We picked up a new Airdale puppy this weekend. We are running into some unexpected behavioral issues and we need some guidance.

The puppy has been with us for three days uninterrupted. Here are the issues of concern:

1. He's doing alot of biting of his own leg and tail.

2. When we play with him, he takes the toy or fetches the toy and would rather either chew in my lap or lie next to his kennel and chew it.

3. He is whining quite a bit, even when we are around he whines. We are ignoring his whining but instead of stopping he withdraws to his kennel.

4. Our comparison is our friends have purchased his littermate. That puppy is thriving. Active, playful, and happy. Exactly what we thought our puppy would be.

How long do we wait for this puppy to "come around"? Our purposes for getting a dog was to have a happy, active, and payful dog to join us in the mountians. We are quite concerned about the possiblilty of a 50 pound lap dog.

On a positive note, he has become kennel trained easily and has become accustomed to urinating/defacating outside. He has almost grasped the "come here" concept. He really has to be encouraged to engage in an activity with us and has little ambition to play for praise, play, or food.

thanks for any help,
brad.

Hi Brad ...have you contacted the breeder and told him/her about your concerns at all?

Melody :)

Has he had a check up at the vets? Our lab cross was similar when we first got her at 8weeks, she just didn't know how to play with toys. She developed a rather comical puzzled look, as if to say 'what on earth do you expect me to do with that?', and would rather settle down and chew something/anything (hands, socks, rug, you name it :-) ) She's 19 weeks now and has caught on, and is a real lively little madam, but she still enjoys her contact and will sneak onto our laps whenever she thinks she has a good chance of getting away with it - she's still just a baby though, and I guess some dogs just are 'contact' dogs! The other thing though, Minx was whining occasionally for no apparent reason, chasing her tail and chewing her back feet when we got her, because her anal glands needed 'doing'. Ask your breeder for advice, and maybe get your vet to give him the once over to put your mind at rest.