Too many cuddles

[Debbie123]

Hi there ,
I have a gorgeous very loving choclate  sable cocker who is now 11weeks old , my question is can you give them to many cuddles ,he loves to sit on my knee and go to sleep snuggerling in ,I usually let him sleep for a bit then put him in his crate which he does like and he is sleeping there all night with no problems ,
Only a couple of accidents mainly little wees so l know he is doing really well ,but my family think I maybe spoiling him with cuddles .At the moment somebody is with him all day and will be until he is 13weeks old but we will have to leave him soon from 7am until 2 but I will be able to get home for half a hour at 11 so hopefully he will be ok ,I'm just worried he will suffer with separation anxiety
But want him to carry on with lots of cuddles , I am making sure he is meeting lots of people and new experiences ,but can not wait until he is allowed out for walks to burn some of his energy off .
He is a lovely little pup who I am finding very hard not to keep cuddling lol . Thanks for any help x

[8 Hairy Feet]

 Dunno about the cuddling but
7-2 is a very long time to leave
a pup even if you do come back at
11. I know sometimes needs must but
personally I wouldn't be happy with that.

[Londongirl]

It is lovely when they love a cuddle! Henry is too big for laps now, but will still try!

With separation anxiety - are you making sure to leave him alone for short periods while you are in another room? If not I'd start now and build up the time. And practice having him go to into his crate himself while awake so you don't have to worry about spending time settling him. We made a game of 'go to bed' and now I just have to say 'bed' and reach for the treats we keep on top of the crate and Henry barrels in! He gets his treat once he's in and we used it as a lure to begin with, saying 'got to bed' as he stepped in to get the treat.

[tenaille]

gosh, you do seem to be doing well with him, take all the cuddles you can get I say 
good advice posted here

[daw]

Dogs aren't people and I don't think 'spoiling' is the way to see it. This small creature- just a baby- has been taken from the security of his dam and siblings. Of course he seeks security with you. What else has he got? He's lost the only world he knew and is trying to survive.

If he has to be left such a long while- and to frank it is too long, I wouldn't be comfortable with it- then you'll have to help him cope as much as you can. Leaving him for a few moments and coming back so he feels he can anticipate not being abandoned. Puppies don't need to be toughened up-  but helped to cope with their anxiety which is usually much worse than owner's are aware of.

[Debbie123]

He is doing really well, he is more than happy to go in his crate whilst I'm in the room and when I'm out of the room  ,I must add I don't shut the crate door because I have a play pen attached to the crate which has his toys and water dishes in .I have also left him in the crate whilst out shopping and he,sleeps downstairs in the kitchen in his crate all night .
I do realise that leaving him whilst we work is not ideal ,but we have made sure that he has had one of us  with him for 5 weeks after bringing him home at 8weeks to settle him in ,but sadly we now have to work and it would be a ideal world if I could stay at home with him but I'm afraid I have to pay the bills ,I also know Baxter will have a lovely life with us coming on caravan weekends and holidays ,just like our previous springer Benjie who we sadly lost in September at 14 .

[EmmaRose]

Sounds like he is already settling on his own quite well, as already said keep practising, gradually building up the time so that when you do go back to work its not too much of a shock for him.  Could you maybe arrange a dog walker to come in and take him out for a walk whilst you're at work?  I don't think the cuddles are an issue as long as he will settle without you and isn't reliant on your attention all the time.  Happy Cuddling!

 

[Londongirl]

It sounds like you've got him very well settled. So to go back to your original question, I'd take all the cuddles I could, before he gets more interested in mischief than cuddles. I don't think you can spoil a pup with cuddles as long as he has structure in his little life and exercise, and is being taught the basics of good behaviour. However, I do know some people here who have had problems with their pups being overly attached.

A dog walker is a good idea if you can afford it. Since Henry was tiny I've had a walker for him once a week so I can have a few hours to get things done. The walker takes him one-on-one and they have built a lovely relationship. When Henry was very little the walker took him for a very short walk then home and played with him in the garden.

[hoover]

You could try joining 'borrowmydoggy' and get some good relationships going with people there that could spend time with your pup whilst you leave him for work.  We were inundated with people wanting to look after Ollie when we put a profile of him up (but we do live in a city so lots of people registered nearby) I dare say we could have had something covered for pretty much every day of the week if we'd wanted. We've built up some good relationships and a couple of people have keys to come in and see him and take him out.  Puppies are always going to be popular on that site (I think they have a minimum age of 3 months)

[Debbie123]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone , l might look into the dog walker sounds a good idea x

[MIN]

now Gemma is a grown up, cuddles are rare    unless she "wants" something) so take all the cuddles you can.
 Would also say we have always left  our dogs while we both were full time workers. Only 1 out of our 5 had a problem with it and that was probably due to being our first dog and therefore down to our faults.   Just did not want you to start feeling guilty or a " bad person" because some  members disagree with them being left. We all have different lifestyles and obligations and therefore have to do the best we can in our circumstances to make our pets lives the best we can    

[rubybella]

Yes, I agree with others - 7 hrs with a 30 min break is far too long for any dog, let along a 13 week old puppy! You need to organise for someone to come in and break up that time, or for your puppy to go to doggy daycare. Yes, I appreciate people have to work but I don't believe any dog should have to put up with being left on its own, just because the owner wants a dog and therefore it must fit in with their work hours. I look after a puppy for my friend once a week on the day she works, I have had her since she was 9 weeks, she is now 9 months. Maybe you have some friends who could have your puppy for a couple of hours every morning ?

[Debbie123]

Thanks Min, I was beginning to think I had made a terrible mistake in getting this puppy and not the fact ,he would have a very loving home with Lots of attention and care ,yes I do have to work 4 mornings a week but think this is a small price to pay for him to have such a loving home and family

[dawn]

I think an adult dog could cope well with four mornings a week left, as long as they have walks before and after. But we found our puppy needed lots of attention when small. I got into a panic if I left him longer than an hour! Could you have friends, family, to come in and play with yours to break up the morning, personally I would be only too happy to do this for a friend,....or maybe doggy daycare for some of the time. I know it maybe expensive, buts its only temporary until the pup is older......

Lucky you with all those cuddles, Henry was too bitey to get near for months when little!

[sweetpj]

Enjoy your cuddles, Smudge is 8 months old now and is too big to sit on my knee, although he tries lol.