New puppy is very insecure - help

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FinellaGlen

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I got my new whippet puppy two and a half weeks ago and she is still very insecure and I'm starting to panic. I work from home and there is someone here all day, even if I go out to ride, but I can't even go out of the room to the loo without puppy howling. She scratches at the door to try to get to me and whimpers and howls, eventually building up to a really loud, undulating howling noise. It is driving my next door neighbour mad and I am also starting to get a bit frustrated because it is hard to speak to customers on the phone with puppy howling away in the background.

She gets lots of play sessions with me and I have an older whippet bitch and they snuggle down together when puppy is feeling sleepy. Is this behaviour normal or do I need to do something different from what I'm currently doing? Any advice from experienced puppy breeders etc would be most welcome. Thank you
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AmyMay I'm afraid that toilet training isn't very well established yet and Tilly wees and poos on every available soft surface. If she does it on the rug it's not so bad because I am planning to throw it away once she's a bit older but my office carpet (I am eventually going to have a wood floor put in as carpet is horrible) is starting to smell a bit despite constant cleaning. She is in the same room with me most of the day when she's sleepy but when she wants to play we stay in the kitchen so that she can get used to weeing on paper and the tiles clean much more easily. The trouble starts when I need to shut her in the kitchen to go to the loo, answer the door, hang out washing, feed my outdoor animals, walk my other dog etc.
 
She was 9 weeks old when I got her. She's from a lovely breeder who bred my other bitch and does very well at Crufts. She was bought up in a family type environment and she's wonderfully friendly and happy but she just seems very attached to me. I am flattered in one way but I know that she needs to develop the ability to stay calm for 5 or 10 minutes by herself.
 
In that case (toilet training) then you need to make sure she's been outside before you go to do anything else and then you can let her follow you around wherever. Following everywhere is a very Whippet thing, it is totally normal!
She is only a very young baby and TT will take several more weeks (Modge is over 4 months and it's only just clicked, he still forgets sometimes if I forget about him too), so it takes time, patience and effort before she'll be safe.
 
Congratulations on your new pup!

Puppyhood is such hardwork indeed but it does pay off.

The way that I got my pup used to being a bit more independent, so that I could go to the loo, have a shower, go to work etc etc, was by using a baby gate.

I put the baby gate up between the kitchen and lounge and I would randomly put the pup into the kitchen with the gate up, whilst I was in the lounge. So pup could still hear and see me. I built it up from a min or so and then increased it bit by bit. It helped to leave her with a kong or a toy and it really worked, as being left on her tod for a little while meant she got goodies.

My pup (now 18mths old) is fine to be left, it I need to go upstairs or whatever and I can leave her in the kitchen or even with access to the lounge and kitchen.

Its crucial that you do it now so she finds this is normal behaviour, easier to do stuff with them when they are puppies.

Good luck!
 
Thanks MFH_09. I haven't taken Tilly outside yet because she's not had her second lot of jabs and the vet won't do them before 12 weeks. I am going to start proper toilet training when I can take her out to the garden. In the meantime she has paper on the floor near the door and a big tub of shavings which she also likes to use. She is still doing about 15 wees a day and she's improving with her accuracy but sometimes the lure of a nice carpet is too much
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She gets lots of praise for going in the right place or near to the right place.

I do still need her to be self reliant for 5 mins or so when I answer the door etc because I can't risk her shooting outside and onto the lane. My older whippet comes to greet every caller at the door and, in time, I'm sure Tilly will do the same but just for now I want to keep her safe. Maybe in a few more weeks she will be happier to spend a few minutes with a toy on her own?
 
Thanks AmyMay. The vet said to keep her inside so I am really confused. She's had her first vaccination and I have one other vaccinated dog so do you think she will be ok to go into garden?
 
My Lurcher (Whippet x Jack Russell ) was the same when a pup, a DAP diffuser plugged in the room where she is will help, it calms them down and gives them confidence, Oz
 
Thanks all. I think I will ring vet this afternoon to double check if it will be ok. It would be nice to start taking her outside.

unicornleather - I've heard of the DAP diffusers and will have a look for one at the weekend when I can get out. I'm stuck in the house all week, unfortunately!
 
Just rung vets and Tilly is ok to go out in garden! I think I misunderstood what vet said. Silly me!! I have tried her little collar on but it is miles too big and she doesn't like it so I am going to try her with one of the cat harnesses to see if that fits. Thanks everyone for your help
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My vet told me that until my pups had their second vacc. they would be protected by having nursed from a properly vacc. broodbitch. That is why Swedish puppys now only are Parvovacc. if they're sold at 8 weeks, and then they get get the other vacc. in week 12. But since my Jonna nursed her puppies several times a day, in to week 7, the vet told me my puppies didn't need their second vacc. before week 13.

Some puppies are more aware of that evil puppyeaters could come and take them if they're away from their protector. This instinct is used to help learning the puppy not to loose you when being off lead, but pups with a strong such instinct could also have difficulties when learning to be left for short moments.
When I tried starting to train my first pup to be left alone to early for her, she showed it by urinating and/or poo'd in my bed.

I know it's not easy, but maybe the pup also senses your worry for her disturbing the neighbour, not knowing it's her behaviour that causes your worry, and if so that makes the risk of her starting to howl even bigger.
You could always try giving her an irresistible chew or stuffed Kong when you leave her. Attach a rope to the wcdoors handle, that way you could go in and slowly pull the door as shut as is okay for her.

But if you're lucky a lot of the problem will go away as you now start to take her out.

Good luck from Sweden.
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To a point there is a need to "shut the puppy away" think about it... You have taken this dog from it's family and put it into new territory... It recongises no scents.... Give it one room at a time... Open that room up let it wander into two rooms, then three then four and let it gradually become relaxed with its new territory....

I would also suggest "ignoring" it, do not over fuss or pamper a nervous dog, it is a dog, not a human it doesn't understand that you are attempting to do good, you are actually doing bad by teaching it to harness these traits..
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If you have other dogs allow them to meet the puppy but only one at a time
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And never, never... Leave dogs that have only just met alone/unsupervised.


Also never, never
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Panic... You are to be the "leader" of this pack right? You think a dog will look to a person who panics as a leader? Give the dog conifdence by being a clam leader.
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I forgot that XVII, never pamper a nervous dog, they'll only think you agree with them about how dangerous the situation is.
Only pamper a dog if you just stoped it from running straight out on the highway, or similar things-I-want-to-scare-my-dog-off-for-life-situations.


from Sweden.
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