The Good, The Bad and The Need Help On Kodee Update!

Kodee is now 9.5 wks old and let me tell you, little innocent snuggle puppy is almost gone! OK not gone, she still loves to cuddle alot, but holy-cow look out when she is awake - fiesty is an understatement!

The Good!
We learned to sit when asked!! Wow nothing cutier than a muffin sized puppy sitting pretty waiting for congratulations!

We have accepted our collar and lead - but getting the puppia over our head, hasnt happened!

Still only 4 accidents in 1.5 wks Mind you, accident free due to my taking her out after each wakeup, before meal and after meal; cant say she actually asks to go out!

She passes out on the couch at 8 or so, goes out at 11 and into crate in the kitchen :rah: and then not a word till 7am.

The Bad and Questions on Handling!
She can get really excited and very insistant about nipping hands, pulling clothing! I begin 1st time ahhah 2nd put down and ignore 30 sec then redirect with toy 3rd ignore walk out of room BUT darn if she is not insistant! Is this just normal to take time at 9.5 wks? Seems a little too playful to me at this age.

OK next, I admit it - she has me wrapped around her finger. I am embarrassed to admit - she has not been xpened. I keep her in the kitchen with me, or den (since accidents on rugs havent happened) for playtimes. She crawls in my lap when tired and falls asleep - I then carry her to her crate and leave the door open (I can see when she wakes up).

I did start closing it one or two times a day so I could shower etc.. All the females in this house are princesses - she fits in perfectly! But I see myself doing the same thing I did wrong with my babies - had the worst time putting them in a crib before they fell asleep in my arms...hense why mommy had issues once they got bigger. OH Ya I know I am going down the same road here. I need to gut up before I make separation an issue. But the one time I used the xpen, she was really scared, she just didnt understand why she couldnt get to us. She does not seem bothered by the crate (ok I cheat as she is asleep when I put her in it, but she doesnt cry to be let out day or night). All the books say a young pup shouldnt be crated except at night - considering she is out with me all day, would it be wrong to lock her in the crate for an hr or two once or twice a day?

Feeding has been a bit of a chore as I needed to first switch kibble, but tha is now taken care of. But she wont eat any kibble (more than an 1/8 c on a good day plain). If I dip a spoon in yogurt and stir the kibble with it she will eat it all. Or if I shred about 2 tps of cheese on top she eats most. These arent too fattening amts are they for a 9wks pup at about 5lbs? We always have cheese and yogurt so its not a problem, I just want to be sure I dont get her so accustomed to it, that when she is larger doing this will add too much weight.

Face it, Kodee has me wrapped as tight as can be. My daughter has a dentist appointment tomorrow and I cant leave her alone, simply because I havent gotten her used to an expen or being put in crate while awake (the minute she wakes up, I am always right there). Just how to I gut up to do this, every day I say ok today you must get her used to it, and then I dont. Is it that much a problem if I wait till 12 wks or so - am I really creating the monster I think I might be...

Debbie:

It seems you've answered all of your questions! Girl, you know what to do, so all you need is a bit of will power! Put her in the ex-pen along with her crate and some chew toys. Feed her in the ex-pen, too. This way she'll learn that she's not being punished and will associate good things with the pen.

As for the food, are you using non-fat yogurt? What about adding a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin instead of the cheese? What about a different type of kibble? Try your local pet supply shop for some free samples.

It sounds like she's doing great with training! She's probably teething now, so when she gets in one of those moods, put her in the ex-pen with plenty of chew toys and maybe some ice cubes. Again, this isn't to punish her, but to redirect her AND protect you! ;-)

Enjoy!

Hi Debbie,

Puppies are like children. Their job is to push and push the issues and boundaries. Your job is to stop them. They have to know when they've gone to far. Either with a stern NO, or to ignore them. Puppies will be what you put into them. If you are lax and give in all the time, it's possible the puppy will be very spoiled and possibly growl or snap to get it's way. My Scout is spoiled, but she's not bad she's very mischievous. Puppies have LOTS of energy. They are a lot of work. Consistency.
Don't confuse your baby. If they are not allowed to chew on certain thing that has to be all the time. If you don't want to get up and stop the behavior they will become confused.

I've often heard people say, I love so and so's dog I want one just like it. They are so well behaved. Well they didn't come that way. Lot's of time was put into the dog (s). It's hard work.

Debbie - I know I know!!! ~

Since you live about 10 minutes from me how about I bring Faith over and she and Kodee can bite each other until their hearts content?! LOL :w**h**:

But seriously, we've had the same issues but Faith is getting a lot better. What I do when she bites me is say "OUCH!" "NO BITING!" and if she does it again then I say "BAD GIRL! NO BITING!" (Bad girl always seems to have an edge, lol) - ONE time ~ and only once I had to put her in a time out for biting but she's learned that biting does not bring good things. I've also taught her no biting by hand feeding her treats. If she eats pretty and doesn't bite me - she can have the treat.. Once she lunges I say "ahh ahh, no biting!" and then let her try again. She's gotten REALLY good about this. Granted she missed her toy and bit my hand last night (OUCH!) but she's doing VERY well. She's learning patience and not to touch people with her teeth. It's wonderful.

Did you say she's only eating 1\8 cup of food per day?? How many times a day are you feeding her?? Pumpkin, yogurt, even a little bit of turkey or chicken is a good substitute to get them to eat. I've been giving Faith about a tablespoon of merrick's puppy plate with her kibble. I gave Kosmo a bit of chicken with his food this morning because I was concerned for him not eating. He hadn't eaten for 4 days straight :yikes I got a good meal down him though.

I think it's good for them to learn a bit of "independence" so to speak. For example - Faith is coming with me to Kosmo's classes on Saturday. Because I can't have her running around I have her in her carrier - she's used to it and she doesn't make a peep. It's great becuse most people don't even know I'm smuggling a dog everywhere with me. Good luck with the x pen situation though.

Way to go for no accidents!! Our last one was last Friday - :w**h**:

OH trust me, I know what I gotta do - I just need reinforcement to tell me to quit whining and put her in the xpen and listen to her cry. The only time I did it my husband was on the floor laughing. She basically sat as close to me as she could get, ears back, head hung and did a low whine. She occassionally went to her bed and curled up with the sadest eyes LOCKED on me. I'm really good at spoiling - ask my kids :sl*p: I did this to myself, because she hasnt really had accidents having access to the whole kitchen and now she gets to play in the den and hall - she looks at me like I am nuts if I try to confine her. I could KICK MYSELF - what was I thinking? Ofcourse I cant put her in an xpen to go out - I havent taught her how to survive in one. Silly me, that's what I get for being a sap! OK I must GUT UP THIS WEEKEND, she will be a happier puppy not so dependant on me in the end.

As for food issues - it is no-fat, plain yogurt. She is given about 1/4 cup 3x a day - but most meals only eats 1/8 if I add cheese (she eats all the cheese) and the same when I mix in the breeders frozen homecooked rice, chicken, carrot and vit fortified frozen food she sells to many vet offices etc.. has for yrs. My issue is I want to get her to eat the kibble not just toppings, she has an appetite! She is just wont eat plain kibble. I cant easily get the breeders food, so I am trying to find something to mix that is always in my fridge or at least easy to keep. The yogurt means she eats all the kibble, but I wonder if it is not good for her for me to always mix it? Is it alright? If I use pumpkin every meal again, is that alright?

Sara - the Merricks you are using, if you are using a tablespoon 3x a day - do you end up having to throw out alot? How long will it keep? That would be nice and easy!

I'm glad you are all asking these questions now.. I am going to have a great gaggle of references in 2 weeks when Cicero comes home!

Thanks Gals!

arasara said:

Debbie - I know I know!!! ~

Since you live about 10 minutes from me how about I bring Faith over and she and Kodee can bite each other until their hearts content?! LOL :w**h**:

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Perhaps she would at least learn it hurts! Her second shots are not till the 22 - she is on an 6wk shot, then 12 wk then 16 (rabies 2wks later - confuses me, as I am used to 8, 12, 16 set up. I will feel better about taking her out once she has her second shots. She is set for puppy classes on the 28th that will help, I just hope its not too late for the puppy socialization stage - she will be 12 wks then.

Cicero's Mummy said:

I'm glad you are all asking these questions now.. I am going to have a great gaggle of references in 2 weeks when Cicero comes home!

Thanks Gals!

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Yup learn it now, dont be a wash over like me, the xpen is your friend!! I knew this - why I didnt listen to what i knew is beyond me!

You have been bitten by the Cavalier Puppy Bug. :yikes :yikes

All jokes aside, and as cute as she is you better start getting her used to her xpen, eating kibble without dressing it up.

I went through hell with Dudley by doing what you are doing.

So quit whining about it and do it. icon_whistling

Or I am coming over, you can buy that food at
Secord's Animal Hospital on Yonge Street, that is where I bought it for Dudley who now refuses to eat it.

I spoil my kids too, but you are going to be whining even more if you don't get your butt in gear. She has you wrapped around her finger and she knows it, didn't I warn you that this was going to happen and you said you were not going to fall into that trap.

You are trapped, better start teaching her now.
She can whine that is fine, do you think when she was at the Breeders she got away with this. I am going to come over and kick you.

Why do you have to wait till the wkd, what is wrong with right now.

You have to watch Yogurt as it may give her a bit of the runs in that amount, have you tried just leaving her alone to see how long it will take her to eat just plain kibble.

Linda said:

You have been bitten by the Cavalier Puppy Bug. :yikes :yikes

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Oh, Linda, are you sure you havent known me my whole life! My oh my, did you hit it on the head with every comment - we must be alot alike! But knowing that... you also know I need to wait till the weekend because I get into these situations (even though I learned through spoiling 2 babies) because I am incapable of disappointing anyone! YUP I need reinforcement of my husband to tell me to LEAVE HER IN THE PEN when her eyes and whines sear through me. It explains why I was a stay at home mom, when I should have been out working part time too...OK LINDA SCHOOL COMMENCES... i can do this, i can do this... I can, cant I?

*G* Just a tip for the puppia..

If the pup is treat motivated (Holly wasn't, Amber is) then it's simple. Hold the puppia spread ready to go over the head- make sure it's plenty big enough to go over easily. If it's a struggle, stop AT ONCE and invest in the next size up. I'm speaking from experience here.. I made the mistake of having Amber in a small puppia when it was just a little too small to go over the head, although it was much too big when actually on. As a result, she needed to be retrained to accept anything going over her head and this is how I did it.

Remember the pup shouldn't be walked for any length of time anyway, so even if the puppia is too big you can at least walk her around the house and garden to get her used to it. She'll grow into it.

As I was saying, though, hold the slightly-too-large puppia spread ready to go over the pup's nose (like you would a baby's vest) with one hand, and hold a treat in such a position that the pup has to put her nose through the hole to get at it. Worked every time with Amber and now when she sees the puppia she sits prettily and sticks her nose straight in it! Makes life a lot easier. Amber will walk reasonably on the harness, but goes crazy if I try to attach the lead to her collar- and harness walking is better for them anyway, so I haven't persisted with it.

Lisa_T said:

*G* Just a tip for the puppia.

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Thanks :flwr: I will work on that - any treats here are uneaten kibble. Between treats for going outside, treats to get leash on, treats to get leash off and now trying the puppia - we get our extra 1/8 cup of uneaten kibble in there!

LOL. Actually I use kibble too. It's Salmon and Potato and actually smells like salmon and potato. Both dogs love it and are quite happy to have it as treats. Besides. I'm still working my way through a 15kg bag of the stuff.. it's lasted about 10/11 weeks or and will probably do another month. Not bad for twenty quid. Good quality stuff too.