Hi all, I brought Chloe home this morning at 11:30. She was exploring and interested in everything, had some food and a few drinks, lots of cuddles, a nap in her crate (wandered in and settled down of her own accord), and had even a wee and poop in the garden... All was going swimmingly and I have myself a little congratulations at bein g a brilliant puppy-mum. And then my kids (3 & nearly 5) came home - dropped off by Nanny and Grandad, as arranged. I told them to be quiet and let her come to them rather than to approach. She came over and gave them a sniff, then sat down near by. She seemed interested, by wary. After a few minutes, she came and sat on my lap and settled down to sleep. The boys were being a little noisy and staying in the front room with us. At first I thought nothing of this, just pleased that she’s comfortable enough with me to sleep on my lap! But then I had a thought - I read in an article about socialisation that was shared on another thread that puppies can show their fear by either the classic tail-down and backing off, or by sleepiness... She has been dozy for 2 1/2 hours now. I am a first-time Lab owner and Chloe is my first puppy; all my other dogs have been 18m+. Am I worried about nothing and might she just have been sleepy from a busy early afternoon, or might this be anxiety already? And any advice for helping her settle with the kids? Thanks in advance!
I don't think I would be worried about it. Is she 8 weeks old? Young puppies sleep A LOT....and I mean A LOT!! And when they aren't sleeping, that is when they are trying to get into things they shouldn't be
Congrats on the puppy! I wouldnt be worried. First of all, puppies that young sleep most of the day and second, dont forget that she is just a baby and this is her first day with strangers. infact, when i brought my puppy home she was kinda wary of me. about an hour later, she was asleep on my lap. your dog sound wonderful and will probably be a great family pet!
Thank you for your quick responses, I really appreciate it! Thank goodness! I had this horrible feeling that maybe she was afraid of the kids which was causing the drousiness... She was 9 weeks yesterday, so absolutely still a baby - I didn’t even think about how much energy growing takes! I’m so glad I was just being daft! But still, any advice re: socialising and helping her get used us (particularly the small people!) would be welcome. Thanks again!
Hi @MozzarellaPearl There was a study done here in Australia of hospital admissions for dog bites. Very young children and the elderly had the highest incidence. The belief is that jerky sudden movements are part of the issue. If possible try to get your children not to be jumping around wildly. Calmness. No flailing of arms and hands. If you go to the top of the page, then there are links to artciles on socialisation.
Hi Michael Thanks for the tip about the articles - I’ll give them a look in a moment. I’ve been encouraging the boys to not be too wild or shout-y, and to keep any noisy/flashing toys in their play room and away from Chloe for the time being. For the most part they’re doing good with this. She’s seemed much more ‘herself’ this morning and has been back to exploring
You certainly have your hands full with the puppy and young boys. Good luck. Here's the link. https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/puppy-training-care-articles.1164/
For sure, the journey and arrival in a new home is one of the most exhausting experiences for any puppy... Their brain is processing a lot and the more it has to process, the more sleep it needs...(this is why the best way to get peace and quiet, is to provide daily outings for socialisation, targeting new experiences each day).
