Hell puppy!

[Spiritedly]

Okay he's not really a puppy from hell but after not having a puppy for 15 years it feels that way!

We lost one of our Spaniels just before Christmas and had just reached the stage where we were starting to look for another one although not really seriously when a friend messaged 2 weeks ago to ask if I knew anyone looking for a puppy....complicated friend of relative needing to rehome...said puppy was 8 weeks, a spaniel and free! It seemed like fate and I said 'yes us!' He turned out to be a Spaniel X Whippet?? But 3 hours later was in the car heading home.

My eldest son had ADHD and ASD and years ago his counsellor suggested getting 2 books for him one was 'All cats have autism' the other 'All dogs have ADHD' and this little puppy definitely needs some ritalin I would say he's more Spaniel than Whippet as he's non stop energy then he crashes, he is super intelligent and has already learnt his name, sit, down, come, stay...sit and down..., bed, no, spin, leave and off, oh and hes learnt how tonuse the cat flap! Our other Spaniel seems to go from shoving a toy in his face to play tug to looking at us with loathing that we have brought this menance into the house.

I'm wondering if he would be too hyper for gundog work but will definitely give agility a go once he's older and it won't cause damage.

I was looking for puppy classes to do with him once he's had his 2nd jab and was surprised that no one seems to do them anymore it's all one on one training rather than working on the socialisation side too.

Anyway I just wanted to post for moral support as I feel a bit like an older mother having a baby when all her previous children are grown up.

Photos of Tux the terror added for *aww*

 

[Amymay Again]

Again, just here for the photos....

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Again, just here for the photos....

Same... same...

Spaniel x Whippet? Sending you thoughts and prayers OP.

 

[planete]

You have my sympathy. The last puppy I fostered left me completely exhausted and I decided I no longer had enough stamina for pups. She was not a spaniel but a saluki, beautiful and super needy. They soon grow up though and it is all worth it. Just keep that thought in mind, he sounds great!

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Oh my god. I love him but this perfectly illustrates why puppies are nice to coo over through photos, nice to cuddle for half an hour then hand back to their owner.... But decidedly not nice to own!!!

 

[stangs]

For a puppy called "Tux the terror", you've chosen photos where he looks remarkably calm!

Also - save yourself a lot of hassle, start teaching him an off-switch now. They need more rest than they realise.

 

[Spiritedly]

For a puppy called "Tux the terror", you've chosen photos where he looks remarkably calm!

Also - save yourself a lot of hassle, start teaching him an off-switch now. They need more rest than they realise.

He has a little badger toy and he's learning that when he's given that its time to calm down and settle.

I also have a lot of photos where he's a blur

 

[Petalpoos]

He’s so cute! But it gives me a little shudder to imagine what he will be like once he reaches the Land Shark stage. It’s just as well we love them so much

 

[Nocturnal]

No helpful comments here, just an awwwwww

 

[Clodagh]

Perhaps we could pay someone a lot of money to take our puppies off our hands until they are 6 months old? Let’s start looking.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

So cute!

 

[Nicnac]

15 years is a long time to forget how full on puppies are. Like toddlers on speed. Brain and body at a million miles a minute then they crash.
Tux is adorable.

 

[I'm Dun]

Soo, the bad news is whippet puppies are awful! Its just a thing that they are demon land sharks, then get to around 2 and turn into the perfect dog. They are fast, athletic, curious and inependent thinkers. Add in a bit of spaniel tenacity and your going to have fun

The good news is, it doesnt last forever, whippets are the best dog and spaniels a close second so how can he not grow up to be a GOOD DOG, and just look how gorgeous he is!

I've got ADHD and its been very hard, my dogs have kept me alive at times when nothing else would have. Whippets are sensitive souls and seem to have a level of empathy I've not seen in other breeds. My oldest boy taught himself to wake me up if I have a low blood sugar (I'm diabetic), and the youngest has now taken over the role of keeping me sane! I hope your puppy brings your son the same love and endless joy and support my current 2 have brought me.

 

[CorvusCorax]

OK so it's only been two weeks, there's lots more fun to come he will also probably forget all those commands during adolescence. If you've tried to teach him All The Things in a fortnight then he's probably overstimulated. I train my dogs for competition, including an obedience phase, and I wouldn't expect double figure numbers of different commands in a ten week old puppy.

This time should be for building relationships and teaching them how to be calm and how to think and learn, very basic things about life, rather than expecting lots of different behaviours.

Also for me 'socialisation' means ignoring other dogs, not running around with them or fixating on them until they're too tired to be a PITA

I never train group classes, for me they satisfy a human need to get value for money/time (handler and trainer) rather than optimise learning for handler and dog.

 

[Spiritedly]

OK so it's only been two weeks, there's lots more fun to come he will also probably forget all those commands during adolescence. If you've tried to teach him All The Things in a fortnight then he's probably overstimulated. I train my dogs for competition, including an obedience phase, and I wouldn't expect double figure numbers of different commands in a ten week old puppy.

This time should be for building relationships and teaching them how to be calm and how to think and learn, very basic things about life, rather than expecting lots of different behaviours.

Also for me 'socialisation' means ignoring other dogs, not running around with them or fixating on them until they're too tired to be a PITA

I never train group classes, for me they satisfy a human need to get value for money/time (handler and trainer) rather than optimise learning for handler and dog.

He gets 5 - 10 minutes of training once a day but is also told things like his name, come, sit, stay, leave, off etc during the day for everyday things like leaving the cats/plants, not jumping up, going into his crate and waiting for his food etc so it's not intensive training he just picks things up quickly and I am expecting most of the training to go out the window when he hits full 'demon puppy' mode.

The puppy classes are more for him to get used to working around other dogs and concentrating on me not them rather than somewhere for him to charge around out of control and playing so the socialisation obviously means the same to me as you.

 

[Spiritedly]

Soo, the bad news is whippet puppies are awful! Its just a thing that they are demon land sharks, then get to around 2 and turn into the perfect dog. They are fast, athletic, curious and inependent thinkers. Add in a bit of spaniel tenacity and your going to have fun

The good news is, it doesnt last forever, whippets are the best dog and spaniels a close second so how can he not grow up to be a GOOD DOG, and just look how gorgeous he is!

I've got ADHD and its been very hard, my dogs have kept me alive at times when nothing else would have. Whippets are sensitive souls and seem to have a level of empathy I've not seen in other breeds. My oldest boy taught himself to wake me up if I have a low blood sugar (I'm diabetic), and the youngest has now taken over the role of keeping me sane! I hope your puppy brings your son the same love and endless joy and support my current 2 have brought me.

He is a sensitive boy and can have some really calm moments...our morning routine is him going out for the toilet, then having his breakfast followed by another toilet trip then he gets on the sofa and snuggles and has a nap whilst I have my cuppa before getting ready for work....and during the day he likes to be close to where my son is whether he's in the garden or the house.

I've had 2 dogs who both alerted me to seizures without any training so it will be interesting to see if its something he naturally does too.

 

[I'm Dun]

I never train group classes, for me they satisfy a human need to get value for money/time (handler and trainer) rather than optimise learning for handler and dog.

I go and use them to train "ignore all other dogs". Its incredibly hard in this area at least to find decent trainers who dont want to put everyone in a big group. I guess its probably different if you have contacts within a specialised sport though.

 

[Clodagh]

He is a sensitive boy and can have some really calm moments...our morning routine is him going out for the toilet, then having his breakfast followed by another toilet trip then he gets on the sofa and snuggles and has a nap whilst I have my cuppa before getting ready for work....and during the day he likes to be close to where my son is whether he's in the garden or the house.

I've had 2 dogs who both alerted me to seizures without any training so it will be interesting to see if its something he naturally does too.

I know you weren’t asking for serious advice and neither parent is one I know much about but I would try to get him happy on his own. I hear whippets can be very clingy. (Which might suit you, it’s just a thought).

 

[Clodagh]

And mine is my first for 5 years… it’s a shock to the system, that’s for sure!

 

[CorvusCorax]

I go and use them to train "ignore all other dogs". Its incredibly hard in this area at least to find decent trainers who dont want to put everyone in a big group. I guess its probably different if you have contacts within a specialised sport though.

Go and stand on the outside of/within safe distance of a dog park, it's free!

 

[Teaselmeg]

Work a lot of recall NOW He will forget it when he hits adolescence, but put in the ground work now.

He is beautiful, I'm possibly getting a beddie/whippet pup soon, so you are making me very nervous

 

[Spiritedly]

I know you weren’t asking for serious advice and neither parent is one I know much about but I would try to get him happy on his own. I hear whippets can be very clingy. (Which might suit you, it’s just a thought).

We aren't always around during the day so he does have time without humans but with our other dog and then at night the older dog sleeps in my room to give him some peace and the puppy sleeps downstairs on his own.

The spaniel we lost before Christmas had never not had the company of another dog...we had a lab when we got him and then had a GSD when he was 2...and when we lost the GSD he really struggled being left alone for a few months so I said this one was going to be more independent as current spaniel...inherited when my mum passed just 18 months ago...isn't particularly young so Tux is going to be an only dog at some point.

 

[Spiritedly]

Work a lot of recall NOW He will forget it when he hits adolescence, but put in the ground work now.

He is beautiful, I'm possibly getting a beddie/whippet pup soon, so you are making me very nervous

I'm definitely working on coming back to me when I call being much more rewarding than whatever else is going on...normally one of the cats running

 

[Cinnamontoast]

What kind of spanner? He looks like (another!) black lab puppy at first glance.

I prefer dog neutral (if only mine would agree!) so no running round with other dogs, we sniff if I allow, move on, longline and harness. You might want to crate train so he has enforced down time. We swap rooms at 9pm, it’s quiet time, treats then cuddles. Routine is key if you’re at home. My trainer insisted on no toys in the house in case of jealousy/fights, but you may not have that issue. Mental stimulation was key for my very busy springer puppy, Zak. We took him and his brother everywhere and it wore him out, just processing the different sights and sounds.

 

[Spiritedly]

What kind of spanner? He looks like (another!) black lab puppy at first glance.

I prefer dog neutral (if only mine would agree!) so no running round with other dogs, we sniff if I allow, move on, longline and harness. You might want to crate train so he has enforced down time. We swap rooms at 9pm, it’s quiet time, treats then cuddles. Routine is key if you’re at home. My trainer insisted on no toys in the house in case of jealousy/fights, but you may not have that issue. Mental stimulation was key for my very busy springer puppy, Zak. We took him and his brother everywhere and it wore him out, just processing the different sights and sounds.

Everyone whose seen him thinks he lab or lab x but the people I got him from said mum was a Springer and dad a determined Whippet.

We are working on crate training and have worked up to about 20 minutes of the door closed with a stuffed Kong and his favourite badger. I think it will be easier once he is allowed out and about as he has a busy brain and likes mental stimulation, I was working late yesterday then had shopping to do and so he missed his daily training session and was like road runner on speed all evening!, whereas this evening he had his 10 minutes and is now chilled on a pile of dirty towels by the washing machine We do need toys in the house though or he pesters the older dog instead but luckily they don't fight over them.

 

[Auslander]

I wondered what on earth I'd done when Idris was a puppy. Welsh Springers are meant to be calmer than English ones, and all the ones my family have had have proved that theory.
Until Idris...he was an absolute rotter from the day he arrived, to a point that I found myself googling "used riot shields" at 2am, when he was about 5 months old.
He's 2 next month, and although he's still a bit of a lunatic, he's definitely becoming more civilised, finally.
I swear puppies are designed to be really cute so that we forgive them for being awful!

 

[Barton Bounty]

If that is hell.. i wanna go

Gorgeous