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New to site and would love some help please!!

george108

Well-known member
Hi,
I'm new to this site and also the proud owner of a Cav called George which we rescued last Tuesday. He's an absolute angel and the most adorable little fella. I just have a few questions that I'd like to ask. I understand that we have him less than a week and he will definitely need time to adjust but I would like to ask them anyway.
1: We collected him on Tuesday afternoon. He had a very small bit of dog food on Wednesday morning which he picked out from the dried food!. He went the vet who took him in to groom him, clean his teeth and give the little fella the all important "chop"! He didn't eat Wenesday night or all day Thursday. Friday morning he had a very small bit of dried food. (He was getting meat mixed in in the rescue centre but the vet said to give him dried food only, which I know is best for him). He didn't eat at all on Saturday. Last night my partner rang me (I was working nights) to say he was very, very restless and his belly was rumbling like crazy (food would help you George!). I feel that I don't want to give in to him and was wondering how long he can keep this up for? I don't want him to make himself sick.
2: He seems to have no interest in anything other than going for a walk and being rubbed on the belly while sprawled on the couch! Again I understand that he's had a confusing week but I'm afraid he'll die of boredom!
3: In general how do Cavs get on with other dogs? My sister has a Westie that's very friendly and we'd like to introduce them eventually.

I have loads of other stuff going around in my mind about him. Should we just be patient with him and let him find himself? We've given him a lovely home and want him to be a happy chap.
 
hiya & welcome

sure you'll be given loads of advice on the food side. i'm new to owning a dog, i have a 12 week old cav called lily the 1st dog i've ever had so its all new to me.. my sister has a yorkie called jack & no-way will jack even look at lily & if lily runs to him wow..... jack growls... apparently though jack dosent like other dogs so your westie & george may be ok. jack is 10 & i was gonna call & take him on our walks to get him used i'll see... i've read cav are really sociable dogs & luv kids thats why i decided as i have kids to... thinks its just grumpy jealous jack.....
atleast george is nibbling but he will be anxious as you say hes had a busy week so if it was me i'd make the food available as i would usually & after hes settled in he'll eat more each time... hes probley wondering who hes going to get took away to next.... its all about destressing him and empathise as you would yourself.....

goodluck & maybe having the 'chop' has knocked his appetite? not sure

you'll have to post some pics of george...
 
My Tucker is 18 months old and I'm in the process of changing the way I feed him because since I got him at the age of 4.5 months, I've been giving him IAMS dry dog food at my vets insistence. Throughout this time Tucker has been plagued with a sensitive Tummy and lots of loose stools, including diahrrea.

http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html

The link above was posted here recently and I found it very helpful. I'm switching to premium dry food and I'm combining that with boiled chicken, sometimes whole grain brown rice. I also give him a teaspoon of lowfat cottage cheese or a teaspoon of organic plain yogurt with one meal/day. If he's not eating, try giving him some of those foods. Make sure the poultry is not fatty or seasoned. You'll receive advice from people with a great deal more experience than I. In fact, this site is where I've gotten great information.

Good luck with George, I know he'll fill your home with love this holiday season.
 
Thanks guys for the advice. Good news though...George caved and ate some dried food this morning! Just gave him a small amount and he was fine so hopefully he'll keep it up. Will definitely post a photo soon. Some beautful photos on this site. Great to see so many people that truly love their pets! Thanks again.
 
Hi Justine and Alfie. Oooh he's so cute! Adorable!


Another question (bearing in mind that George has had a tough week) we've noticed he has absolutely no interest in toys. We were playing around with a small ball this evening in the kitchen and while George looked on quite excitedly he made no attempt to get the ball or join in. We've bought him a rubber bone, a soft squeaky dog and a squeaky chicken and we're enjoying them more than George is! Is this common in Cavs?

Thanks
 
Hi there! :flwr:
Welcome to the forum!
And congrats on your new addition!
Perhaps George just needs some time to get used to his new environment and new family before he feels comfortable enough to play. Maybe some other members can offer more advice.
Have fun with George! :)
 
Yes I was thinking the same thing. He probably just needs to settle in. Although he has no problem settling onto the furniture and having a belly rub! :D
 
Hi there, congratulations with your new cavalier!
My Spottie is very picky about his food and doesn't like dry food so much too. In the beginning he was a bad eater too and then i tried to give him pasta with cooked pieces of chicken and he ate a lot...did that for a while and also sometimes rice with chicken and sometimes beef. Het wants his food to be chopped in very tiny pieces or else he wont eat..
Now i am changing sometimes dry food but with pieces of chicken and that seemes to work...sometimes the food stays all day without Spottie is eating it so i leave it and in the evening when we come home he eats...
He loves to play mostly after he has eaten, it's like a boost of energy he gets and after a while we have to say, "now go lay down and easy" and then he knows playtime is over...
His favourites are a rubber chicken and a tennisbal...and..he has lots more and every toy has a name and he knows them all...when we ask to pick up chicky, or ball or bear he comes with the right toy...
It is just learning, repeating while playing and when he does something very good just overreact in happiness and he will remember, they are quick learners...
They love cuttles and sometimes i have to ask him to stop because he is "smutthering" me (but i love it nevertheless).
Everything will be oké in a while, maybe he was not used to do all these things and you have to show him that playing is a lot of fun!
http://static.flickr.com/105/313833784_20574cc59d_m.jpg
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Hi and welcome to the group and thank you for saving a great dog -

Is there any way you could find out where he was before he was rescued -for example - toys he doesn't know what to do with them as he has never seen them before so doesn'nt know how to play.... I would let him settle in a little longer, maybe good to PM Misty (Fran) or Nikki as they have rescues and my be able to give you pointers.
 
As with many things, play is a mixed bag: some dogs are just more playful than others AND/OR it may be a case of the dog not knowing how to play. If they do not learn very young, they can still learn but may not end up as playful as they might have been. I personally have a Cavalier who does not play with toys on his own initiative and is not particularly playful with other dogs, although he is around them a lot. He does, however, like to play with us. We have taught him to fetch his little tennis play, to do simple tricks in addition to basic commands and to do some "first level" agility. He loves to do these activities and his tail wags the whole time. My guess is your Cavalier has not had experience playing and you will need to teach him and may need help in doing so. In the meantime, go to this link about rescue Cavaliers to help with your transition:

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1705

Good luck to you and enjoy your new family member. Just remember that dogs, even purebreeds, like people, can have different personalities.
 
Hi Guys,

Thanks for the great responses. A quick update on George. He is now eating his dried food without any real problems at all. He seems to eat later in the day and enjoys it! He played with his soft squeaky dog the other night. He was so funny, I've never seen a dog so gentle! He only played for a few minutes but at least it was something. I just want him to be happy either way which I think he is as his tail is constantly wagging! Unfortunately I know nothing of George's past. I believe he was found in a Dublin surburb. Why he was wandering the streets is anyone's guess.

I have been leaving him on his own for short periods of time and gradually building it up a bit. He's been spending a lot of time with me and I was a bit worried about seperation anxiety but by the looks of things I think I'm suffering more than him! He seems to sit at the door for a minute and is up on the couch by the time my car leaves the driveway!

The only issue now occured 2 days ago while I was walking him. He strolled along fine and we passed several houses with barking dogs behind gates and he didn't flinch. Then we passed a little Yorkie and George barked his head off at the poor little thing. I don't even think it was aggression, more of a protective bark (Maybe I'm wrong?) It has made me quite nervous of walking him too far as I'm terrified he'll do it to a big dog that won't take too kindly to it. Any advice?

Once again than you for all your lovely comments. Can't remember what life was like before George!
 
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