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Freddy's Puppy Journal

16K views 171 replies 22 participants last post by  fjm 
#1 ·
After going round and round on name ideas I have come back to where I started, so little yet-to-be-named papillon puppy is Freddy. He came home at noon today and I am astonished! I have yet to get really good photos but I think these show how relaxed all the animals are together:
Dog Dog breed Carnivore Mammal Cat

Dog Vertebrate Dog breed Carnivore Mammal


He was plonked into my lap immediately after being microchipped, and feeling a tad disgruntled as a result. I had taken chicken and had Poppy one side of me, Sophy the other, puppy on my lap, and fed them scraps of chicken in turn. It took him about a minute to catch onto the game, after which he joined in enthusiastically. He cried for a few minutes in the car as we left but I remembered hearing BBC Radio 4 (talk and current affairs) playing in the background when I visited on Wednesday so tuned the car radio to that and he went straight to sleep. When we got home he sniffed and explored, bumped noses with Tilly-cat, played with my niece, fell asleep, woke up and did a puddle before I caught the signs, and was pretty nigh on instantly at home. He has explored inside and out, wants to play with the Aunts but accepts when they say no, is fascinated by Tilly's tail but after one soft pawed swipe has accepted that it is best left alone, and all in all is an amazingly easy puppy - so far!

He just needs to learn that Sophy hates sharing her bed...
 
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#4 ·
And he seems to really like all the cute puppy toys the other two ignored, but that I couldn't bring myself to give away, like the dinosaur Cuz. I popped a couple of chewable toys into the dishwasher this morning to clean them up, and he is now happily chewing the dinosaur on my lap. I can see the iKEA mouse is once again going to be favourite, though - he fell asleep earlier with one of its paws in his mouth.

Yes, chicken makes most things better, I have found - even puppy intruders! Especially one happy to entertain himself with toys.
 
#11 ·
So sweet, welcome Freddy.
 
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#17 · (Edited)
First night went well. I started as I mean to go on and took him to bed with me, where he snuggled under the covers with Poppy. When he got wiggly i took him to the bathroom puppy mat - one false alarm, one pee on the mat, one poo not quite on the mat. Once he was comfortable we slept well - he ended up beside my pillow when he got too hot under the duvet. I have rolled up quilts and pillows piled up all round the bed just in case, but I wake up as soon as he begins to move around after so many years of sharing my bed with dogs.

He had the typical puppy mad half hour just as we were winding down for bed last night, which upset Sophy who was already feeling rather tired and stressed. He was not teasing her, but just watching him was too much for her. After a burst of active play when he was getting just a bit grabby and bitey I popped him in his pen for a few minutes to calm down, which he did very quickly. But Sophy has now decided on a policy of social distancing - she will let him share my lap if he is sleeping, but if he looks like getting at all rambunctious he must stay at least 1 metre from her. And he is listening to her, and keeping away. Tilly-cat's tail is still absolutely fascinating, weaving and waving just in front of his nose, but after a very firm "Tcha!" from Tilly when he made a grab for it he is beginning to think twice about that, too. Poppy is just sleeping through it all!

I suspect things may become more fraught as he finds his feet, but as he is already so confident and so quick to absorb the rules I think it will be manageable. Wanting to chew the edge of my MacBook while on my lap was solved by giving him a small, hard plastic brush instead - I might regret that when he considers all brushes chew toys, but it the only suitably sized hard plastic object I had in reach! He is learning to come to his name + pup-pup, the hand gesture for "Let me pick you up" and is even beginning to ask to be lifted. He already has the basics of bite inhibition, although can get nippy when tired, and unlike Sophy and Poppy is quickly learning to enjoy playing with toys by himself. Sophy had a younger and more flexible me to play with, Poppy me plus Sophy, and while Sophy will occasionally enjoy a game with a soft toy Poppy has never had any interest in any of them.

So less than 24 hours, still all learning about each other, but going better than expected so far!
 
#19 ·
The pen is a godsend - he settles there quickly and easily, chews on a toy in bed for a bit, then goes to sleep on the puppy pad. We've had a wander round outside (dashing between very heavy showers), he has met bouncy little Amber the Yorkshire terrier and the two little girls who have just moved in, who were very quiet and gentle with carefully coached by their father, and learned how to climb in over the threshold so he doesn't need to be lifted. About 20 minutes altogether and that was enough for him to need another nap. Sophy thinks the pen is brilliant - she can relax without having to watch to make sure he doesn't creep up on her. I have ordered a lightweight pop up one for when we travel.
 
#20 ·
He has also discovered that the gravel and grass outside are good to pee on (hurrah!), that if you push your luck with cats you get your ears boxed, that waiting his turn politely means he too gets treats, and the astonishing power of Sitting to get humans to do what you want. It has been a very busy first day, and he is once more fast asleep.

Jett sounds lovely - I am glad he is confident enough of you to be just a bit silly and brattish sometimes!
 
#25 ·
Yes, I think that has been the big difference between Freddy and previous pups. After reading all the puppy threads on PF I now recognise when OTT behaviour is a sign of an exhausted, over-excited puppy, rather than one in need of yet more play and stimulation. A few minutes of vigorous interactive play, a few brief sessions of brain games (taking turns for treats figures largely, as it encourages the Aunts to see him as one of the pack), 10 minutes solo play with toys and he is ready to take himself back to his bed in the pen for a sleep.

I hope this stage lasts until Sophy is more relaxed with him. There was a very sweet moment yesterday when Sophy, unexpectedly meeting for the first time the Labrador that has just moved in across the courtyard, let out a couple of sharp warning barks. Freddy dashed for home but took a wrong turning and ended up in my neighbours' porch, a few feet away from mine. He came when I called, and Sophy was quick to check he was OK, and kindly touch noses. He is learning from her already - following her out to pee and, even more importantly, following her back in.

Today we work on recall and picking up. First disagreement last night when Sophy wanted to go out and for me to go with her because it was dark, and I did not want the pup out running loose in the dark. Trying to rush things led to an extended game of keep away, and a puppy literally flying out of the partly open door. At that point I did what I should have done in the first place, became fun and silly, and persuaded him into the house and then the pen with a toy, but I think Sophy missed out on the poo she needed and is a bit constipated as a result. Pumpkin and chicken should take care of that.

Poppy is asleep beside me on my chair, Sophy is asleep in her bed at my feet, Tilly asleep on the sofa, Freddy asleep on the puppy pad in his pen, which he seems to prefer to the bed for actual sleeping. Sophy graciously deigned to let him have the bed next to her after he startled himself knocking something over earlier, but he took himself off to the pen when he wanted to sleep. What a good puppy!
 
#26 ·
Fjm, hugest welcome to your stellar wee Afterglow Papillon Freddy 😍😍🥰🥰🥰!!! I am starstruck over him due to his breeder, and agog at your graceful management of the process. I could never be so sophisticatedly low-key after meeting those two!

I'm over the moon for you and honestly for all of us. Paps were the way I was headed after several years of research, when I came face to face with knowing a daily or even frequent 3 to 5 mile walk was outside my abilities, and that the Toy Poodle was so deep inside me since childhood I needed to go that direction. Oliver is a complete blessing, every single day. I do still love the Papillons of course, just am home with the Poodle. Thank you for filling a wish by proxy 😍😊.

Freddy is utterly lovely and precious, and such a smart little boy. I know he will have the best life ever with you. Thank you for sharing him here 💖!
 
#27 ·
Freddy had another burst of silliness last night, pushed Poppy too far and got an air snap, which he deserved. He sat back, went very quiet, then crept onto my lap where I was sitting on the floor with them wanting to be cuddled better. Another lesson learned. He then slept curled up with Poppy by my pillow from 9.30pm to 6.15am, so all is well between them. By 6.15 we were both a bit desperate though, and he used the bathroom pad immediately I got him there - good puppy!

I was a little concerned that he didn't seem to be pooing much. I needn't have been - he had found the darkish corner with darkish wood floor that is just out of my line of sight. There is now a pad there, and I need to up my game on recognising the signals and getting him out or onto a pad.

I slipped a little cat harness onto him when he was asleep on my lap yesterday - he finds it a bit tickly and chewed on the bits he could reach, but is quickly getting used to it. It means I can put a very light lead on to trail when we are out in daylight or to hang onto in the dark - he is very keen on exploring and it is too easy to lose sight of a tiny pup. We are making some progress with picking up, he sits very beautifully for treat sharing games, and very often appears when called. Sophy is a little stressed but coming round reasonably quickly, and Poppy seems oblivious as long as the treats keep coming and the puppy is not too pushy.

This is the first time I have raised a puppy with adult dogs and the difference is fascinating. Sophy is 7 months older than Poppy, and Poppy always followed her lead, but they were still puppies playing together and having fun when Poppy first came home. Sophy is much more serious about things now. If we are outside and she gives a warning bark Freddy runs for the safety of home as fast as his little legs will carry him - that bark has a meaning and he knows exactly what to do. He follows her watching everything she does outside, sampling the same grass, sniffing the same smells, greeting the same dogs and people. I knew she would be a help educating a pup, but it is happening even sooner and faster than I had hoped. Even taught things, like sitting and taking turns for treats, seem to be easier with two adults modelling the behaviour.

This is becoming a puppy journal - hope you don't mind! It is always useful to be able to check back on things.
 
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