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Another puppy question!--greeting at the door

amyd

Well-known member
We are bringing our puppy home in 4 days--eep! and I keep thinking of questions. This is kind of silly...I know I don't need to be worried with this right away, but I know once she's here I'm going to be really busy and I'd rather ask now while I'm thinking of it!

I was reading that for answering the door, have your dog on lead and have them sit for a greeting (to prevent jumping up on people). Well, I'm planning to use a harness for our dog's lead, so that means she would need to be wearing her harness all the time. I wouldn't have time to get her harness on if someone was knocking at the door. Of course, when I'm *expecting* someone, I can put the harness on in advance, but for those unexpected knocks/doorbell rings, what do you do?

Thanks for indulging my silly questions!

Amy :)
 
Hi Amy -

I would suggest that you take your pup to Puppy Training School at some point. I would suggest that to get your dog to NOT jump on guests, you first teach your pup that jumping on people is not an acceptable behavior and teach your pup to sit, then stay. I never keep a harness on my dogs in the house, so I see your dilemma.

To teach a dog to NOT jump on people is relatively easy. The minute the pup starts to jump on your legs, turn your body away and refuse to look at the pup. Pups like attention. Once they realize that "jumping on person" equates to "no attention or eye contact", it will stop. Everyone in the house must follow the same rules.

Teaching to sit is one that pups catch on to quickly. I used the clicker method. Every good behavior gets a click and a small treat. Your pup will quickly associate the treat, click, and the word sit. "Stay" takes a little more time, but following the same method, will get you there.

So, to have well behaved dog when folks enter your house, be consistent and practice. You can use family or neighbors to ring the bell and then enter the house. Good behavior gets rewarded. I have mine back away from the door, and then sit - stay, when we have guests enter. I have three dogs and they are really good at not jumping on guests.

Hope this helps some. If you haven't had a dog in a while, I would really recommend the training/socialization class. We went to a local pet store, and I found it very helpful.

Good luck!

Joan
 
Hi Joan,
Thanks for your reply. I think I'm worrying too far ahead! lol We pick Cori up Sat. and start training class on Tues. I've also read a bunch of books and websites on positive training, so I know about the methods you mentioned for preventing jumping. I think I was reading about how to handle jumping at the door for people who are experiencing the problem already. But we won't let her do it from the start, so we shouldn't have problems at the door.

I'm overthinking everything at this point because I'm nervous/excited!

My plan is to do exactly what you described. I think we'll be fine.

We had our first Cavalier, Charlie, 6 years ago--he's my avatar pic. (We lost him suddenly after 2 yrs.) You'd think I'd remember how we did everything with him as a puppy, but I feel like I'm doing this for the first time! :D

Thanks again!!
Amy :)
 
Training classes are a great idea and really helpful. One question though.......I don't remember how old your puppy is, but will she have all her puppy vaccinations yet? Just one more thing to think about. :smile:
 
Hi Joyce,
Cori is 17 weeks old. She is getting her 3rd round of shots on Monday. Her class starts Tuesday. I was told (and also read) they just need 2 rounds of shots before they can attend training classes and safely walk where other dogs have been. Is that right as far as you know, too? Thanks!
 
Double check with your vet. My vet wanted us to wait 2 weeks after 3rd vaccination. Also, you may want to wait to see if she has any adverse reaction or soreness to the shots. BellaMia was out of sorts for a few days and had a large lump at the injection site and was pretty sore. Milo, on the other hand, had no problem. Bringing her home, then to the vet, then to puppy class, all in less than a week, may be overwhelming for her. I guess it must depends on her personality, you'll have to judge.
 
Joyce--I'm glad you asked me about vaccines. I signed Cori up for the class when I thought she was going to have had her 3rd set of shots last week. I talked to the breeder yesterday and she said she didn't get them done, so I was going to have them done at her new vet appt. on Monday. I will ask the vet on Monday what she recommends. The bad thing is the next class doesn't start until Cori is 5 months old (At least that will also be 2 weeks after the 3rd set of shots.) I guess it's not a big deal. I can start working with her at home. I want to do it as much for her socialization as anything, though, so that's a bummer.

I called the vet office and I only spoke with the receptionist and she said the vets usually recommend waiting until after the 3rd set of shots are finished before doing any classes. I also mentioned that my breeder recommends waiting to do the rabies vax 4 weeks after the 3rd set of shots. She said they normally do rabies at 16 weeks of age. I know breeders and vets don't always agree. Is there a Cavalier specific reason for waiting a month after the last set of shots to do the rabies vaccine? And if I wait the 4 weeks to do the rabies shot and the training class requires the rabies shot, then I'll have to wait *another* month to start the class and she'll be 6 months old then!

One more question: the vet office also recommends bordatella for puppy classes. I don't remember the breeder mentioning that one.

I would love any advice you have on all this! Maybe I should post this as a new question, too?

Thanks again!!

Amy :)
 
OK, so if your vet is doing the 3rd vaccination, make sure you get a health certificate from your breeders vet with the vaccinations given to date. You should be able to have rabies after 2 weeks, but go with the advice of your vet. Generally, they will want to know if there is any reactions to the vaccines before giving rabies........after all, they are putting a lot of medication into her little body.

Your vet made an excellent suggestion for bordatella.......its a vaccine against kennel cough. Since Cori is going to be around alot of puppies, it is good to protect her. The puppy class may even require it. Also, if you ever have to board her, do day care, and sometimes goomers, she'll be protected. I get this for Bella and Milo. Its not an injection, its a spray in the nose.
 
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Thanks again, Joyce. The breeder will be giving me Cori's records from her vet. You mentioned she should be able to have the rabies vax 2 weeks after the 3rd set. The vet said they usually give it at the same time (I won't do that, though). The breeder said to wait 4 weeks.

As far as bordatella...I would only be getting that for training classes and they don't actually require that one. I don't think we will ever need to board her or do day care. I'm a stay at home mom and my parents live next door, so between all of us, she won't ever be away from home! Do you think I should still do it for the classes, though?

I just want to do what is best for her health. If we wait 4 weeks to do the rabies vax, this is going to mean the next available class won't start until she is 5.5 months old (I was wrong when I said she'd be 6 mos. old. Still... I feel like that is getting started kind of late.)

As much as I've learned over the last few months, I somehow missed that it's best to get a puppy when they are about 10 weeks old, instead of 4 months old. I'm regretting our decision to wait until now to get her. I feel like the windows for socialization and early training are closing. I'm hoping that it's not as much an issue for Cavaliers because they are such a sweet, agreeable breed!

The bottom line is, her health is most important, so if I have to get started later on classes, then I guess that's what I'll have to do. I will certainly do what I can myself, at home.

Thanks again for your help!
Amy :)
 
Although puppies are OK to go home at 10 weeks, it is better for the puppy to be with "Mom" longer so it is better to wait 12 to 16 weeks. The puppy is more mature and easier to potty train. I got BellaMia at 11 wks and Milo at 16 wks.....it was easier. I don't think she would be any worse off starting classes at 5.5 months. You can still socialize her with your family and friends, do some basic training, etc.

I would get the bordatella....you have no idea how or where the other puppies are cared for. As for getting the vaccinations and rabies at the same time, I personally, would wait, but is a judgement call between you and your vet.
 
Thanks for your thoughts on her going home a little later. I do remember reading on here that a little bit later for going home is recommended, esp. for Cavs, b/c they mature slower, for one. :) I've been reading so many training books that say it's best to get them by 10 weeks, that I was starting to panic. :p

And thanks for your thoughts on the bordatella and rabies vaccines. I'll see what my vet has to say, but I'm thinking I'd like to wait at least 2-4 weeks after the 3rd set.

Thanks so much!
Amy :)
 
Sounds like you have it sorted out. (y) Now all you have to do is take plenty of pictures and post them here! :snap:
 
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I think anything from 10 weeks on, is good. The thing is, a lot of what owners struggle with in initial training -- bite inhibition, lots of play and socialising with other dogs, toilet training, good manners -- are actually done far better by mum and sibs than an owner! So leaving the pup with the breeder and mum/sibs til 10-14 weeks generally produces a much more settled, socialised, happy, confident adult. The 'windows' for socialisation are more for these kinds of things anyway -- a puppy or adult dog will easily bond with owners no matter the age, unless the dog has been particularly traumatised or cut off from all friendly interaction with people and dogs. I've done years of cavalier rescue and the 11 years olds bond just as fast as a puppy. :D

Training class at around 5/6 months actually is a good time and is still quite young. The only training you'd do before that is mostly fun puppy socialising and training anyway (no one should ever expect a 'proper' downstay from a little pupster!). Not all classes are that obsessed with vaccines being completed as long as the series is started. Try for a CPDT trainer-run class, for example.

I had no issues whatsoever with starting my Great Pyrenees (Pyrenean mountain dog) pup in training classes as late as 10 months (later than I intended, but just worked out that way). I did a lot of work with her at home too (following Ian Dunbar's approach -- see his free download books at www.dogstardaily.com) and she was extremely well socialised with other dogs, people and kids, goats, horses, chickens and cats before she came home at 8 weeks (early, but that is what the breeder homed at for this breed). She'd had such good socialising with the breeder, that even by 8 weeks she and her brother had pretty much perfect bite inhibition. We made sure she met lots more dogs, pups, kids, adults, horses, sheep, cats etc before she started classes. Classes are a must IMHO and ideally on and off throughout the dog's life as they love them (in a positive methods class that is fun!) but don't sweat too much when they start as long as they're started somewhere before a year old. Prime time is 5-6 months. After that, any time before a year old before bad habits are fully set. Puppy play classes are a real boon. :D
 
Thanks so much for your reply, Karlin! I'm feeling much better after hearing from you guys.

I think what first got me concerned was reading Ian Dunbar's free puppy e-books where he talks about developmental deadlines and he says, for example, the window for bite-inhibition closes at 18 weeks. I'm thinking, "Ack! Cori will be 17 weeks old when we bring her home so I only have one week!" But, like you said, they learn much from their mom and siblings and starting at 5/6 months is a good time to get started.

We are planning to take classes at Petsmart (I'm in the U.S). They train their own trainers (not CPDT), but they use positive training methods. I took my first Cavalier there and was very happy, so we'll see how it goes. They require the rabies vaccine before beginning and since I want to wait 4 weeks after her last set of shots to give the rabies vaccine, that puts us at 5.5 months old before starting training. Sounds like we'll be OK with that. ;)

Thanks for sharing your experiences. We bring Cori home tomorrow and we're so excited (and I'm nervous!).

Amy :)
 
Just to put your mind at ease about waiting too long to get Cori - I got Riley at 11 months and she was my easiest dog to train. Maybe it was also her personality to begin with, but she has been a dream from day one. All she wants to do is please, please, please everybody. Of course, she came housebroken and knowing how to sit, stay - the basics that the breeder taught her. I would get a slightly older dog again in a heartbeat. I got all 3 of my other dogs when they were 12-14 weeks old. They were definitely more work.

The only trouble Riley has ever gotten into was when we got her half sister who is 13 months younger. Madison was about 6 months old and I very foolishly left the girls in a room by themselves uncrated for a short period of time. I came back to find my baseboards chewed up by both dogs. They were having a grand old time. My mistake for leaving them. A big expensive oops!!! Have fun tomorrow!!!!
 
Thanks, Bev! We would love to add another Cavalier down the road and I'd like to get an adult rescue. Funny, the things they'll do when they're alone even for a short time! Great story!

I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I can!

Amy :)
 
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