Holly came home yesterday and she is gorgeous. She slept all night in her crate last night, and is happy to be in there during the day. She isn't housetrained yet, but we're dealing with that, and she dirtied and wet in her cage last night. That was our fault though, we went to bed at 9pm expecting to have a really bad night with her and when I woke up at 6am she was still asleep!!

She's settled in really well, she loves going out in the garden (she'd never been outside before) and is great with the children. The only problem is she won't eat. The breeder gave her her breakfast and we were due to give her her lunch and tea. She's fed on Eukanuba puppy and has only eaten 7grams since she came home.

Any ideas on how I can get her to eat???

Fiona

Hi Fiona

Welcome to the world of puppy-ownership :)

It's not unusual for puppies to go off their food for a day or so when they move home. It's all so exciting and strange, they're just like kids - getting them to eat on Christmas day;)

Offer her the food, leave it down for 15 min's then take it away - she'll soon learn when it's nosh time.

Did she sleep in your room in the crate? If not that's probably why you didn't hear her when she needed a wee etc. She will whimper if shes in a crate to get out for toileting - they don't like to soil their bed, usually, but there's always the exception.

Good luck, you've got a fun time ahead.

love

Pam n the boys

hi fiona,
i`m so pleased for you (and green with envy).I cant answer your question but just wanted to congratulate you( its like having a baby isnt it :) )
all the best Chrissy

She slept downstairs in the lounge. We had the babylistener plugged in so we could hear her but she didn't make a sound. We sat and watched her this morning when she wet in her crate. She didn't wimper at all or whine to go out - she just got on with it.

I think the housetraining is something we'll have to work on, along with trying to get her to come from the garden :D She loves it outside and has spent most of her time out there so far. She's a very brave little thing who isn't bothered by anything!!

Fiona

Congratulations, Fiona, I'm so pleased you have your puppy at last! Enjoy every moment, like babies they don't stay small for long!
Cathy.

Hi Fiona

Pam's right - it's very normal for a puppy not to eat v much for the first few days in a new home (it's something I now warn all our puppy buyers about) As Pam says, leave the food down for a short time & then take it away if not eaten. Don't make any fuss whatsoever - be very matter of fact about it all & don't be tempted to try Holly on something else - so many new owners do this & before long, they have a fussy little devil who knows if they don't fancy what's on offer today, then "mum" will come up with something different :-)

Good luck!

Jane

Hi Jane,

Well Holly finally decided to eat yesterday tea time. We had roast chicken and hubby added some shreds of chicken to her dry kibble - he felt it was to bland without the chicken :D - she ate all of it and slept all night again. When we got up this morning she was just a bit wet - probably done when she heard the alarm go off as it was still fresh.

I let her out for a wee, it was raining so I sent hubby out with her, and when she came in she devoured ALL of her bland, dry kibble :D. She has really taken to hubby, he's the first man she's met and will go to him before she'll go to me.

She's learning really quickly, she already knows her name and sit and she sort of knows NO.

Fiona

Congratulations Fiona, relax enjoy. I think you pup will soon learn to be a bit more confident about asking to be let out of her bed when she needs to, at least she seems happy to sleep in a crate. Dont forget to start that daily brushing straight away, dont wait for her coat to grow long enough to need it, now is the time to get her used to accepting it without monkeying about.

Like everyone's been saying, don't worry it's an adjustment period. Enjoy her, I'm so happy for you, wish I could see her!

In the breed guide I have under training it suggests that you shouldn't let a puppy play in the garden or do any training there until he has learned that this is where you want him to go, ie the house is for playing, sleeping, learning and having fun and not going to the toilet. When and if I finally get a puppy I was going to put up a post asking what people thought of this, as in the summer our garden becomes an extension of the house as my kids love the outdoors, so it could be tricky!

Yours still waiting for the call........

PS Congratulations on your new family member.

Hi Reefer,

Unfortunately due to many things, including the weather, Holly had never been outside until we brought her home. We have a large garden 48ft x 56ft approx and felt it was important for Holly to be confident about going outside. She loves it in the garden - she won't come in when it's howling a gail and pouring rain :D - and is more than happy to stay out there after she's done her business. She's kept on her lead until she's done what she has to do then she's let off the lead to play.

It really is a delight to watch her chasing the leaves and trying to climb up the children slide.

Fiona

Hi Fiona
Aha I will pinch the lead idea, if I ever get the chance!

Fiona is dead right about using the lead until they've 'done the deed'. Otherwise outside time becomes playtime and they forget that they're supposed to be doing something:) Definitely an idea worth 'pinching'

Wendy

Hi Isabel,

We've started trimming Holly already and brushing her twice a day. The breeder had started trimming her feet and face to get her used to being handled and the noise of the scissors. I've been carrying on with that and trimming the ends of her ears. She really enjoys it although she does tend to bark at you when you go to pick her up if she's seen the scissors!!

Fiona

Good to hear its all settling down with Holly I bet shes a joy. On the grooming front, personally I would never trim the ends of the ears but I have never owned a solid so maybe they do need it, maybe someone else will know.

hi Fiona

All is sounding well - glad she is eating. I agree on the trimming tho - don't trim the ends of the ears - imho, I think she is too young - you only need to trim them if if they get too long. That's quite a way off yet.

I would also be very careful about what else you are trimming at this age. By all means do a little inside her ears to get her used to the sound of the scissors etc - but if you trim too much now you can spoil her coat. Her feet can also be trimmed - underneath to remove the excess hair that grows. Just trim flat to the level of her pads - not in between.

regards

Pam n co

I agree with Isabel & Pam - you don't need to trim the ends of the ears with scissors at this stage. What can happen if you do this, particularly with solids, is that the scissoring can make the hair grow thicker & it might also go quite curly instead of straight. By all means trim the ear feathering if it gets too long when Holly is older, but best to hold off on it for now :-)

Jane

Well, as we live in a democracy I will go with the majority on the ear trimming issue. The breeder has said that we should trim her ears, trim her eyelashes and whiskers, hand strip her head/back, trim the hair on the underside of her feet, trim the hair on her face and trim the hair on her legs down to her joints ( I know where I mean but I'm not sure of the proper names :D ). I popped into a dog grooming place today and when I told her what I'd been told to do with Holly, she looked shocked and said that all we had to do was trim her up.

Holly went to the vets today for her health check and she passed with flying colours. The vet tried to give her a biscuit, as a treat as she'd been so good, and she just looked at it and played with it :D. We saw lots of people there and one of the receptionists, who shows/judges Cockers, said that if Holly was 6mths old she'd do really well in the show ring!! In fact, she'd place her 1st without any doubts at all. I was absolutely thrilled when she said this, I don't care if it's true or not :D

We've only got one problem with Holly - she trembles if you take her out of the house. She's terrified if you're holding her but if you put her down on the floor she's fine, always inside of course. I took her to nursery this morning and we got there about 10mins before any other children. Holly was shaking really badly whilst I was holding her but when I put her down she was fine. Chris, hubby, came in and picked her up and she was fine. Still, as that's the only problem I'm thrilled.

Fiona

Ps - How do I find out about ringcraft classes? Should she have basic obedience first? How old does she have to be to enter ringcraft classes?

Nearly forgot, Holly has started to whine at the back door when she wants to go out for a wee and she digs at the floor when she wants to do a poo!! Success :D

Fiona

All brilliant stuff.

Ringcraft - she can start as soon as she's had all her vaccinations - not before though. If you contact the Kennel Club, they'll send you details of classes local to you - be prepared for them to be few and far between - you may be lucky tho.

Get a good book on Cockers, that will also explain about trimming, Frank Kane's Pet Owner's Guide to the Cocker Spaniel is excellent and gives you a good idea. ISBN - 1-86054-039-2. Do watch carefully what a grooming parlour tells you - they don't always do for show - just pet and the difference is huge.

As for the trembling - it's hard but ignore it. Give her lots of praise when she's not trembling. Do re-assure her but be careful she doesn't start to interpret it as reward for being scared as she'll learn to do it.

I know you want to show her off and she does need to socialize etc - but please bear in mind this is only her third day with you . She has a lot to take in and it's so easy to do just too much. If it were me - for this week, I wouldn;t take her to nursery. I'd let her get used to her home and you then when she's fully confident there start taking her to nursery etc. jmho

Pam n the boys

Hi Pam,

I know what you mean about not doing too much with her. It's really hard to know what to do for the best. Both the breeder and the trainer have said that we need to take her out everyday and introduce her to 4 different people each day so she gets used to meeting other people. Holly was 12wks old yesterday and she needs to be out there meeting people.

When I took her to nursery there were 2 adults there and no children - I'm not that daft to take her there when it was full :D. I run the parents committee at the nursery so I can get in before anyone else!!

She loves going in the car but isn't keen about coming out of her crate when we get to the destination. The plan for that is to take her out on the school run every day to get her used to coming out of her crate.

Fiona

Fiona

I'll ask my friend in Newbury for details of local ringcraft classes - I know she goes to a couple on a regular basis so it would be nice if you could perhaps make it to one of these & meet other friendly Cocker people.

Holly is doing really well considering she's only been with you a few days & before that she had had limited contact with "outside" - keep doing what you're doing but don't comfort her if she seems nervous, just keep talking to her in a jolly, upbeat tone (even if you do sound mad to everyone else :-) ) Have you got a copy of "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey? This is a really excellent book on puppy training & rearing - every new owner should have it on their book shelf!

Jane

Thanks Jane, that's really kind of you. I've ordered the book from the local bookshop and I should have it by wednesday. she's doing so well, we're really thrilled with her.

Fiona

Fiona

Don't worry. TH has only just started eating with relish and she will be 2 in April! I'm glad she's eating now.

Kate