Hello everybody. I have just got a new 8 month old puppy king charles spaniel and have a few questions I need answers to:
1) Whining. My puppy whines when he is alone, even if I just pop to the toilet. Is there a way I can discourage this or will it eventually stop when he finally realises I will be coming back?
2) Jumping up at my food. How can I discourage him from attacking my dinner plate?
3) Eating. My puppy hasn't ate anything for two days. I have provided the food his breeder told me he always ate but he just isn't interested. How can I encourage him to eat?
4) Friskiness. My puppy keeps on trying to mate the cushions! Is the only answer to have him 'done'?
I think that's about it for now, but no doubt I'll have some more questions soon as I am new to dog owning. I must mention on the plus side though, that he does sleep through the night without 'accidents' and does not chew anything unless it is specially given to him or belongs to him such as his toys.

Did you mean a 8 week old puppy? I know it said 8 month in the post but I just want to clarify it. If it is 8 months old and you have just got it, where has it been until now? Maybe its past experiences have made it clingy.

Yes, I did mean 8 month old puppy. His previous owner sold him to me because she was too busy to look after him. Thanks.

That probably explains his clingyness. The poor little chap has been uprooted at least twice (from breeder to owner 1 and then to you) and is feeling very nervous. Have you got a stairgate or something you could put in a doorway, the kitchen for instance, so he can see you but can't get to you. That would help with some of his clingyness.

Fiona

Hi, I might be able to help on your questions.

1. Answered in a different posting. see above

2. Does he know the sit command? We have a 16wk old Cocker Spaniel and we've taught her that she doesn't get anything from us until she sits. She'll sit very patiently whilst we're eating as she's waiting for something from us. Sometimes she gets a biscuit, other times a good romp in the garden. It took a long time for her to learn this but consistently saying, "No, sit" and pushing her away and down has really worked.

3. How long have you had him? When we first got Holly she didn't eat at all well. Just the occasional mouthful. She was so busy looking around her and exploring her new home that she didn't want to eat. Even now she won't eat if something else is going on. We have to put her in her crate to eat as then she can't get away to play with the children.

4. Sorry, I can't help on this one as I've only had girls!!

I'm sure your puppy will settle down. Moving house has been a huge upheaval for him and it'll take some time before he feels confident enough to eat and allow you to leave the room.

Good luck with your boy,

Fiona

Thanks very much for your advice. I've only had my puppy three days, so I did wonder if it was just the new surroundings making him not want to eat and feel clingy. I just wanted reassurance that it is possible to change his habits. Unfortuately, nobody has ever trained him in obedience. He won't even sit or stay on command. Even calling his name doesn't always make him come to me when he is out in the garden. I hope that at 8 months he isn't too set in his ways. He is a lovely little lad and a good boy really considering he's not a chewer and sleeps all night. I suppose he just needs pointing in the right direction.

Hi BB

From reading your early posts it's clear you have only had this wee thing a short time - and now we know - only three days. Puppies often go off their food for a few days when moving to a new home. He will come round.

At eight months old he will have become very attached to his former home so he is confused and lost. Give him time - he will settle in -promise. To train him - treat him as though he was an 8 week old pup and just give him lots of positive praise when he gets things right and "NO" when you catch him doing something wrong - or if yoo don't catch him - just ignore what he's done. You can't tell him off unless you catch him - coz he won't have a clue what's going on. It's going to be a little and often for leaving him - try for literally seconds. try to get back before he has chance to notice you're not there and to miss you and gradually build it up - lots of praise - little treats etc.

Try not to give him a treat each time you prepare to leave as he may associate that with you leaving and become more distressed. Find a local obedience school and get him along there.

hth - enjoy your new friend

Pam n the boys

HI, in answer to your question about him wanting your dinner: From the moment you dish it up, have no eye contact with him and if he starts begging or jumping up turn away from him - no eye contact and dont touch him, even pushing him away is a "reward" in his eyes. - and say NO-Leave and completely ignore him until you have finished. Never ever feed him from your plate or the table and dont let anyone else either. He may have been given table scraps in his old home and so is expecting it, but he will soon learn that you wont. Although usually one feeds dogs after the owner has eaten, ( to show you are the pack leader) you could give him his dinner while you are eating, it may improve his appetite. Whatever you choose to do - be consistant. Dont worry about him not eating yet - he may have used emotional blackmail in his old home as it doesn't seem he got much attention poor love, but just offer him his food twice a day, leave it down for 10 minutes and then remove it til the next feed time regardless of whether he has eaten any or not. Make sure he has lots of fresh air and exersise and encouragement to play and he will surely get his appetite back soon. I wouldn't worry til he hasn't eaten anything at all for a week or so. Dont fall into the trap of trying him with different foods and dont show him you are worried about his lack of appetite.

Hi Pammy,
I saw your warning about "treat before leaving" and had to post. I'm on the opposite side, but it could be because my dog's neurosis came much later in life ;)

My Cocker mix had terrible anxiety anticipation after she hit a year old. She'd come down while I was putting on shoes, stare & moan. She'd moan (loudly) and then when I just left, run up to the window and "scream" after me. Very embarrassing & stressful for all of us. I tried pretty much everything to have her not focus on me leaving. Sneaking out, distractions, etc....but she's a very smart dog and my husband was louder in his leaving preparation than I was. About a year of various methods to stop this, I surrendered the war.

Everything is calm now. I fixed her anxiety ever since I started alternating between pig ears/ or basted chewies or dog biscuits. I gave her something to think about other than my departure. (which type depends on how long I'll be gone).

Now she waits and watches patiently while I get ready, but you can see the eagerness build up. She knows she'll get a "biscuit," "pigear," "chewie," or "ride"/"walk". And yes, they know what each word means (each understands somewhere around 50 words). When I finally ask "Would you like a biscuit?" They do happy dances all over the place. She still doesn't like that I leave, but she has something to do while I walk out that door. If she doesn't, her "buddy" will take it away. Then I just quietly leave & don't make a production.

If I return and then leave again, no extras. They accept the rule. I can leave without any upset on either part. Since I only feed them in the evening, leaving them with a little "something" helps out their tummies. They're at the correct weight, well muscled, and hey, everyone is happy.

When it gets really wierd is when I return sometimes hours later and she has protected her pig ear without eating any of it. This also happens when we've left them in the car together. She's hidden it away and immediately starts munching in happiness (because the pack is together? -- I have no idea why)

I guess this works for me & my little world. My life is much easier and she's less stressed. No more worries about a seizure being set off because her doggy psyche is overloaded. I don't advocate it for everyone, but it is an idea for some situations. :D

Good luck with your cute puppy
toodles

You're dead right Sara - it's largely a question of finding what works for you and yours. I know many dogs for whom the treat on departure is the bizz. Kongs can be a godsend. There are those tho that it can trigger off anxiety. My older boy just saves his till we return - the younger one wolf's his just in case the other one gets it:D. I don';t know who said training pups and dogs was hard coz it's a doddle :rolleyes:- we wish - lol:D
Pam n co

Hi Pammy,
Thanks for the approval :D I really appreciate it. Still finding my feet around here :) You even rememberd my name (sobs with happiness)

I wish my "girls" loved kongs or normal dog toys, but no... Samma the dachs/westie mix loves only virgin acrylic sheepskin or plushy toys. Chienne, the neurotic Cocker/Chihuahua will ONLY play with her very holey VAS ball that she's had since puppyhood. I have tried to replace that thing so many times, but no luck. She used to love playing with tennis balls, but the second time one bopped her on the head, no more of that :D

At least they keep me company and very amused while my hubby's away.

I also take comfort in the fact that if ever a virgin acrylic sheep EVER appears in my yard, my girls have had lots of practice to defend me :p
toodles

Hi everybody. Thought I'd give you a little update. I have now managed to get my new pup to eat something! He seems a bit overwhelmed when there is a pile of food in his bowl, and so I tried putting just two chunks of tinned food in the bowl and he ate that and licked the bowl clean. So I put a few more chunks in and he did the same again. So I tried putting more in, and he turned his nose up at it. It looks as though it's going to be little and often for a while, but will this create a bad habit for him? Should I go back to what I was doing before in the hope that eventually he'll be so hungry that he'll eat it, and get him into a routine, or should I give him little and often?

Next, I had mentioned before that he sleeps through the night. Well, that was the case, but the last couple of mornings he's been waking me up at the crack of dawn wanting to play. Should I ignore his attention seeking in the hope that he'll eventually learn that that day starts when I am ready? And would it be wise to let my dog into my bedroom / sleep on my bed at night?

He's getting better in some respects though. He seems to be learning not to jump up at MY food, and also that no means no. For example, if he goes up to the coffee table with his little beady eyes on a cup of coffee, and we say firmly "no", he leaves it alone. We are also getting somewhere with teaching him to "sit". Whenever he sees the lead come out and he knows it's time for walkies, he leaps about, dancing all over the room with excitement. We are teaching him that before we attach the lead, he must sit still and patiently to enable us to do so. This also means we can get the lead attached faster and he can get out for his walk faster. It seems to be working. The first few attempts were a bit of a nightmare, but I think he is now finally learning as this morning (he's at his most hyperactive first thing) I managed to get him to sit while I attached the lead. He is a good boy. One other point I want to mention is that he is a good boy if we go out. We went out without him yesterday for the first time and I was a little worried at what I might find when I got back. I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing chewed at all. All he had done was taken a cushion from the sofa and a newspaper and put them in his bed with him, and that's where he was when we got back. I've checked with the neighbours and they tell me they didn't hear any barking or anything so I was very pleased with him.