Portia
Well-known member
We picked up our new baby Bailey on Saturday and couldn't be happier (although also a bit tired...lol). He is 10 weeks old and has been a very good little boy despite all the new things and firsts he's had in the last few days. He seems to like the car and falls fast asleep within a few minutes of driving. He already has a couple of favorite toys too. He's settling in really well and is becoming more and more comfortable every day with the sounds of the house, our movements, etc. At first, he hated his crate -- I think he was afraid he was going to miss something -- so we set up an xpen in the kitchen along with his crate and that made him comfortable enough to go in and out of it on his own for naps. I also put an old t-shirt of my husband's in the crate, which seemed to make him more comfortable. This is such a relief since hubby and I go back to work tomorrow and Bailey will have to be home alone for 3-4 hours at a time. He's even been sleeping pretty well, only getting up every 3-4 hours to tell us he has to go out. We went to the vet yesterday and she very happily told us that he does not have a heart murmur, noting that every other cavalier she treats has had one. Our breeder assured us he wouldn't, but we were so relieved to have the vet confirm this. She also talked to us a bit about SM/CM to make sure we were aware of it and could watch for warning signs.
On Sunday, I had him in his pen in the yard when the neighbor's half pit bull/half labrador came bounding over. I was extremely nervous as I had never met this dog and had only observed him through my kitchen window. He had always seemed pretty good, but is a very athletic dog and plays very rough. He's also about 120 lbs of solid muscle compared to my 4 lb little fluff-ball. But, I forced myself to remain calm and just prayed he didn't jump over the pen and go for Bailey. When my neighbor realized he had run into my yard, he came over as well, which made me a bit more comfortable. Well, unlike his mama, Bailey does not have a scared bone in his body! They went nose to nose and nose to butt a couple of times through the pen and Bailey ran around inside the pen while the big guy ran around on the outside. I think it was a good socialization experience for Bailey, but I'm still glad the fence we're putting up will be done later today!
Although things have been going well, I have a few questions I'd love your input on:
1. Is waking up every 3-4 hours overnight normal for a 10 week old? My vet said he should be able to hold it 6-8 hours overnight, but would love to hear your experiences. Although he pees almost immediately, I want to make sure I'm not letting him train us to get up with him overnight more often than he really needs to.
2. I want to order him a Puppia harness. Which style do you think is best? Also, any idea on size? I'm going to try and measure him later today, but expect he'll be a little squirmy.
3. Bailey loves toes and feet! When he wants to play, he will pounce on your feet and nip at your big toe. I've tried making the high-pitched yip, pulling my feet away and giving him a toy, but it doesn't seem to be scaring him off enough. Any other ideas for what we can do?
4. Last night, he started humping -- first, my husband's arm and a toy this morning. Is he a little young for this, or is this just normal doggie behavior? Also, what should we do when he humps? What we did the last couple of times was divert his focus so he'd stop...is tis the right thing to do?
Thanks for your input and advice. Bailey and his new mommy and daddy appreciate it!
P.S. I would LOVE to post some pics of him. Is there a way to do it without having a URL?
On Sunday, I had him in his pen in the yard when the neighbor's half pit bull/half labrador came bounding over. I was extremely nervous as I had never met this dog and had only observed him through my kitchen window. He had always seemed pretty good, but is a very athletic dog and plays very rough. He's also about 120 lbs of solid muscle compared to my 4 lb little fluff-ball. But, I forced myself to remain calm and just prayed he didn't jump over the pen and go for Bailey. When my neighbor realized he had run into my yard, he came over as well, which made me a bit more comfortable. Well, unlike his mama, Bailey does not have a scared bone in his body! They went nose to nose and nose to butt a couple of times through the pen and Bailey ran around inside the pen while the big guy ran around on the outside. I think it was a good socialization experience for Bailey, but I'm still glad the fence we're putting up will be done later today!
Although things have been going well, I have a few questions I'd love your input on:
1. Is waking up every 3-4 hours overnight normal for a 10 week old? My vet said he should be able to hold it 6-8 hours overnight, but would love to hear your experiences. Although he pees almost immediately, I want to make sure I'm not letting him train us to get up with him overnight more often than he really needs to.
2. I want to order him a Puppia harness. Which style do you think is best? Also, any idea on size? I'm going to try and measure him later today, but expect he'll be a little squirmy.
3. Bailey loves toes and feet! When he wants to play, he will pounce on your feet and nip at your big toe. I've tried making the high-pitched yip, pulling my feet away and giving him a toy, but it doesn't seem to be scaring him off enough. Any other ideas for what we can do?
4. Last night, he started humping -- first, my husband's arm and a toy this morning. Is he a little young for this, or is this just normal doggie behavior? Also, what should we do when he humps? What we did the last couple of times was divert his focus so he'd stop...is tis the right thing to do?
Thanks for your input and advice. Bailey and his new mommy and daddy appreciate it!
P.S. I would LOVE to post some pics of him. Is there a way to do it without having a URL?