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I got my wish then disaster struck!!!

milandmais

Well-known member
Hi all,

Just after some advice please and will try to keep it as short as possible.
We have three cavaliers a tri-Maisy, blenheim- millie and a ruby- Megan,affectionately known as the m and m's!! They are all 3 years old and love each other to bits.We felt that we realistically had room for just one more and naturally it had to be a black and tan!!After months and months of searching for a rescue we had no luck and a couple of wks ago decided to start to look for a responsible breeder and have a puppy, needless to say our wish came true and we had a deposit on our new little girl mischa at 6wks old.It was just 1 wk before we were due to pick her up on the 5th feb and disaster has struck,I have broken my back in a horse riding accident and now bed bound for at least 3 months.I was released from hospital last sat 6th and mischa also had to come home that day too due to the breeder leaving for a holiday in oz the next day.

My other three girls will just not take to her, as soon as we let her out of her playpen they just jump up onto 'higher ground' to get away from her.maisy my tri who is the boss just barks at her and lets out a low growl,this I can understand as puppy did catch her on the first day with her needle like teeth and now maisy obviously doesnt want to be nipped.I feel so sorry for my partner who is off work being my full time carer and also has Mischa to deal with.I would like to point out that we are not at crisis point but obviously its upsetting me at this difficult time that they are all not best friends and getting along.Any tips help and advice would be much appreciated.Oh and also forgot to mention Mischa will be starting puppy parties at our vets next wk but only for three wks am hoping this will learn her some boundries.

Thanks for reading
diane
 
So sorry to hear about your back!

Can you explain in more detail why you are worried and what you are seeing? To me this sounds pretty normal as she has only been there less than a week. It is quite normal for young puppies to be a bit of a pain to adults -- first as puppies, which can be very annoying to adults and it is *absolutely normal* for them to be reprimanded by the adults, and secondly as a newcomer upsetting the balance theadults had in your home -- they would do this to an adult as well til they adjust, which can take days, weeks or even a few months. It is very, VERY rare that they won;t all settle in especially in this breed. However be aware that it is likely that the relationships between your existing dogs may alter -- generally adding a dog does change the group dynamics and also can change the dynamics with their owners. The addition is typically not going to be just one more of the same as you had but a new entity that alters the existing situation in new ways, so be prepared for that.

I would just get an xpen - a good investment for any dog owner -- get one with three foot high panels as you can then use for adults too. Put Mischka in there to play part of the time, with some toys, or when she is getting to be a bit too much for the adults. Other than that -- unless they are actually hurting Mischka, (extremely unlikely) growling and snapping are not only normal, but help socialise a young puppy and should be fully allowed.

I think it might be worth talking to the trainer at the puppy party as they will confirm this.

There's lots of info on dog behaviour and how puppies act at www.dogstardaily.com that should be of help, and you can also download Ian Dunbar's book After Yu Get Your Puppy, for free, which should also be a big help.

One concern though is that you may have problems having three girls -- generally this is really not a good idea and in many breeds can be disastrous. Cavaliers tend to be pretty accommodating but still, problems are far more likely with three girls than boys, all else being equal. Are the existing dogs spayed or intact? If intact you are more likely to get problems. Did the breeder talk to you at all about considering a male, or how to best manage having three females? Trainers generally recommend a gender balance to avoid fights; girls are more likely to fight than boys. This is something however more likely to arise when Mischka is older -- at 6 months to a year onwards -- rather than at this point as puppies are not seen as a gender threat. Most likely they will get along especially if they are spayed, but you do have a situation which is likely to be more volatile when they are adults than if you had two females and a male and will always be something to keep in mind.

Hope your back heals quickly!!
 
Many thanks for the reply Karlin,
I will have a look at the references provided with my many many spare hours i now have!!!

I'm glad to say that by reading your response my mind has been put more at rest. Mischa has just been acting like a normal puppy just basically being a pain to my older three girls,you know the type of behaviour i'm taliking about, shes trying to play with them,pulling on their ears,tails etc, inviting them to play........although its very early days i was concerned that they would never get on and had a panic on with me not being able to help with mischa because of my injury. When Maisy (the boss) was doing the warning to mischa with the growl etc my partner was picking mischa up and seperating them, having thought about it i feel that he needs to leave them to it and let Mischa learn the dos and donts by herself. I must stress that at the moment the worse that has happened is a warning growl,with NO AGGRESSION or SNAPPING at all. I understand that animals can be unpredictable but i am positive that none of my older three girls will EVER turn agressive towards her and i'm not concerned about that.

We do have a x pen ( we call it the playpen) Mischa eats her meals in there and also has her basket and toys in there,i would also reccommend one to anyone as its been the best thing we ever bought. We purchased it when our millie and maisy came home at 8wks old now three years ago and it proved invaluble.

None of our three older girls are spayed but were due to be done anytime from now onwards. We have had to postpone this now due to my accident.Would also like to clarify we now have four cavalier girls including the new puppy,Mischa.

I also understand that it's not the best time to have had a puppy but obviously i could not have forseen the unfortunate circumstances we find ourselves in.I'm upset that I cannot fully enjoy this time when Mischa came home,it was supposed to be a very exciting time.:(

thanks
diane
 
I have dog trainer friends who would actually recommend people with lone puppies bring them to mix with older dogs as the dogs are much better at teaching the pups bite inhibition and polite behaviour than humans can ever be. :) A growl is just a polite 'lay off' from an adult... you can get mild snarls and snaps too but it is really very rare for an adult to hurt a pup (generally a dog that itself is poorly socialised or of poor temperament). If Mischka is being a pest though or if the two adults gang up on her -- which you can also get when you have two or more dogs and are introducing a new one -- she may need a time out and separation. It is really getting a balance -- think of how you'd manage a toddler around adult visitors. Some might not mind a rowdy toddler, some might be peeved, most will be fine for a certain amount of time but youngsters have more energy and pester power than adults want to be subjected to (unless family! :lol:). An xpen is very handy as it is a playpen of sorts and you can easily pop a puppy or adult in one. One or two panels make nice impromptu baby gates as well.

Cavaliers are generally so tolerant and friendly too that you can do single gender groups pretty easily, or large groups. I was visiting a breeder with several intact males all in a group a while back, all very easy-going, and I told a friend who runs westie rescue, who could hardly believe you could have a room of intact males without squabbles.
 
Diane,

How helpless you must have felt with the puppy arriving and you not being able to help settle her in.
No wonder you have been worried.

I do hope that now the first panic has subsided you will be able to relax and enjoy the little one.
At least, while you are housebound, you will have a source of constant amusement watching her and how her relationship with the other cavaliers develops.

Wishing you as speedy a recovery as possible.
 
Thanks Margaret,

Yes I'm upset that I cannot play with her and was upset that I can't just go to her whenever I want, I was a very very lucky girl with my accident and was told by my spinal consultant that I nearly paralysed myself,it's amazing what you take for granted when its taken away from you.

On a more positive note Mischa our new little princess is absolutely beautiful and cute as a button, will try to post some pics soon.My other three girls are proving to be excellent bed nurses and are helping mummy with her recovery!!!

a little breakhrough today as my fella said that Mischa followed Maisy out into the garden and they had a proper game of chase me and playtime!!

cl*pDiane
 
Thanks Margaret,

Yes I'm upset that I cannot play with her and was upset that I can't just go to her whenever I want, I was a very very lucky girl with my accident and was told by my spinal consultant that I nearly paralysed myself,it's amazing what you take for granted when its taken away from you.

I was paralysed from the neck downwards for a short time when I was in my twenties. Fortunately I recovered and yes, I certainly never took too much for granted after that.

a little breakhrough today as my fella said that Mischa followed Maisy out into the garden and they had a proper game of chase me and playtime!!

cl*pDiane

You will soon be wondering why you worried. :)
 
That;s great news that they are playing! cl*p So glad your accident didn't cause paralysis -- hope you have a speedy recovery; good cavalier nursing staff do help!
 
Here is the little terrorist who goes by the name of Mischa !!!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4356277810_64220edc6b.jpg
4356277810_64220edc6b.jpg
 
She's adorable! :wggle:
They will all accept her - I'm looking forward to your post (soon) when you tell us she's cuddled up sleeping with one or more of them. :)
 
Here are my other three fur babies, Maisy, Megan and Milllie.Maisy my tri has again been playing with Mischa and I also can't wait to post a picture like this including Mischa cuddling up with them.I'm sure we wo'nt have to wait long !!!:badgrin:

4109663600_8db7993b95.jpg



3871708382_4b884641bb.jpg
 
I am very lucky in more ways than one!!!! But understand that I am truly blessed to have my now four wonderful and beautiful girls.:D
 
Hi

Just reading this and it sounds familiar as we have four girls and our last Lily came to us aged 11 months after a gap of almost two years since Rosie, and their ages now are Poppy 5 in July and Daisy 41/2 and Rosie 4 in July and the baby Lily will be 3 in Sept .They are get on with each other perfectly fine as long as we all know Miss Daisy wears the trousers .:)
 
She looks like a cute bundle of trouble! :luv: I hope you recover soon and well, and don't get too bored ;).

Just to support what's been said here, I think that socializing Rose with my parents' dachsund was the best thing in the world for her. When Pheobe "fussed" at Rose when they would first greet each other (at either house), my dad wanted to fuss at Pheobe, but I told him to just leave her alone and let her teach our little "brat" some manners- better to have her learn early from a dog we know won't "chomp" her, than have her learn a very hard lesson later! And it worked :) .
 
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