Life with a 2 month old Cockapoo Puppy - What's it like?

 Fozzy is exactly 2 months old today. He has only been with us for 4 nights but it feels SO much more than that! He is doing great and just like he is my baby, I want to write little updates about him to look back on. Also, when I was waiting for Fozzy, there didn't seem to be much to read about what it's actually like having a puppy at home so I am hoping these posts might help others. 

Saying that though, all dogs, circumstances and lifestyles are different so your experiences will probably be completely different to mine. 

Crate Training 

Crate training is going so well. Fozzy is very used to it now and last night, he didn't even cry when we went to bed and left him. He does bark sometimes when I put him in during the day but it's only for a few minutes then he soon settles himself down. It works an absolute treat and Fozzy having his day time naps in there when I know he is tired works brilliantly. 

Fozzy asleep in his crate while I work 

Routine 

I quickly realised that if I was going to have any chance of getting any kind of work done, I'd need to establish some kind of routine. We have been following the same routine for three days now and it suits both myself and Fozzy really well. He seems to be a dog that really thrives on routine. 

• 6:30am - Wakes up. He usually makes a little wimper as he hears next door get up and ready. Steve gets up with him, takes him outside for the loo and then plays with him / spends time with him. 
• 7:30am - The kids come downstairs. This is a busy time for Fozzy as all three kids are having breakfast / playing with him / taking him outside etc...... 
• 8am - I come downstairs and give Fozzy his breakfast / play a little 
• 8:30am - Everyone else has left for work/school. Fozzy is usually super tired by this point and goes in his crate for a 2 hour nap while I work. Usually I don't start working until later in the morning but I like to get as much as I can done while he is asleep so start earlier now 
• 10am/10:30am - Fozzy wakes up and we spend an hour doing training exercises and playing in the garden
• 11am/11:30am - Again, an hour's training and playing usually tires Fozzy out so he's back in his crate for another nap. This one is around an hour. 
• 12:30pm ish - Playing in the garden and lunch time followed by more training or a little walk or trip out somewhere (in his carrier).
• 2pm (ish) - Alone time in his crate. I either go out or go in a different room. I make sure I leave him when he is awake so he gets used to self settling 
• 3pm - More training / playing until the kids get home from school 
• 4pm - The kids get home for school and look after him for an hour while I get work done / do some household jobs etc..... I usually stay out of Fozzy's sight as again, I want him to get used to other people being there and not relying on me 
• 5-6pm - Fozzy has his tea and another nap in his crate 
• Evenings - Fozzy likes to spend the evenings having very active play / having a cuddle and nap on the sofa and doing zoomies in the garden 
• 10pm - Steve goes up to bed and I stay down with Fozzy until around 11:30pm. He likes to cuddle in at this time which is lush and we just watch TV together. At 11:30pm I take him out for his last wee and then pop him in his crate to bed. 

Active Time / Training

I really want Fozzy to be a well trained dog and know for this to be achieved, we need to put a lot of work in. During the day when he's not napping, I don't work at all and just spend the whole time focussed on Fozzy / providing fun games and experiences / training him. 

Repetition is key so we tend to do the same training commands every day with a new one added once he has mastered one. I know I am fortunate that I can split my day like this but it just works a billion times better if I can be fully focussed on Fozzy when he's awake and then fully focussed on work when he's asleep. It's much more productive all round. 

A DIY scent game for Fozzy 

If I try to work when he's awake and just let him wander around he will either start having toilet accidents or get up to mischief. I expect once he is a little older, this will be easier and I will be able to work around him when he's awake too. He is still only a baby and needs looking after. 

In his first four days he has mastered 'sit', 'paw' and is getting there with 'leave it'. We are also working on 'bed', 'down' and 'drop' but these are very much a work in progress. He has been such a star and pretty easy to train. I usually save some of his lunch to use for training plus a few extra high value treats. 

Bell Training 

We started bell training straight away. There are bells hung on the back door and we used Fozzy's paw to tap them every time he went outside. Steve and I were AMAZED when after a few days, he tapped them himself and looked at us to take him outside. How clever are dogs!!! 

The problem is, he taps them to go out for the loo AND if he just wants to go out and play. He absolutely loves running around the garden at night and as soon as we bring him back in, it will be a couple of minutes before he taps on them to be out again. We tried ignoring them if we knew he'd just had a wee outside but then he had an accident inside. Not sure if this was on purpose or not ;-) So now we think distraction is best and are trying to plan high energy games inside. We used a play tunnel last night which he absolutely loved so will try and do similar so we're not spending most of the night freezing outside. 

Fozzy in his play tunnel 

Feeding 

We started feeding Fozzy in his crate which is recommended until they get used to it. Now I use a snuffle mat three times per day which he really enjoys. It is supposed to be more stimulating for dogs as they have to sniff out their food. I do plan on buying a couple more mats like this in the near future for a bit of variety. 

Fozzy's snuffle mat 

Combating Separation Anxiety 

Cockapoos can have issues with separation anxiety and I am really keen for this not to happen with Fozzy. I want him to be ok on his own and with other people when I'm not around. He has been ok with his daily alone time so far. He cries for around a minute and then settles down in his crate for what I assume is a nap. 

Then he has his first hour with Steve, then the kids and has an hour with the kids at night. So far, so good! We just need to keep it up so he doesn't break the habit. 

Getting Out & About 

I have mentioned in earlier posts that I want to take Fozzy out and about as much as possible in his first month of life. It can be tricky when he hasn't been vaccinnated but we are getting there. Every few hours we carry him outside of our garden for a little look around to see the birds etc......., he has been in his carrier for a walk to the postbox and in his carrier for a walk to my mams. He also spent a nice hour playing in my mam's living room yesterday. 

Tonight, I am taking him to the Pet Shop with Dee in the car as he needs a new harness. Fozzy is way bigger than we anticipated (he is over 4kg) and his harness is too small. He is almost too big for his carrier too! 

He finds his carrier 'ok' and does settle in it but definitely prefers to be carried without it. 

I plan on taking him somewhere different either carried or in the car at least every other day. 

On Saturday we are hoping to take Fozzy and Ollie to Seaton Delaval Hall. I think this will be the first time Fozzy is on a lead and we plan on taking our picnic blanket so we can sit down with him for a bit too (as long as it's not raining or too cold!).

The Best Parts 

Fozzy is an absolute joy. He is so cuddly, very cute and pretty well behaved. He is easy to train and it is lovely seeing him grow / come along. I expected to still be getting up through the night and I am so pleased that he has slept through the night from day two. I'm not as tired as I expected but looking after a puppy is mentally draining. 

When I come downstairs in the morning and see Fozzy sitting with the kids watching TV or watch them interacting with him / caring for him / training him it really melts my heart too. 

I am still in the honeymoon stage and just love spending time with him. Puppies are so funny!

I was really prepared for the worst but have found it all relatively easy so far. Fozzy is definitely a billion times easier than looking after a baby that's for sure. 

The Worst Parts 

Fozzy loves the garden and I have spent far too long in there this week. It's FREEZING. I'm not able to leave him there unsupervised as it would be too dangerous for him (we have a barrel pond amongst other things). Roll on Spring for the warmer weather and for the time we can take Fozzy out for proper walks and he can hold his bladder for longer. 

In the garden AGAIN

My bro also says that I am too anxious about Fozzy and OTT with my training and keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't wee / poo in the house. He does have the odd accident, usually when he's bored and just left to potter around alone. I know that the more he does this, the longer it will take to fully toilet train him. I do like to keep a proper eye on him when he's awake. 

I reckon in a few weeks this complulsion will die down for me too as we are both more settled etc...... I also know that the work you put in during these early weeks can have lasting effects which is why I feel super focussed now and will probably be less so in the future. 

It's not that I fret about him being safe or being on eggshells around him etc..... it's more me wanting to get his training well and stay consistant with everything I think. 

Happy 2 month birthday Fozzy. I bet you change so much this month and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.