mummum601 September 4th, 2007, 06:52 PM Hi this is my first time here so if this is more appropriate on another forum let me know.
We have an 11 week old Australian Labradoodle and have had him for 2 weeks.
He is eating/ drinking and pooping/peeing fine he seems to sleep a lot and very deeply which I'm sure is normal. He is unafraid of new adults/children/dogs - submissive but not cowering. And he is definately not aggresive or possesive.
My concern is that he seems disinterested in us his new family, no tail wagging when he sees us, no enthusiastic greeting if we have left him. He doesn't even get up when my husband cames in from work.
He seems to enjoy his own company and will take himself to another room to sleep (a cooler one), he tolerates petting for a short time ,but I get better welcome from our neighbours dogs!
I've phond the breeder who hd no concerns with his socialisation skills.
So is this very unusual or can puppies take a while to settle in because when you think puppy you think love and energy.
wdawson September 4th, 2007, 07:04 PM when you come home do you fuss over him,play,go for walks.ect.
i have never had that problem,my guys beat the door down before i can park the car....have you seen a vet about this?,their could be some medical issue.
rainbow September 4th, 2007, 07:12 PM I think 2 weeks is enough of time to settle in so I would be a little concerned as well. Did you mention this to your vet when you took him in for his first checkup and puppy shots?
Do you leave him alone all for long periods of time? Do you make a bug fuss over him when you come home? Does he play with toys and interact that way?
If he checks out at the vet okay then I would enrol him in puppy obedience classes as soon as possible to see if that helps.
mummum601 September 4th, 2007, 07:13 PM I am taking him to the vet tomorrow. But yes we do make a fuss of him when we come into the room or house. He has been on a couple of short walks as he has only had his 2nd round of shots and he seems to enjoy them.
He may just be very laid back!
He will play with a soccer ball in the yard and will chase us with encouragement.
mummummum September 4th, 2007, 08:32 PM "Laid back" is something puppies grow into ~ I've never met one who was wired that way as a puppy. Let us know how you make out at the Vet. You may want to ask the Vet what developmental milestones he should reach over the coming weeks and months.
growler~GateKeeper September 4th, 2007, 10:26 PM Does the dog hear you when you come in? Have you tested to see if the puppy hears loud/sudden noises? If not, it is possible the pup may be partially deaf - have your vet check into this as well :)
How about a pic??:D
rainbow September 5th, 2007, 02:19 AM Excellent suggestion, Growler. :thumbs up
mummum601 September 5th, 2007, 02:53 PM Thanks for all comments, went to vet this morning and on the surface he appears healthy, but the vet says he has never seen such a docile puppy with so little interaction with its owner. Blood tests being done to check for a congenital liver shunt but I suspect that the problem is not medical. I would liken him to an autistic child. The vets suggestion was that this was probably his personality and a decision needed to be made sooner rather than later for all concerned. Any greeting we give him or any invitation to play is met with a so so enthusiasm or nothing.
I think we have a heartbreaking decision due this weekend. My fear is that we could invest 6 months trying to bond with him and be no further on and then the break would be even worse for the children (ages 6 and 10).
If we do have to take him back to the beeder does anyone have any experience with children and dog replacement after what will obviously have been a hugely upsetting and disappointing expeience. Do we need to "mourn" him first? Or try to find a new one soon?
TeriM September 5th, 2007, 02:59 PM I must say that Riley's (black lab) personality didn't really start to develop until he was about 4-5 months old. He was a fairly quiet pup and often would just go outside and find a shady spot to sleep all by himself especially for the first month or six weeks. I think when his personality really began coming through was on our summer camping trip last year when he was almost 4 months. Then we were thinking back fondly on the first few months because the energy level was crazy :eek: .
Good luck.
mummum601 September 5th, 2007, 05:52 PM Teri,
Thank you for your comment, that is just what Eddie does, goes into the garden and lies in the shade.
Every now and then he has moments that make me optimistic.
He spent his first 8 weeks with 18 puppies and I wonder whether he is still adjusting to having just people around.
A friend has just been over with a 3 and 4 year old and he was very keen to play with them puppy style though (all mouth and wrestling).
I am trying to be positive.
growler~GateKeeper September 5th, 2007, 11:51 PM Perhaps he's a little sad w/out all the other puppies & is wondering when they are coming to play. Try more interesting toys - like squeeky ones & like TeriM said he may just come into his own in a few weeks.
mafiaprincess September 6th, 2007, 12:41 PM I know someone with a beautiful cocker puppy. The dog was reserved. She picked it knowing the personality. The dog prefers interaction with dogs, and barely tolerates people. Doesn't do anything when people try to interact, but would rather you finished trying so she can go back to socializing with dogs.
Tried limiting her dog interaction, using it as a reward. She's not changing. At all.. It's not working she's going to have to go back though she is lovely and if her personality was different would have likely done well in the ring.
mummum601 September 6th, 2007, 01:44 PM A quick update
First thank you to all who replied.
About 6pm last night he suddenly perked up ( I'd fed him a different food lunch ad evening) much mouthing, play barking, tail wagging and playing all be it quite rough - wrestling and pulling - but with no aggression.
We are all amazed at this complete U-turn, and it has continued into today,
so I'm hoping that perhaps he's had a low grade infection ,or a reaction to his
vaccines and that all is well.
No blood test results yet so cautiously optimistic (I've eaten for the first time in 2 days)!
BTW
He was on Orijen large puppy which is apparently based on the raw food fad
and am now feeding a Nutro brand puppy lamb & rice.
mummummum September 6th, 2007, 08:41 PM I'm glad to hear the news of your puppy ~ that's wonderful!
But, I think you have some misinformation on Orijen. You can read more about their food philosophy in their White Paper here:
http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/documents/ORIJEN_White_paper.pdf
rainbow September 7th, 2007, 02:20 AM I'm glad to hear that Eddies has done a u-turn and is now a "typical" puppy. :thumbs up
I agree with mummummum about the Orijen though. The white paper is definitely worth reading. Also, just compare the ingredients of Orijen and Nutro:
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE PUPPY LAMB MEAL & RICE
Ingredients
Lamb Meal, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Ground Rice, Rice Gluten, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Menhaden Fish Oil (source of DHA), Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Dried Egg Product, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Manganous Oxide, Garlic Flavor, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Chondroitin Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid.
1. With rice flour, rice bran, ground rice and rice gluten there is more rice than lamb in this food. :sad:
2. Poultry Fat could be any type of fowl. It is much better if they named a fat.....i.e. "chicken fat".
3. Plain Beet Pulp - a stool hardener that doesn't even have the sugar removed.
4. Soybean Oil is not a good choice.
5. Natural Flavors of what???
6. Menhaden Fish Oil is likely preserved with ethoxyquin.
7. Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex is a controversial ingredient that is banned for human consumption. It is also known as Vitamin K3 and is a synthetic version of Vitamin K. It is much better to use Vitamin K1, or better yet, natural food sources of Vitamin K.
ORIJEN PUPPY
FRESH REGIONAL INGREDIENTS
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat, sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavour, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, glucosamine Hcl, cranberries, black currants, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, sea salt.
TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS
Chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, funugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosehips.
ORGANIC MINERALS
Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.
PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS
Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.
PREMIUM VITAMINS
Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin.
mummum601 September 7th, 2007, 02:49 PM Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reply.
Eddie seems completely fine now so I will be interested to see if he becomes very low after his final shots.
What I found really worrying was that there is a plethora of information on how to deal with an over active boisterous puppy but no mention anywhere of the extreme symptoms we saw with no obvious medical reason.
Anyway, a really heartbreaking situation has been averted. I can now look into puppy classes.
mummummum September 7th, 2007, 06:31 PM You're right ~ vaccinosis hadn't occurred to me. While you do need to complete the puppy shots you may want to look into getting titres done before you vaccinate for anything other than those innoculations required by law for the future. There is reams of information on the net about vaccinosis and titres.
This thread may be of interest: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42948&highlight=tenderfoot
TeriM September 9th, 2007, 01:47 AM I'm happy to hear that Eddie is acting like a regular puppy again :thumbs up.
Hehe, be careful what you wish for :laughing:. Just kidding, enjoy yourself and make sure you post some pics for us :).
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