Alex seems possessive.....

Hi,havent posted in a while,busy,busy as usual.One little problem that Im starting to find with Alex.When I move he moves with me,he follows me everywhere literally everywhere.I love him pottering around with me when Im hanging out washing,hoovering,or just moping around the house but lately Ive noticed that he is constantly beside me.Now I dont mind that but to a certain extent,lately he just seems to be following me.When Michael,my husband comes home from work,we have a hug,as you do,a kiss,as you do,ask how the day went,Alex goes mad.He barks and barks and cries,jumping up to me,its like hes asking Michael not to touch me.We think its kind of funny to an extent but Alex must be upset cos he barks at Michael if he even hugs me.Michael and Alex have a great bond with each other,they playtogether,Alex talks to Michael when hes ready to play and so on.Having fun with Alex is great but Im finding lately is that Im almost falling over him,hes at my side that much.Michael calls him my handbag,hes always on my shoulder.We love Alex but he seems to crowd me,am I giving him too much attention for him to want all of mine.Cant help it,hes my little poody :lotsaluv:

Cavaliers are shadows -- they have hundreds of years of breeding in their history to be this attached to their owners. It is one of the points I highlight in 'considering a cavalier' -- which I always ask prospective homes looking for my rescue dogs to read. This behaviour is a hallmark of the breed and for some it is one of the things we love about cavaliers. For others it may be the main reason they decide to give their dog to rescue. Depending on the point of view it is either a positive or a negative but it IS the norm for the breed. Cavaliers are the wrong breed for someone who wants a dog that will sit at a distance and watch what goes on. That said, younger dogs and puppies tend to be a bit more shadow-like than older dogs who know the pattern of what happens each day. And close cmpanionship does NOT mean allowing a dog to be pushy and rude.

If you want him to give you space then you need to get an xpen or similar and train him to accept being put inside and spend some time on his own. You can also crate him, for short periods or confine him to a room (with a stuffed kong, water, a bed etc). It is a good idea to have a dog trained to be on its own. There is info on this under separation anxiety in the Library section. He is also well into the time when you should be able to have a dog trained to go into a downstay or to go to his bed to let you do things without him sitting on top of you. If you haven;t taken him to a training class I'd advise doing that immediately. If you have gone to a class, it sounds like some daily review and practice is needed to get him to do what you'd like.

If he is barking in an unwanted way when your partner comes home then there are a few things you can do -- for example, give him a time out -- no comment, just lead him to a room and confine him for 5 minutes, then let him out again without comment and totally ignoring him. You should also train him to the command 'shush' or 'quiet' (which usually means training 'speak' first).

If you don't have a puppy guide I strongly advise ordering Dr Ian Dunbar's Before and After you get your Puppy, from Amazon. It isn't a good idea just to wing it as the prime time to train is now, while he is young. It is much easier to train to get the dog you want then to try and address problems that may become long term issues if left until adulthood. As you rightly note, what is funny or cute in a puppy is not going to be funny in a loud and pushy adult.

My Casey has always barked when my hubby kisses me goodbye in the morning. I don't think it's "possessive." It's just that he knows Daddy's leaving. After 10 days he's finally "sharing" me (and the sofa) with our new pup, Alfie. The first couple days I didn't think it would ever happen!

Thanks Karlin for the helpful advice.We have Alex in a cage in a corner of the kitchen where he is able to view whats going on etc. but even when hes in his cage he still barks at Michael if hes near me.I wouldnt dream of giving him up as rescue hes my little baby,I love him to bits.Anyway the kiddies would disown me if Alex went anywhere I will look into taking him to a training class,show Alex that hes not the leader of the pack,Mam is the boss and thats that.He rules my heart but I wont let him rule my head.Hes my little pal:luv: