Puppy won't settle

[jakeyboyforever]

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Hi all, we have just rehomed a puppy aged 10 months. We have only had him 3 days so I know it's early but he seems like a nervous wreck. He met my son (who lives here) for the first time yesterday and he barked and barked constantly all evening even though he attempted to make friends with him. I had to sleep in the same room as him in the end and he still barked throughout the night at every little sound he heard. My son is 20 and not the quietest person at all. He was on holiday when we decided on the dog and I'm thinking now that I should have waited for his return so that he could meet and make friends with him first. He is the same (not quite so bad) with my husband. Had hardly any sleep last night! My husband read yesterday that it can take months, and sometimes 'never' to bond with a dog. Have I made a terrible error of judgement??!

 

[jakeyboyforever]

Is there anybody out there...?! Update, he seems to be slightly better today, still barking at my son but a bit less at my husband. Does anybody know how long would be average for a dog of this age to settle in a new home? I am out to buy a crate tomorrow as I think maybe having a confined place of his own may make him less nervous. He appears to have had little or no training, not knowing 'bed', 'come' 'sit' etc so it's back to basics. I am hoping to enrol him in training classes soon - any other useful advice would be very gratefully received please, no matter how small, thanks!

 

[murphyrules]

Hi

What kind of dog is he?

Where did you get him?

Do you know anything about the circumstances he was kept in for the first few months of his life?

Sorry for all the questions but It may be that he has not been socialised properly as a young baby, does not know how to greet people, maybe has never met a man before, maybe has a bad memory of a man (since he seems fine with you and only barks at your husband and son)

I would get your husband and son to be the ones to feed him, and find a good puppy training class to start attending to help the wee man get used to meeting other dogs and people, its also a good place to chat to other dog owners in your area and share stories etc

A cage may not be a bad idea put it in a quiet area of your house and start feeding the pup in there (door open) and he will soon realise it is a nice happy place where dinner is, my cage lies open with a comfy bed in it all the time and then if one dog wants to escape the other they can go in there anytime. (normally the other follows and I find them cuddled in together)

Good Luck

 

[jakeyboyforever]

Hi there, thanks for the reply! He is a cavachon (cavalier spaniel/bichon cross). We saw an ad online and got him from a young family who could no longer dedicate the time to him that he needed. They are very genuine and seemed to care a lot about him and want a kind loving home. They were very upset when we came to take him (there were two men in the household). He had been living in a maisonette so hadn't really had easy access to outside, hence the reason why he still is not confidently house trained. The barking is a bit less now, but he's still easily startled. They did not mention puppy socialisation classes.

I bought the crate today and he has spent the odd few minutes in it (i had to put him in and he just stood there rigid!) I did put his bowl in the crate and he stood outside it with his head in, to eat. Tomorrow i'll get him to go in it. He does not seem motivated by treats which makes things difficult! I have enquired about training classes so hopefully they will improve matters.

He seems to have come to us with a skin allergy which is very itchy, so I wonder if he will be less irritable once that has cleared up!

Thanks again for your help x

 

[murphyrules]

Don't put him in the cage, your doing the right thing just putting his bowl in and he will gradually go in to eat rather than just his head, he is probably just totally confused as to what is going on in his life, poor wee thing does sound as though he is settling in a little now, is he motivated by toys instead of treats?

I hope the vet can help you sort his skin and make it less itchy for him as you say that may well be upsetting him at the moment,

He is lucky to have a lovely new home where you want him to be happy

xx

 

[jakeyboyforever]

Thankyou! He likes toys sometimes and does like those hide chewy bones but is still not into them enough to be motivated by them. Met someone yesterday whilst out walking who said pieces of fresh meat like liver or ham might work better so am going to give that a go later and try and teach him to 'come', or try to!