maverick, the mama's boy

[Jaegergirl]

my 6 mo, maverick, is a real mama's boy. he follows me EVERYWHERE i go. he follows me all thru the house. there have been many times that i've tripped over him. last week at obedience class, i had to leave the room for a minute so i had my son, who has attended every class with me, take maverick. the pup was obviously anxious that i was leaving him and just about ran over to me when he saw me return. is this normal or is this something i should be concerned about? i am his primary caretaker and am home with him every day except for the 2 days that i go into work. when we go to class, i'm the one who works with him but my son has worked with him a couple of times. don't get me wrong, i'm glad he's attached to me and am glad that we've bonded, i just want to make sure this is normal.

we were having a problem a month or so ago where he wouldn't listen to anyone but me but we've been able to correct that.

any thoughts?

[mickeymichellie]

This could cause a problem in the future with separation anxiety. My boy went through it too, and I talked to my trainer about it. She suggested that I dothings to get him accustomed to me leaving, or being in another room. For instance, I would lock him or babygait him in a room and wait until he calmed down (no whining) to let him out. Also, when I go places I will hand his leash to people that I trust and walk away, then come back a few minutes later without making a fuss, or barely an acknowledgement that I was gone. He has gotten better, although we still need to work on it. He does follow me from room to room, and that is part of what I love about the breed, as long as it does not get overboard. What does everyone else think? I could use advice here too

[Jaegergirl]

maverick is not allowed in our upstairs where the bedrooms are at and there's a baby gate at the top. he usually follows me up the steps (i make him sit at the bottom until i'm up and have the gate closed). he'll sit at the top and wait for me, although about half the time he'll go down and find something to do. he's only whinned one time.

i'll ask the trainers to see if they have any suggestions. they are offering the CGC test this week at class. they think maverick is ready to take it. i laugh because if there's one part i think we'd fail is the 3 minute separation... we'll see. : )

[tazdevl6]

Chief will tend to follow me also..but it's not usually to a point where it's a problem......I think it's just their nature.....they miss their moms (or dads)....If I leave for work in the evening ..he will go from window to window....then do what we like to call pouting...for a bit..then he's over it.... At times he's been known to lie by the tub while i take a shower also...but for the most part..he handles being away pretty well....
good luck in your classes:D

[Judi W]

There is a difference between interested following and a dog that stresses when you aren't with it. I'd hand him off to others now and then - not for training, they can just walk him around a bit and play some while you go someplace and return. Also, if you have someone he can do a sleep over with that would be great.

[Jaegergirl]

well we passed the CGC! maverick did tremendous and only started to get a little antsy towards the end of the 3 minute separation (which they said ended up being almost 4 minutes).

how do you tell the difference b/w interested following and stress?? would the dog have to whine to be stressed? if so, i'd have to say that in general, i don't think maverick gets stressed when i'm not with him. he's only whined once or twice when i've gone upstairs and left him downstairs...and trust me, i'm go up and down those steps several times a day. when i leave the house when my hubby is home, maverick doesn't whine or act upset that i'm gone. sometimes he'll sit by the door until i return but most of the time he doesn't. he's only whined once while in his crate (he gets crated when i'm working at home, at night, and when we all leave the house). a couple weekends ago i left for a whole weekend and left him in the care of my hubby and kids. my hubby said he didn't act any different than he does when i'm home.

[Judi W]

Well, you should know if he gets overly worried when he is left (I'm not thinking of within their own home). Doesn't mean he's a basket case or anything like that. I think its good for all dogs to be able go off with someone from outside the family and enjoy themselves. We also do a derby at our annual picnic where we draw names out of a hat and show the dog whose name we drew in Novice obedience. My boy got a first place last year. Means they have enough confidence to be able to think and enjoy the work with or without me. Some dogs will bolt, but most seem to think it's an adventure. It's simply another part of enrichment and education for them. Not a big deal.

[Jaegergirl]

very interesting. i think my sister would be williing to take maverick for an overnight sleepover, or even just for the day. it would probably be good "practice" for him because we are taking a vacation in march and won't be able to take him with us. he'll have to be placed in a kennel or a relative's house for the week.