy vaccs dont protect against kennel cough. Given as drops in the nose and has to be done every 6 months I believe. I think as your pup was a farm dog, I think he probably already has a pretty good immunity to anything filthy! It's a bit like having little kids isn't it. I found that the ones that always got colds and infections, were always the clean ones!

Novobiac (Intervet) KC vaccine now lasts for up to a year.

Just FYI

Wendy

Hi took Tia my GSD puppy down to the beach today. I must say she loved it,it`s the first time she`s been out an she was really well behaved i never had to chase her an she came back every time i called her even when she was playing with a bigger dog.She had her second vaccination on monday the thing is one vet told me she could go out straight away after her 2nd injection but the other said 7 day`s.I feel she was ready to go out an i think as long as i watch where she is playing she`ll be ok.Just like to say thanks for the advice.
Must admit my puppy is absolutely tired out now,she has been asleep for 2 hours.
Andy

i must admit i never wait 7days after the 2nd jab,just am abit careful where i go

Things to keep a pup busy:

Empty Evian bottle with lid on - my pup chases his for hours
Frisbee (great for the beach)
Goodie filled Kong
Hide treats around the kitchen or wherever he spends most of his time
Puppy tyres (Pets-at-home sell these)
Oversized tennis ball (about the same size as a football)
Cardboard boxes
Hide bones

Have fun

A

Also a treat ball, whole meals can be put into these to be rolled about abd enjoyed :D

Hi Dill,
where do you get these?
Thanks,
A

Hi andi,

My local(ish) ASDA is selling a treat ball at the moment, and you can get a BUSTER TREAT BALL from many of the canine suppliers online, the Buster comes in two sizes for different sized dogs but I've found its not so rewarding for younger pups as its squarish and doesn't roll about as easily as a ball, its great for dogs who have already got the idea tho :)  You could also try Pets at Home, or any of those type of shops.

The first treat ball mine have is home made, from one of those large plastic balls with a toy in - from machines (@£1) my little boy gets the toy and I enlarge the slot in one side to take the treats.  This wouldn't work tho with a larger breed pup, you have to make sure the pup can't get its jaws around the ball.  This is also useful for pups who bolt their food and end up with hiccups :D :D

Other things to keep pup busy - call pup and reward well when he comes right up to you - early recalls
Hold treat in front of nose and turn in slow circles in both directions and by side for three or four steps - early heelwork (this pays dividends later as pup learns to balance AND if you get it right knows the position by your side that you want him)
Sits, downs and stands.  Your pup won't know these but the earlier the basics are instilled the easier it will be later

Happy New Year

Hi,

Please remember to be very careful about hip develpment of young dogs free running on loose or compact sand (which is like running on concrete) and rough or fast play with other dogs I would not recommend it until a dog is alot older,especially in breeds like GSD'S ,Goldens,Labs etc better to be cautious than sorry.

Briony :-)

hi, briony, are you sure thats right , that running on sand is like running on concrete i always thought thats why joggers ran on sand to avoid putting pressure on joints???   Also i have a new pup ( ddb) this is my first breed that have hip problems, i have been reading a lot of literature on this subject, but when people say avoid strenous excercise whilst a pup, how much is srtenous? ( climbing up and down a couple of steps, playing with other dogs,) isnt this just normal puppy behavouir? or do i really have to restrict it that much??        thanks xx    anyone who can help?

I had to stop taking my arthritic retriever to the beach as she was very sore after walking on the sand.

Hi,

Yes im very right :-) wet/damp compact sand can be like running on concrete ,having had an older dog run into me take my legs from under me and  the brusing I gained down one hip and some bladder damaage required me to spent time in hospital and physio  afterwards.
When you think about you already have 2 componets of concrete sand and water you only need the cement to make it even harder and permanent.Yes you can exercise dogs are soft loose sand but again lots of free running on this with adog uner 12-18 months is not brilliant idea put him on a very long lead is better.
Young dogs should be carefully exercised because of hip development and free running with other dogs yes its natural for young dogs and puppies to run about like mad things with other dogs but it doessn't necessarily mean its good for the hips and a much higher chance of injury and not just to the hips.
My goldens are all carefully exercised for the 1st year with very small amount off lead work and only exercised with an older dog that won't get the pup/young dog too excited and are not taken to a beach until afetr about 12-14 months but thats my personal choice :-)
As I said there is plenty of time form 18 months onwards to give a dog as much exercise as it needs too many people sadly are in too much of a hurry and not prepared to wait and act with alittle caution.Many its because they think by tiring the dog/pup out its sleeps longer or quieter in the house but what is actually needed is more mental stimulation rather than physical but for some owners that too much like hard work easier just to let pup/dog run about like mad thing until its tired doing untold damage in some cases.To me a risk too high.

Briony :-)

Hi,

Also forgot to mention you wouldn't take a toddler for long free running on roads or wet sand.Many adult runners your correct do road running and run on beaches etc despite wearing special running shoes to take some of the stress from their joints many orthpaedic surgeons will tell you and physios  for that matter many runners  end up with knee,hip and leg
problems/injuries which often end up requiring surgery or are forced to give running up or when they retired have very bad arthitis as the joints of the human body were not designed to this kind of constant impact over time.
For young dogs its worse as they don't even have special trainers to even cut down some of the stress to their joints so hopefully you will see where i'm coming from.
I'm sure we all know of some dogs however who have been allowed to run and run and jump like mad thing since pups and have appeared to come to know harm ,either these dogs are very lucky or the damage hasn't come to light yet but why risk it :-)

Briony:-)

Thanks for that, i live very close to the beach, so i will resist the temptation and go once a week.