# My puppy is extremely attached



## lilhoosier32 (Feb 23, 2011)

So I got my wonderful puppy yesterday. She is eight wks. I am not sure if this common for the age, but she is so attached to me! She follows me around, barking and whining until I pick her up. I know she is a vizsla and this might be expected, but I supposedly picked the most independent and least vocal of the four pups. She is also not the alpha. I cant imagine what the other pups are like in that case! Crating has obviously been hard but I know that takes time and patience. She wont sleep anywhere but my lap. I have no idea what to do about this and the incessant crying. Is this normal?


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

We had the same issue at 8 wks. Each week that goes by the get a little more confidence. Remember, your pup just got ripped away from their mother and litter mates. Cuddle and love her now because she will grow so fast


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## lilhoosier32 (Feb 23, 2011)

Thank you RubyRoo. That is difficult advice to follow, but I guess I will just have to! 

I have been trying to ignore her when she tries to climb up my legs and "bark" (whatever that sound is!), and when she is being more quiet and playing with toys, I'll give her a piece of her food. It seems to have actually done a little good already. Thanks again

Any more suggestions or experience I would love to hear!


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## Cavedog (Oct 21, 2010)

Our pup was a little older than yours when we got him, not quite 11 weeks. We had his crate in our bedroom and the first night he began to cry when we put him in. I told my wife I was going to take a quick shower then I would see if I could calm him down. When I got out of the bathroom the pup was sound asleep. I asked her what she did. She told me that she laid down on the floor in front of the crate where he could see her and he fell asleep in a few minutes.

The next night he cried again when we put him to bed, so this time I laid on the floor and in a few minutes he was asleep. After that second night, we never had to do it again.

Hope you will be as lucky as we were.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

It's normal. Her whole world changed in one moment,and she's just looking for a "shoulder to lean on" for a bit. In the next days and weeks more of her personality will come through as she gains confidence.
She will gain her confidence through you. V's are very attached to their owners and a strong bond is necessary for them. What you do in the next month will set the tone for your relationship for the rest of her life. Lots of attention, affection and patience are key.

At 8 weeks old there wasn't enough development in the litter to establish an Alpha yet. That usually begins in weeks 8-10 and carries on. You're also not looking for an Alpha, that's your role.

Congrat's on your new "L'il Girl". ;D


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

It's normal just don't let it get to you tooo much.  She still needs to be crated and trained properly. You don't want to have her sleep in your lap. Once in a while is ok but certainly not at night. Read the crate training posts on here for a good starting point.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Are you talking about drugging the dog?


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## Macaroni (Jan 19, 2011)

Have patience.

The first few days for any pup are very hard...just ripped away from there littlermates and mom...all they knwo to that point. 

She'lll figure it out. The first week of crating is always the toughest...just bring you neighbours a bottle of wine and aplogize for the next week profously. They get better very quickly. We got Mac at 7 weeks, he's over 13 now and while it seem like forever at the time, when you look back you'll be astonished how quickly they learn and develope. Just be consistent and patient, don't expect the world of the little girl, or at least not much more than you'd expect from an infant, common sense always dictates and this site is great for feedback/support...most important, enjoy.

Cheers


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