eclare Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 In the 5 days that he's been home, Seamus has been an absolute gem of a puppy. He's very well behaved and developing nice manners. I'm enjoying this now because I have a sneaking suspicion that he is saving all of his misbehavior for his adolescence The one thing that is driving me crazy, though, is that he keeps getting tangled up in my feet. He is a total velcro pup, which I'm not crazy about anyway as I like my dogs to be somewhat independent, but I figure he's young and in a new place so of course he wants to stick to whatever makes him feel most comfortable. And I'm glad that he feels comfortable with me. BUT. I keep stepping on him! And I feel absolutely terrible about it. Any time I stop walking and stand still, whether it's to put my coat away, do dishes, or just stand in the yard and watch the dogs play, he'll come right up behind me and stand in my blind spot so that as soon as I move again I am inevitably kicking or stepping on puppy feet. I know in the grand scheme of things this is a pretty minor problem, and hopefully if it happens often enough he'll figure out that that is not a good place to stand, but I'm really afraid that in the meantime I'm either going to trip down the stairs or break one of his precious little bones. Has anyone else ever had this kind of problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Oh, boy. We had that problem big time with Will when we first fostered him. Any time we came to a stop, he'd lie down behind us. (Speaking of things being mislabled "herding behaviors"...my in-laws took this to mean he was herding them! But, I digress.) I really can't say we did anything specifically to help it, other than be uber careful, and telling him to "move!". It has gotten better with time, though. Maybe as Seamus gets more confident and comfortable, he'll stop being so velcro. Although, you may never go to the bathroom alone now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I'd guess that everyone with a pup has had this "problem" I've learned to somewhat shuffle my feet as I move around the puppy, thereby almost kicking her with my shin if she's underfoot. My two adults have both learned to not be underfoot this way, and no broken paws so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I think this can be much more a problem for some pups than others. Quinn, for example, was much too busy getting into things to be underfoot. The only pup I recall being a significant problem was my Lhasa. He wasn't so much stepped on but was booted several inches by a number of people. Fortunately, everyone's feet/shoes went under his belly and sort of "tossed" him, rather than kicking and hurting him. Someone at work sent him flying around a foot which made him furious -- all 8 inches of him. I think he figured out feet fairly quickly but the first week or two was a trial for all of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclare Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Although, you may never go to the bathroom alone now. I just got Daisy to stop following me into the bathroom. Now that we have a nice big two story house (OK, it's a small house, but relative to our old apartment it's enormous) it's just too much effort for her to follow me upstairs all the time. And Seamus hasn't yet gotten over his fear of the stairs so I can sneak up by myself if I need to (although this leads to frantic crying). Which actually reminds me - he's 12 weeks old and does just fine out our patio steps and other small groups of stairs. At what point should I insist that he take the main stairs like a big boy? For now I've been carrying him up and down but I'm not afraid to show a little tough love if people tell me he should be learning to do this on his own by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Which actually reminds me - he's 12 weeks old and does just fine out our patio steps and other small groups of stairs. At what point should I insist that he take the main stairs like a big boy? Personally, I'm never in a hurry for a puppy to learn stairs. One less level for the puppy to slip off to and get into mischief . IIRC, Quinn was fairly old before I taught him to do stairs. Maybe 6 months? I have a ranch house so it was just the narrow, fairly steep steps to the basement. He was so active and into everything until about 6 months old, that I was happy he couldn't get down there on his own. Most of my puppies picked it up on their own when they were ready but a couple needed to be taught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclare Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Personally, I'm never in a hurry for a puppy to learn stairs. One less level for the puppy to slip off to and get into mischief . That's a good point. I guess my concern is more about him becoming dependent on me. He is already such a whiner - I think his foster mom was super indulgent and picked him up whenever he whined or whimpered. He is getting better though, hopefully learning that I do not respond to whining. I guess I'll make a point to use Nothing in Life is Free and make him sit and calm down before I pick him up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 That's a good point. I guess my concern is more about him becoming dependent on me. He is already such a whiner - I think his foster mom was super indulgent and picked him up whenever he whined or whimpered. He's been with you such a short amount of time, I wouldn't worry too much. If you don't reward the whining and as he settles in with you, that should fade out, I'd think. I remember Quinn whined fairly often when I first got him. When I asked the breeder about it, she sounded concerned because he didn't whine with her. However, that was just a settling in behavior and he soon became a puppy/dog who almost never whines to the point that when he does, I pay close attention because it is usually very meaningful. As opposed to the Lhasa who makes all sorts of noises for all sorts of reasons and I often tune him out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Re Stairs - We didn't have indoor steps when Ouzo was a puppy, but since we lived on the second floor of the apartment building, there was a long set of stone steps (with gaps in between them, meaning you could see or fall through them) leading from our apt door to the grass area where he'd go potty. He was probably 3 or 3.5 months old when he finally mastered climb and then descending the stairs like a big boy without me having to carry him all the time - always on leash, of course, since there was a semi-busy street not far from the grass area. I was so proud of him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.