New puppy and a couple not so FAQs (maybe)

I have a new 11 week old blenhiem named Tess. She's absolutely wonderful! She is doing great with potty training (3days and no accidents!) and is just the perfect temperament. She actually mirrors my mood. When we are in the puppy play room she plays HARD and when I'm on the internet or feeling sleepy she cuddles up beside me and politely chews on her nylabone or snoozes. I could go on and on because she is so special and so beautiful but I have a few questions. My biggest concern right now is spoiling her. I am not talking about giving her too many toys and soft beds (I'm sure we all do that). I mean the only time she is really alone is at night. (I know she will end up sleeping with us eventually but I want her to get used to sleeping alone first--and nightime is special bonding time with our other dog) She has supervised floor access only in her room which is puppy proofed and the rest of the time I carry her around the house. If I need to do something I put her in her crate and if we leave the house (for no more than an hour) she is in her playpen with papers. (we haven't even left her alone enough to actually use the papers) When I put her away she cries so hard like she is dying and she wants to be held or carried 24/7. Is this acceptable or could I be causing future behavior problems? She doesn't seem anxious or fearful when she's with us just whiney about being held. And it's mostly me she cries for. Example, my husband can leave the room but I can't. Should I spend less time with my puppy?

My other question is about puppies and the beach. Is it safe for a puppy? Is puppy skin to sensitive for saltwater? Are there any specific dangers I should be aware of?

Thanks so much! Rachel

All puppies whine for people -- it is an instinctual thing not to be abandoned. Just ignore it. If your respond she is training you to come back and this causes problems later on.

At the beach -- just keep her on the lead, provide shade and water, don;t let her overheat or find dangerous things to eat.

On sleeping -- there is really no point in making her sleep alone as a puppy if you are just going to let her in your room later on. This will cancel out all the work you are doing to have her sleep on her own. If you want a dog that will sleep on its own, you should really be rotating *both* your dogs out to crates or pens sometimes during the week at night, and sometimes letting them stay in with you. If your older dog doesn't need to be sleeping on its own, then surely the puppy doesn't need to be? The puppy would be a lot happier without everyone abandoning it (as the puppy sees it) every night if there's no specific reason to do so (eg the dog will be permanently outside the room).

I'd strongly recommend buying one of Dr Ian Dunbar's excellent puppy/dog manuals as it will answer loads of general questions while you are raising your new puppy! Easily available from Amazon. Every dog owning home should have at least one basic manual on dog care and training.

Well honestly I think you're spoiling her
But then again which puppy isn't getting spoiled..

Although I would be careful with the carrying and the holding though..
I don't think it's unwise to have her on the ground a bit more.. Teach her that she can't ALWAYS be with you, cause I think that if you don't do that, she'll get problems later on.. I'm quite sure there will be times when you'll have to leave the house for more then an hour and can't take her with you..
So perhaps it's not a bad idea to teach her to be alone from time to time.. If she learns this when she's young, she won't have problems when she's older...

Good luck en enjoy the puppy love

Karlin said:

On sleeping -- there is really no point in making her sleep alone as a puppy if you are just going to let her in your room later on. This will cancel out all the work you are doing to have her sleep on her own. If you want a dog that will sleep on its own, you should really be rotating *both* your dogs out to crates or pens sometimes during the week at night, and sometimes letting them stay in with you. If your older dog doesn't need to be sleeping on its own, then surely the puppy doesn't need to be? The puppy would be a lot happier without everyone abandoning it (as the puppy sees it) every night if there's no specific reason to do so (eg the dog will be permanently outside the room)

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I don't think that the dogs are ready to sleep together in the bed. Isabel (my chihuahua) is terrified of Tess so they are gradually getting to know each other. I guess I thought it was best to teach them to sleep on thier own first because that's what we did with isabel--she doesn't mind sleeping in her crate but of course prefers and thinks she belongs in our bed. I also thought that inconsistancy at this stage would cause more protest from Tess--so didn't think of switching them off. Plus, Isabel isn't able to get as much attention with the puppy around and I want her to feel special...It's tough spreading out our love and attention between the two dogs when they don't get along. That's definitely been the hardest thing! Hopefully this will change with time?

Also, anybody got an answer about salt-water and puppy skin?

I would watch the carrying thing- she WILL get too big to carry around all the time. If she's used to it, she will expect it even if she weighs 20 pounds.

I had a 5 pound toy poodle who I carried around everywhere as a pup and would jump on my legs to be picked up all the time. It got to be pretty annoying at times, but I created the monster, so to speak. She did that for 12 years.

As for keeping her in a crate at night, if that is comfortable for you and her, then I would keep it going until you're ready to move her into your bed.

I have to say I had a hard time with both of my Cavs putting them in a crate during the day for some reason. They were fine at night, but would scream and carry on if I put them in during the day. It passed after a few weeks and now Ollie is fine if I need to confine him while I run out or can't watch him.

Regarding the beach question:

I have no personal experience with beaches, but there's a recent post elsewhere on the board about 'dry drowning.' It's probably a good thing to be aware of if you plan on having your dog around water.

I don't think you're spoiling her, but I do agree the carrying can get too much. If she gets used to it now, you'll have a dog that wants to be carried all the time. Perhaps you can leash her onto you instead so she at least can walk on her own but that she's still never out of your sight and can get into anything she shouldn't.

I don't know that much about how cavaliers react to saltwater but there are lots of dogs of various breeds here that have a negative reaction to our brackish water and I can imagine it'd be even worse with saltwater. All people I know that have sensitive dogs around here wash their dogs as soon as possible after swimming. I don't know how mine reacts to the sea water here because he totally refuses to get wet, he won't even put a paw in water.