First day at home! And a bit concerned...

Eleore

Forums Regular
Hi all!

Today I finally brought the little furball home :). He cried a bit during the first part of the car trip, but then settled down quite well (and started licking my nose haha). After a short stop at the vet, we arrived to my house. I wanted to put him on a "familiar" surface, so I let him play a bit in the garden; he whimpered the whole time but I thought it was normal, given that we had just taken him from his mom.

Since the sun was getting a bit too strong, I later put him in a x-pen on the balcony, next to us while we had lunch. He soon was asleep. After lunch I had to move his x-pen inside (I don't like moving him so much :/), but he went back to sleep almost at once.

The problem began when he woke up a while ago. I gave him his afternoon meal (first meal at home), but he ate only two or three bites. He kept getting distracted by everything and cried a lot :(. After about 5 minutes of no eating and crying despite of my reassurance I decided he was probably not going to eat and put him back in the x-pen. Once again, he went to dreamland almost instantly.

I decided to write here since I'm quite sure I'm doing something wrong... . Right now he is in his x-pen sleeping (his crate is inside the x-pen as well, and the pen won't be moved anymore), but I'm really worried... . My previous dogs cried a lot at first, but ate all meals like there was no tomorrow since the beginning. Is this all normal?
 
Congratulations and welcome home to your new little guy! Have you named him yet? Be sure to post some pictures for us.

I wouldn't be too concerned about his behavior today. If he's recently separated from his litter mates, he could be a bit bewildered and confused. Puppies always sleep a lot, so that's a good thing. As for eating, give him a day or so to get acclimated and then hopefully his appetite will pick up. Are you feeding him the same food as his breeder was? That continuity will help.

Don't be afraid to hold and cuddle him too. That will reassure him and help him bond to you.

If he continues to not be interested in his kibble you can try mixing in a bit of baby food from the jar (chicken or turkey is always good) to entice him.

Keep us posted on how he does. Enjoy him!
 
It will take him several days to weeks to adjust; his behavior is not unusual. Offer the same food the breeder was giving him, and take it up after 15 minutes. He may have an upset tummy from the car ride or from the vet visit...or he just may have lost his appetite now that his surroundings are all strange.
Congrats on your new boy. Now: please give us a name and post pictures when you can.
 
Thanks! I'm a little relieved :)

Ah, before I continue... furball's name is Lucien! :D. I just checked on him again - still dreaming! I caress (I think this is the right word?) him a little everytime I check on him and he does not even wake up haha.

About the food, yup, they gave me a bag of the same food they use. I always try to stick to the breeder's choice, unless my vet recommends otherwise.

I guess he misses his mom and cousins... he didn't have any litter mates (it was a single puppy litter), just two younger cousins. They are ten days younger, and when they started walking they began sneaking into Lucien's kennel. It seems he bullied them a little at first, but later he accepted the two babies and they snuggled together to sleep. They even used him as a pillow! :P

Oh, here is a pic on when we first put him in the x-pen inside, on half of his crate. Sorry for the bad quality!
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...0094008954347_566169346_5889901_4181186_n.jpg

By the way, sorry for all the drama; I guess I'm just a bit scared of failing :(
 
aww, what a sweetie! I agree with Ann - he's probably just tired out from the stress of moving and being in a new place. He might be a little quiet over the next few weeks. Just give him time, and he'll settle in!

Congratulations on the new addition!
 
Lucien is darling! And don't worry about drama...we're used to it here, LOL! Seriously, we're always happy to answer questions or concerns, especially from new Sheltie owners. Don't ever worry about that! :yes:
 
Updates on my lil furball :). Lucien woke up from his long nap at about 20pm, so I took him out of the x-pen and started playing with him in the floor. He was a little scared at first, but it all ended with lots of puppy kisses, a few play-bites and the magical discovery that the ball makes noises if you bite it (actually, I cheated. Since he is too tiny to even take the ball in his mouth I pressed it for him :P).

We had a little "accident", but I interrupted him and took him outside to finish relieving himself. Hope we can start housebreaking him :).

He just had dinner (he ate a bit more) and fell asleep almost at once, so I put him back in the x-pen. I will keep an eye on him for a while since we will probably need to rush outside in the next hour.

Thank you all! It's really great that I can count on you. I hope that, in the future, I can do the same for others. I'm amazed at how different can German Shepherds and Shelties can be! I promised more pictures tomorrow :)

@Bellesmom: They gave me a bag of Purina ProPlan Puppy Optistart.
 
Welcome to sheltie forums! And congrats on your new fur babe Lucien.He looks adorable in the picture.

I agree with everyone,all is so new to him,and he has been taken away from familiar surroundings. I'm sure as the days progress he will be so much better.

Looking forward to hearing more as he gets settled.
 
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