Hi all, I've been holding off writing this post as I hoped this was something to do with Tatti being unfamiliar with her new home but we've had her for 2 months now so I think I need some advice. She is 17 weeks old and we have had her since 8.5 weeks. The problem is that I think she is a bit too attached to me: -whenever I leave the room (no matter how quietly) she will wake up, get up and follow me -if I hve to go upstairs to the bathroom or to hang up washing she sits at the bottom of the stairs howlng until she can see me again. If I'm away from sight for a while she does eventually calm down (after about 5 minutes) but this happens almost every time I leave the room. She is absolutely fine at night. I spent the first 3 nights downstairs with her but since then she has been on her own in her pen at night and she doesn't cry at all. She is in there for 7.5-8 hours a night and has been since 10 weeks with no problems. In fact, after her last pee outside she runs in straight to her crate, ignoring everyone, as she knows there will be a little treat in there waiting for her. So no problem there. I work from home so am about a lot, 6 days of the week, so far on the day I work in London, my husband has been able t work from home and she has been fine without me so I don't know if it is ME per se or if it is being alone during the day. We are going out fr the first time since we got her tonight (don't worry- we have a puppy sitter) - it will be the first time she has been without either of us and obviously in the future id like to be able to pop to the shop for some milk if the need arises without worrying about her. I have left her alone a couple of times for up to 15 mins and she has cried a lot at first but does seem to settle eventually. It's heart breaking though. So, do I just need to man up and let her cry? Distraction with food doesn't work, partly because it doesn't last long enough and partly because those that do (Frozen kongs) are no fun for her any more until they have defrosted and she can throw them around the room until everything falls out (that is the ultimate of lazy I know). Also, I don't want to do anything to upset the perfect nights and I'm not sure if the click for quiet might do this - as I will never be around to dispense treats at night. I think that's everything. Is this just me being too emotional or should I try to work on this crying? Thanks, Lou
If she will eat, food will work. At first, leave her alone only as long as a kong stuffed with wet food will last - it does not fall out if the dog throws the long around. A puppy kong might only last 10 minutes, but that's fine. Then as long as two kongs, three kongs. Then end of kong plus 5 minutes (or whatever she can do without getting into a state). Then 10, 15, 20....you get the idea. Giving food in kongs when you leave is the single most effective thing you can do to head off any developing problems about you leaving. It does involve standing in the street and the neighbours thinking you are nuts though.
Thanks Julie, We will start trialling this tomorrow (kongs with wet food rather than frozen food so she's interested straight away. And I'm pretty sure the neighbours have already cottoned on to the fact we're nuts so no extra risk there Thanks again, you are always coming to Tatti's and my rescue
I was in a similar situation because I work from home, too. Willow always followed me everywhere and whined when she couldn't see me. I started taking my laptop into the bedroom for short periods (a couple of minutes at first, very slowly building up to an hour). She knew I was there, and it was a bit of a "halfway house" in separation because, as much as she wanted to be with me, she at least knew where I was. As the time doing this increased, I started doing the same, from the beginning, but going out of the front door. This seemed much easier than expected, having done the separation in different rooms previously. Kongs are definitely your friend. Lots of dogs are a bit ambivalent to start off with when they're frozen, until they work them out. Make the filling really smelly and tasty to encourage her. Sardines are a real hit. You can mix in some soaked kibble to make them go further. I heard a good tip (which I've admittedly never used) but that sounded brill - get some cheese and put it in the hole, then heat in the microwave until the cheese is melted. This is where it all goes downhill for us, since we don't have a microwave... Then, you twist the kong to get the inside nice and covered as it cools down and sets. Most Labs adore cheese, and they have to really work to get it out. Just so you know, my two still follow me around everywhere, and sit outside doors when I'm having a shower, in the bedroom etc, but there's no crying anymore and it's pretty much just to check if there's any food coming their way since I'm the one that feeds them
I love the optimism of labs I will try this too, hopefully it's still early enough for it to work. Making kongs more exciting fr her is difficult. A few people have talked about cheese in kongs but I have been advised by my vet never to give a lab any dairy as the extra calcium is actually really bad for their bone development. Also to avoid all processed food of any description. My Tatti also doesn't fair well with pure meats but I haven't tried fish yet. Some people say peanut butter too but I read that peanuts can be dangerous for dogs. I will find s suitable filling eventually but until then it's kibble or banana (which might bey best bet for now). Thanks again
Careful, bananas are full of sugar Most dogs will have a bit of a squiffy bum when you introduce a new protein source, so sometimes it's just about "little and often" and perseverance if you want to use fresh meat. I use different minced meats. My favourite is turkey because it's lower in calories than beef, but I do use beef and pork on occasion, for a bit of a change. You could also try chicken mince, cooked and frozen, which should be gentle on her tummy. Even chicken and rice, like you'd give if she had an upset tummy. Peanut butter in moderation is fine. I don't feed it often, because I have lots of alternatives I use and PB is high in calories. When I do, however, I use the Meridian brand which doesn't have any added oil, sugar or salt; it's 100% peanuts. I'd have thought the biggest risk from peanuts would be through choking, which isn't relevant when it's mashed. If you use regular peanut butter, you need to make sure it doesn't contain xylitol, because this is poisonous to dogs in very small quantities. However, the butters with this added tend to be those aimed at the fitness market, not your regular shopper. Again, I think a smear inside the kong would be a good time waster. You'd never fill a kong with it, though, because that would be a million calories. You could try mashing pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato etc and using that. Again, mix with some cooked chicken if you wish. All very gentle on the tummy.
Thank you, and that's a really interesting point about introducing meats. I thought it was just Tatti. Perhaps I'll persevere with the lean meats- I've also been recommended liver as a treat too. we'll find a high value healthy treat sooner or later, I could probably just give her a leaf and she'd be entertained for a good 5 minutes just not when I leave her. Thanks again x
Charlie is really sensitive to new protein sources, and I have to be really careful. Plus, I don't feed most often enough for him to get used to them, and stay used to them. I buy his normal food (I normally feed kibble) in wet form (in tins) especially for his kongs. I don't freeze them - I find a large kong is better. So I stuff a larger kong with wet dog food (it's really sticky stuff) and although he will get the top bit out quickly, the rest is pretty difficult for him to get out. They last much longer than frozen kongs (particularly since he figured out how to pop out the frozen lump of kibble once he has licked it so it's small enough ). I don't generally feed cheese, yoghurt, peanut butter, bananas, vegetables, or anything like that. I feed dog food, and he gets high value training treats in the form of a small amount of pork, some turkey and all sorts of fish (sardines, prawns etc) which he tolerates really well.
I use cooked white fish then plug the end with a cube of dried fish skin which is just slight too big it last for ages and drives the dogs crazy. They manage to get the fish but the skin well it can be still in there when I get home. I don't freeze the fish but fill the khong and let it stand. The fish juices make the bits congeal and it more like a lump and hard for the dogs to get out.
