I have my pup and now some questions.

[delyn]

Greetings,

After much deliberation, I brought my pup home last Friday so she has been home for 4 days. Her name is Jade and I'll get a picture to post soon. It's incredible how much like a baby she is. Eat, potty, play, and nap - pretty much in that order. As I knew would be the case, I'm back with some questions.

First, the crate. As long as I'm home and can keep an eye on her she is free to roam/explore. Although we have been working with toys/treats going into the crate with retrieving, she hasn't used it for quiet time on her own yet. I do end up placing her in the crate with her favorite blanket, and a toy for chewing for the night without too much fuss - maybe 15 minutes of noise. I'm staying in the next room so I can hear her if she stirs so I can get her outside. She doesn't go crazy when she first sees me, just waits for me to open the door and we go outside. There have been no accidents in the crate.

Question: Since I am placing her in the crate at night and closing the door, will the time come that she is more accepting of this being her den and seeking it out on here own? Should I be less lenient of daytime naps where she pleases?

Teething - I'm following info found on this forum - substitute hand for toy/ignore/seperate. It doesn't seem to matter what toy I give her she absolutely wants my hand. I want to spend time playing/bonding but feel I'm constantly having to seperate. If I stand and cross the arms, she goes for my feet or legs. Is it normal for them to insist on the interaction of the mouth with person instead of toys?

And last, Casanova, my Maine Coone is being quite reticent about being near the pup. I'm not forcing the meet & greet since I feel it needs to be on his terms. Casanova is 11 years old, declawed and strictly an indoor cat. He got along well with my sheltie that we had. He weighs about 27 pounds so he far outweighs Jade. He has been rather tolerant of the pup since he does let Jade get close before he runs and hides or simply climbs up to view from an area unavailable to the puppy. Jade is curious but seems to be aware of the size difference or is just waiting it out as well. Do I just let them take it at their own pace or is there something I should be doing to itervene?

Thanks for your input.

 

[jbbtlr]

Congratulations on your puppy!!!! They are sooo much fun, but a lot of work too!

She will get use to her crate and it will all come with time. Both of mine LOVE their crate. Just be sure to not use it as a punishment or a time out. Also, since she is getting use to her crate, I would put her in it more often then just at night. Let her take naps where ever she crashed, but what I did, that might help you. I would put them in start out for 5, then 10 minutes, while you are doing whatever, then let them out. After they seemed to get use to that, I always left their door open except when they were in it and I wanted them to stay in it. But I gradually increased the time to where maybe when we ate dinner or watched a half hour show or something. This way they get use to it and then maybe won't associate it with you just leaving or just a bedtime thing.

Puppies love to chew on whatever, and hand are usually top of their list I think. I know all of mine did. They just need to learn bite inhabition. Meaning they need to learning how hard they can bite you without hurting you. If you do not want your puppy to chew on your hands at all, continue with the toy replacement and she will eventually get it. Repetition and consistency is your best friend for awhile! But if you don't mind, then when she bites you too hard, loudly say OUCH and the playing stops immediatley. Get up and walk away. With her age wait a couple minutes then you can start playing with her again, because she won't remember what is going on after a few minutes. She will learn if she bites a certain way, playing stops and she gets no attention. They learn quickly!

It might take awhile for the cat and her to like each other. Rather for the cat to like her. I know mine looked at our cats as something fun to play with because it hissed and made noises and swang its paws at them. So of course they took that as playing. It didn't matter what I did to Harley she still loves to chase the cat. I finally just stepped back and let things happen and she's been nailed a few times by Puddles (our cat) and she still comes back for more. Then every once in awhile, I will find all three of them on the cuddled on the bed together.

Good luck!!! Hope this helped some anyway!
Jeanette

 

[Kilby'sMum]

Can't help with the crate and only time will help with the cat. We have a Siamese cat who was 7 when we brought home puppy Kilby and we weren't sure how he'd handle it... she introduced herself by biting his tail and dragging him around the lounge room with it!! He actually let her do it... Kona can be pretty rough with him and when the 3 of them get playing together it does worry me because he's so small but we just make sure he has his own place to go and escape if he wants to. We have a sort of baby gate in the doorway to a room and he can fit through the bars but they certainly can't! He loves the dogs though and often stirs them up, he eats the same food, sleeps on their beds and even goes in and out to potty with them. It took a little while but they really are an odd little trio... our 3.8kg cat is totally the boss of 50kg+ of boxer!!

 

[delyn]

JBBTLR, the idea of short spurts and building on the time seems like a really good idea. I have used the crate when I'm going out - but not when I'm here. I have such an open floor plan that baby gates are helping. Believe me, the crate hasn't been used for punishment - punishment is more just a matter of walking away or ignoring. Jade doesn't hesitate at meal time but I'm finding that may be because she can still leave hind quarters outside of crate and still eat. I'm looking farther ahead to the time I have to leave to go to work and trying to get her in there and she doesn't want to go. Hopefully, by then I'll have found the right kind of treat to tempt her.

Casanova the cat growled at Jade yesterday. That was a first since I've never heard my cat growl. I believe these two will find a way to work it out between them. It seems like the cats curiosity is getting the better of him and he's making himself more and more available to Jade. Almost as if he is teasing the pup. Jade had him cornered yesterday and the cat was just looking at him like, "back off squirt!" We'll see.

Thank you for your replies. I knew if I posted I could get some ideas to use. It's been a long time since a puppy was in the household and this forum helps tremendously.