Need Advice

I have a six month old Cavalier. I have never had a Cavalier before, but my family has really loved having one. I have a question about their activity levels. Our puppy is very active and wild. She loves to run around the house, and loves to chase you. Is this how active they are suppose to be? We just got her fixed last month and thought that would help calm her down, but so far we can't tell a difference.
We are also house training her, but she is still not trust worthy. We take her out, but she still will go potty on the floor without warning, is this normal. She is crate trained. She also tries dragging me while she is on her leash, how do I get her to stop and calm down and listen, or are they too active for this. I would love any advice on Cavaliers.

Hi, Christa. All that you've described is very normal puppy behavior. It may be unruly behavior, though! Have you looked into participating in an obedience class? I suggest you do, so that you learn how to interact positively with your pup.

Hi and welcome.

I second what Cindy said. I'd also suggest that you log into the forum here and read the posts for a while - it might help you get some insight and suggestions onto your issues.

Potty training, for example, takes time and a puppy can't really be expected to be fully reliable until they are about a year old. It took Lucky about that long, but now he doesn't have accidents (knock on wood ...). He's extremely reliable.

He also did not calm down until he was about a year and a half and now he's very calm (I walk him a lot though to help him stay that way ... the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness is a huge help as he's a big puller whenever he sees a squirrel!).

I've now got a year old rescue so I'm in the process of going through all the same things again that you are dealing with.

Would love to see some pics of your puppy. :snap:

Great advice as a good training class-- based on rewards as cavaliers will love to work for a food reward! -- is exactly what she needs at about this age. You need to be working with her to shape her behaviour while she is at this age as if left untrained, it is a lot more difficult to redress problems as she reaches adulthood. She needs to be trained to walk on a loose lead -- most puppies will pull. She has no idea what you want without training.

In the Library section I have soime good links on housetraining/crate-training. She is still only a puppy -- like a toddler --so she would b expected to have accidents. Nonetheless, she is being given too much unsupervised freedom if she has the opportunity to g on the floor inside regularly. She needs 100% supervision 100% of the time when she is not crated or asleep. She needs to be at arm's reach and she needs not to be allowed to roam about unwatched especially into other rooms. Strict management and rewards and praise are the fastest way to end accidents and achieve success in training.

Christal said:

I have a six month old Cavalier. I have never had a Cavalier before, but my family has really loved having one. I have a question about their activity levels. Our puppy is very active and wild. She loves to run around the house, and loves to chase you. Is this how active they are suppose to be? We just got her fixed last month and thought that would help calm her down, but so far we can't tell a difference.
We are also house training her, but she is still not trust worthy. We take her out, but she still will go potty on the floor without warning, is this normal. She is crate trained. She also tries dragging me while she is on her leash, how do I get her to stop and calm down and listen, or are they too active for this. I would love any advice on Cavaliers.

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I agree with Moviedust-- all of that is normal puppy type behavior. One of the best suggestions I've ever had was obedience/puppy classes. It will help the pup bond with humans (making the dog want to please their person) and a tired puppy is a well behaved puppy. One of the first lessons of puppy ownership is that a bored pup with pent up energy is a naughty pup. Messing in the house is usually giving a pup too much space. Limit time out and freedom unless the pup is with you -- use positive reinforcement every time the pup does what you want. You need to be quick in praise and positive in attitude.
A scared pup that doesn't care what you think will be naughty.
Sandy-- one who has trained dozens of dogs, young and not so young.

Yes, take her outside every 2-3 hours until she is about 1 year old, then she will learn to tell you she needs to go out. Watch her for signs that she needs to go out. It may take a little longer than 1 year of age.

When she is 2 years old she will behave like a calm adult! Then you'll miss her crazy, fun puppy behavior!

My pup is now 7 months old. I've been wanting to post a message out of sheer desperation over the stress of trying to housebreak her. I feel I've tried so so hard to do it right and have avoided posting due to all the feedback that I expect I will get about all the things I should try but have already been strictly practicing. What I really will be looking for ..when I do post a detailed explanation of everything that I'm doing with Maisy, I hope to receive a lot of support and to understand that we WILL BE successful.

Until then, I'm glad that you posted your concerns. I like how people are responding to your post. It sure is a long long process. I feel I have yet to fully enjoy my dog ..it is a lot of work ..and sometimes it seems impossible to avoid an accident (I have two young kids that always seem to need me). I'm so worried that as Maisy ages, she will never be reliably trained and our first experience in dog ownership will be forever stressful in this regard.

Now, housebreaking aside, aren't they the sweetest little dogs!!! And sooo cute!

Oh, Maisy pulls like crazy on a leash and flat collar. I bought a no-pull harness at Walmart and now we walk with ease. Another thing, we completed a beginners obedience class and did very well. Maisy is excellent at sit, sit stay, down, down stay, leave it, and recall (have to have treats). We are working on heeling and she now sits automatically whenever I stop walking (as long as I have her working on heeling).

I'd love to hear your progress with your puppy ..please PM me.

It is a long, hard road through puppyhood -- good thing they are so darned cute and lovable!

Two years ago, when Daisy was a puppy, I posted a couple of desperate things here about how to deal with her extreme puppy behaviors. It's normal to feel desperate, and if you've never dealt with your own puppy before, or it's been a long time, as it was for me, it can seem like you've gotten yourself into more than you can handle at times. A couple of people even PM'd me volunteering to adopt her! It seems crazy now, but it is hard, especially when you are dealing with puppy/kid interactions as I was.

Daisy was probably on the highly assertive end of the normal puppy-ness range. She was a handful in terms of biting, biting, biting. And believe me, no amount of squealing and putting her down and walking away made any sort of impression on her. If I cried out when she bit, that just egged her on to bite more and harder. She was a pill!

Now she's just the sweetest thing and very calm. Her ony remaining vices are extreme dog reactance, and pulling on the leash on walks. We've done 3 levels of obedience classes plus some agility classes. I had just about despaired of her EVER heeling, when lo and behold, one day she did it. (But she still will only do it for treats, or when she's very tired at the end of our walks.) Actually, heeling became her strong suit in the Canine Good Citizen class. I couldn't believe it.

I'm sure your puppies will turn out fine because you are obviously doing your best for them. Some are harder to housetrain than others, but I feel sure they will get there with persistence.

I'm assuming you are treating with very desirable treats when they do go outside, right? That's the one thing that worked so well with Daisy because she is HIGHLY treat-motivated. She started wanting to go outside about 100 times a day, though, just to squat and get a treat, so we had to taper off.

Good luck to you both -- and if I can ever give you a pep talk or moral support, please PM me!

Oh you have brought back to many memories for me I fell in love with the breed because of an absolute doll I met one day. This girl just laid there and wasn't bothered by anyone walking past her....just as sweet and mellow as can be. I met a few more that had the same disposition and knew this was the breed for me. Enter Jake.......completely did not fit the sweet mellow Cavalier personality. Of course, the ones I had met were all mature adults. Jake had me in tears after two weeks. He was just hell on wheels. I began to think I had made a horrible mistake. Thank goodness he did mellow out. That boy just ran me ragged. Now he's 6. I would say I didn't regret my decision.....since we ended up getting Shelby when he was 14 months old . She is the complete opposite of Jake. She was a truly mellow puppy and grew to be a mellow and independent little girl. Jake is still extremely clingy (my fault!!) but I couldn't love him any more than I do....without having to be committed They do grow up and grow out of that puppy wildness. But enjoy it while you have it, go with the flow....before you know it you will have a 6 year old and wonder where the years went.

I was about to pull my hair out over the summer with Jasper. Ages 6-10 months were really rough, and I remember it being bad when Dudley was a pup, too. The worst time for me was July-August (he was 8-9 months) when he started marking. We weren't going to neuter him, but the constant marking drove us to it. Fortunately, he calmed down a lot after that.

Even though he's 12 months old now, he's still very much a puppy. I've had to redirect him twice just since I started this message because he's been chewing a couch pillow and eating the children's blocks. :bang: He's a very active, chew-happy little fella who can always find something to get into.

He's also just become more reliable with housebreaking in the last month. He still has an occasional accident, but it's getting much more rare than it used to. He's ahd only one accident in the last 2 weeks. :xfngr: I really think maturity has a lot more to do with housetraining than people tell you. You're sort of led to believe that if you do XYZ, then you'll have a perfectly trained puppy. I crate-trained Jasper, took him out at the appropriate times, limited his drinking & eating after 6 p.m., etc., and he still had accidents. There were times when I'd take him out, watch him pee and poop, bring him in, and then watch him poop again right in front of me. It's frustrating! And I'm about to add a second puppy to the house!

Just hang in there...things will get better, I promise. You're doing a lot more right than you think you are. Puppies just need some time and a ton of patience to grow up. I actually prefer adult Cavaliers to puppies. They're such a delight when they grow up a little!

Lori

Saw this and thought of this thread :jump:

A POEM FOR NEW PUPPY OWNERS

Don’t smell crotches, don’t eat plants.
Don’t steal food or underpants.
Don’t eat my socks, don’t grab my hair. . . .
DON’T RIP THE STUFFING FROM THAT CHAIR!
Don’t eat those peas, don’t touch that bush,
Don’t chew my shoes, what IS this mush?!?
Eat your biscuits, drink your drink,
Get out of the toilet, get out of the sink.
Away from the litter tray, it’s for the cat,
(And must you kiss me after that?!?)
Raising a puppy is not for the lazy,
Those urchins are funny but also quite crazy.
Don’t despair through the toil and strife,
‘Cos after three years you’ll get back your life!
So let’s go for walkies, so you can do your “thing”,
And maybe I’ll get back my diamond ring!

Author unknown

funny but soooooooooo true :jump:

petcrazyme said:

I feel I have yet to fully enjoy my dog ..it is a lot of work ..and sometimes it seems impossible to avoid an accident (I have two young kids that always seem to need me). I'm so worried that as Maisy ages, she will never be reliably trained and our first experience in dog ownership will be forever stressful in this regard.

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I thought for sure I'd have the only dog who would never be reliably housetrained! It seemed like it was taking so long, especially when I'd hear people brag about how they trained their puppies in like a month.

But lo and behold, after about a year and a couple of months, she was became trained. So... judging by all of the great commands your dog has learned, it's only a matter of time before she is successfully trained.

cb2u said:

I thought for sure I'd have the only dog who would never be reliably housetrained! It seemed like it was taking so long, especially when I'd hear people brag about how they trained their puppies in like a month.

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LOL ....that's EXACTLY what I've been thinking!!!

Thank you Cristal for starting this thread. That's how great this forum is ...there are usually 'many' of us with the same concerns and we all learn a lot. I hope you feel much better as I do! Maybe our pups aren't doing as poorly as we thought.

I am definitely a member of the "fans of adult Cavaliers more than pups" club...both times I was looking for an adult to adopt and ended up with a pup both times!

Ollie is now 14 months and he is still hell on wheels. If only I could post before and after photos of our garden...our coffee table...our porch...He is FINALLY 99% reliably housetrained...but still chases the cat, pulls on the lead, plays too roughly with our very calm Casey, but I love him to pieces.

I keep telling myself "it took Casey 2 years to become the calm, undemanding dog she is now". But the reality is I think Ollie is more active than she ever was. Every dog is different, but Cavaliers in general are *moderately* active. Your pup will not be bouncing off the walls forever I promise! It sounds like you're doing things right, just hang in there! It's like having a toddler...one minute they're driving you nuts and the next they do something so incredibly sweet you wish they would stay that way forever.

I agree they are so much work when they are puppies - some days you just feel like crying! But at about 1 year and 1-2 months they somehow learn to tell you when they want to go out. And at 2 years they are the loveliest companions! I've found that other breeds become mature at 3 years, but cavaliers are so magically wonderful at age 2. :lotsaluv:

Frecklesmom, I love that poem! :jump:

Thank you so Much!

I am so thankful for all of the advice, and wisdom. I fell in love with this breed, but have never really had a dog of my own in the house. I am so grateful that she will grow out of this stage. I know some of you say I will miss it, but I don't feel that way now. I can not wait till she is calm and trust-worthy and obedient. I love her so much, but like so many of you said she is like a toddler and will drive you crazy. I now know there is hope in sight! Again thank you all so much for your help.

Christal:lotsaluv:

Christal said:

I am so thankful for all of the advice, and wisdom. I fell in love with this breed, but have never really had a dog of my own in the house. I am so grateful that she will grow out of this stage. I know some of you say I will miss it, but I don't feel that way now. I can not wait till she is calm and trust-worthy and obedient. I love her so much, but like so many of you said she is like a toddler and will drive you crazy. I now know there is hope in sight! Again thank you all so much for your help.

Christal:lotsaluv:

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Rotflmao-- obedient-- hahahaha --- well I don't know about that. You'd have to define obedient.

The BEST house training at our home (pups, rescues etc...) is done by older dogs. They model behavior and the dogs in training just follow along.

I am going to add to Sandy's gentle skepticism here :lol: -- a calm, obedient dog comes almost entirely from the time and training and the owner puts into the dog. I would say only about 5% comes from the dog's own personality -- as there are SOME low key personalities out there -- and while SOME dogs do get calmer as they get older, this again is almost entirely going to depend on what you put into your dog. Neutering doesn't suddenly calm down a dog, especially not females and again is still only a tiny element of control. An untrained dog that has no self control doesn't know how to be calm or respond when you ask for her to be calm, for example. Think of raising a child and the situation is parallel.

Keep in mind a dog is an active, independent, busy, intelligent animal that needs care, stimulation, plenty of exercise, plenty of brain activity. They naturally chew, bark, need to race around to burn off energy (especially if the owner is not giving them both mental and physical exercise, at least an hour a day!). Quiet dogs that sit and do little are rare -- they tend to be elderly or ill. Cats are a better option of having a very quiet calm pet is a priority.

So just be sure a dog is definitely what you want, and that this level of commitment and time, daily, is what you want to give. Your dog is unlikely to suddenly become calm and quiet -- probably not til elderly -- but of course this also depends on what you are hoping for. A more self controlled obedient dog you can obtain through time, training, and lots of exercise. But it is doubtful she will just quietly lie around the house.

Did you discuss with the breeder what type of adult cavalier you hoped for? Did s/he help you choose the calmest and quietest puppy in the litter? That's the single best way of getting the adult dog personality you want. Unfortunately most people go and get the 'first puppy that comes and chooses me' -- yet this will almost always be the most active, lively and outgoing personality and will result in a very intense and active adult dog. It bothers me all the time that more discussion doesn;t go on between buyers and breeders about the type of dog that will best suit them, rather than just picking a puppy they want, as one of the major reasons for families to hand over dogs to pounds or rescue is that the wrong personality of dog has gone to the wrong family. I have had several 'too active' dogs come in this year alone -- the right puppy match would probably have meant a happier home and dog and family.

I am sure you can get the dog you want but do take the time to honestly assess where you are and if a dog is not meeting what you feel you want in a household companion. It is much better to make those decisions while the dog is still young. :flwr:

Then as I regularly note :lol:, please go buy Shirlee Kalstone's book on housetraining and Dr Ian Dunbar's Before and After you get your Puppy, or any of his puppy training books and videos. These are invaluable and will hep you shape your dog at this very crucial stage -- if she gets much older, you will be facing remedial work which is much harder and less successful. Training is far more than just having a dog that will sit or shake -- it is a comprehensive approach to self control and management and companionship.

Good luck!