New 8 week puppy

[beloved1]

Originally Posted by lizzybeth727

I'd suggest getting her into classes ASAP. Waiting until after her second set of shots is a good idea, but don't wait many weeks longer than that. And I'd start with a puppy socialization/manners class before a conformation class, it's far more important to make sure that she is well-socialized as a poorly socialized dog will not do well in the show ring!


Does she have free run of the house while you're gone? It is not good training-wise, as well as not good for her health, to leave her in the house unsupervised. Now that she has learned that pulling towels/tablecloths down is fun, it will take a very long time for her to un-learn that.... and it won't stop with tablecloths. Plus it's very dangerous if she gets into something poisonous while you're not home, or eats something she shouldn't (like a piece of the tablecloth).

1. Of course, the first class is Puppy Kindergarten as soon as it is okay for that. I really need to be able to take the little fireball on walks!!!! ASAP.

2. Of course she is not left to run about unsupervised. That would be a dangerous, stupid and abusive thing to do! She is in her pen under the kitchen table with a crate, doggy pads and her food and water dish and a few things to toy. I can't put it anywhere else at this time. Thus the former tablecloth.

[beloved1]

Originally Posted by mjb

I know you don't want a real injury to the little puppy's eyes by cat claws, but it really seemed to help speed things along when I let my cat instruct our puppy on proper etiquette. He managed to learn on the first encounter to play with the cat on the cat's terms.

The next time around, I took the introduction of cats to puppy VERY slowly. It took several months before they were used to each other, and I always wished I had just let them handle things in their own fashion right away.

My vet also said that cat to puppy introductions are usually the most difficult but that it's best to let the cat get the upper hand while the puppy is still smaller than the cat.

Now, I don't know if all that's correct. I would feel differently if a claw had injured an eye or something of that nature. That didn't happen for us, though, and the cat and puppy understood each other virtually on their initial meeting.

I also think it depends on the cat and puppy. My current dog is more persistent, so even if I had introduced him to my cats the same way as I did the first time around, it might have taken longer. And these cats aren't quite as cocky as the cat I had with my other pup.

The cat thinks she is an invasive cat-size creature and attacked her first thing. He stalks her. I don't trust him. She does not back down unless he claws her, which I try to avoid. He is Evil Knievel. He is also mad about not getting the lap. She thinks he needs to be run off but is not quite able to do that.


Sigh.

At least the ACD is being a LITTLE more social. He actually cam up to her in her pen while Im was home to smell her, which got him a treat so he did it again. That's a step in the right direction. I think part of the problem is she thinks he should be playing and I don't think he know how to do that. Darn. There are Home Manner classes at Jump Start too which I hope might help him to socialize a little better.

[smkie]

My cat buried a toenail to the hilt in the pupil of my small puppy. IT was horried, and the pup screamed and had to have her eye treated with a laser and sewn shut for weeks. DO not let the cat discipline your puppy.

[beloved1]

Originally Posted by smkie

My cat buried a toenail to the hilt in the pupil of my small puppy. IT was horried, and the pup screamed and had to have her eye treated with a laser and sewn shut for weeks. DO not let the cat discipline your puppy.

That was my thought-I was not seeing discipline. Nope. It is more "kill the intruder". When we get to "play with the intruder" we will be fine.

[beloved1]

Toay the ACD is dropping squeaky balls on purpose for her. He is still barking and growling loudly though. I wis h we would get over that!!! Egads.

[Sch3Dana]

I'm also of the opinion that you should let the cat get the upper hand right away. For dogs and cats to live in harmony, the dogs need to learn when to leave the cat alone. They learn this really well when they are young and get a swat in the nose and it hurts. There is, of course, some risk involved, but if you spare the puppy, the cat could be the one that suffers later. I want my big dogs to be afraid of a posturing cat. I can only imagine how terrible it would be to come home to a dead cat. So, I let my puppies learn early on to respect cats and when they are older I know they are much less likely to chase and harass them.

[beloved1]

I just do not trust the cat.