patterdale puppy

[weecoffeecup]

had our pup 5 days now although he is 8 months old no history as he was abandoned , he has been sleeping in living room with my older dog at night with no problems but I have to go to wok for 4 hours on Tuesday and am a bit concerned he might destroy house, also i have a bird who sits in cage on window ledge who he has not been interested in, but after reading some of the things said about patterdales i'm a bit worried any advice

[garner]

Hi weecoffeecup it will not take long for your Patterdale to notice the bird, and will kill it given the chance, could you not use a safety gate whilst out for a few hours, might help with any damage and keep your pup out of danger at the same time.Terriers are killers and it's in their nature to do so.Good luck.g.

[lankeela]

Invest in a puppy crate or play pen, make sure your pup has a good run or play before you leave, then give him some toys and something to chew on when you leave him. He will sleep most of the time, but if you leave paper down in the pen/crate
he can use it if he needs to. This will keep him safe from harm, as he could chew electric wires or eat something that he shouldn't. It will also give the older dog some peace in case he decides he wants to play with him. Get him used to it by feeding him in it and then letting him go in and out with the door open. You will probably find he sleeps in it when he tires himself out from playing.

[LoftyLottie]

Someone I know has a patterdale, weecoffeecup, and she's absolutely brilliant, no problems whatsoever - so there is hope.

Personally, I think 8 months is too old to be in a cage. Cages are OK for younger puppies. If he is OK at night with the older dog then he will probably be OK during the day as well. Does it have to be the living room? It's good that he has a companion and makes it less likely that he will be bored and hence destructive.

However, I wouldn't take any chances with the bird just yet. Can you move the birdcage to a different room whilst you are out? It would seem the easiest option.

I would have a practice run before Tuesday. Go out for a while every day if possible, staying away for longer each day.

[fredpuli47]

When you go out, you might try leaving the radio on.He may associate the radio with you being there and back soon.You should, of course, be back soon, only gradually increasing the absences.Turning everything off reinforces the idea of finality and permanence in your leaving.

It seems to have worked over the years here, but it might just be that the youngsters preferred Radio 4 to my being there!

[LoftyLottie]

Good idea. I always leave the radio on for my dogs, and a light in the winter, and I don't make a big issue of going out and saying goodbye anymore. I just leave. It seems to work quite well.

[LoftyLottie]

They like Radio 2 best ;o)

[LoftyLottie]

Fred is the 47 significant?

[fredpuli47]

No Loftie. I used to be fredpuli on this site years ago but left it. When I returned, I opened a fresh account and stuck 47 on the end of fredpuli as the new name. I owned a house with that number once and I find it easy to remember, but safeish online as it has no immediate connection with me !

[weecoffeecup]

Thanks all ,he still seems to be good !although older dog has a bit of a go at him when he tries to play with him ,husband says should not intervene because he is just warning him that he cant be bothered, but it scares me a wee bit .wee one runs away but comes back for more a couple of times then gives up do you think this is okay

[lankeela]

Its ok when you are around to step in and remove the pup if he is tormenting the old boy, or to just remind the old fella to go steady as he is only a baby. However, I would not leave them unattended (certainly not during the day when he is more likely to want him to play). Most adults dogs would not really hurt a puppy, but there is a limit to what they will put up with.

I stand by my original suggestion of a puppy pen for peace of mind and safety.

[weecoffeecup]

Thanks lankeela, yes i think your right i've got a safety gate and am going to use this when i'm out ,just feel a bit bad cause he hasn't actually done anything (yet) but better safe than sorry me thinks