cavalong

I didn't hurl abuse at the breeder. I sent an email to them (because they were on holidays and I couldn't call) and explained the situation, what happened to the puppy and what the response was from the vet. I didn't even think about returning the dog, I didn't even realise it was an option. I just wanted to let the breeder know so they could act on the information and let the owners of the other puppies from the litter know if need be. I asked for advice on what to do and was just told that there was nothing wrong with the dog and everyone I had consulted was obviously wrong. I returned the puppy to the breeder when they returned from holidays thinking that it would be given a home with them, but I was browsing online and they have put the puppy up for sale with no mention of it needing to be homed somewhere with lots of dogs, and may have separation anxiety. It was also before the follow-up fecal float needed to be done to ensure the puppy was clear of Coccidia. It has been a really disappointing experience to be honest and has left me heart broken as I had totally fallen in love with the pup

If you took your 2kg 8 week old puppy out at 1am to go to the toilet and was presented with a very large amount of blood in their poo, I would imagine you would take it to the only vet that was open at that time of night, regardless of the cost. I didn't care about how much it cost, I was concerned that my dog might die. All specialists were very consistent with their training suggestions so there wasn't a vast range of methods.

I use the word training loosely. I just meant that I followed the trainers advice by getting up and leaving the area where I was with the puppy for most of the day for lots of very short bursts. So if I wanted to make my lunch, I would get up and go to the kitchen and get the plate and cup, then come back. A couple of minutes later I would get up again and cut the bread roll and come back and so on. It was time consuming, but the idea was to show the puppy that I would leave, but I would always come back and the short bursts of 30 seconds to a minute were short enough that the puppy shouldn't reach the point of being too distressed and they should tire out enough that they wouldn't want to follow me to the kitchen for such a short amount of time. However, I followed the advice of the trainers to the letter and the behaviour never got better. It was at this point that they suggested I speak to the breeder about seeing if the puppy could return so it could be in an environment with lots of dogs and constant distractions.

I would assume it didn't. It is the reason why the trainers and the behaviourist said the puppy could be better suited to an environment with a lot of dogs and constant distraction. Also, I am not saying the breeder knew the puppy had anxiety before, but to refuse to believe me, or the 5 experts without speaking with them (some wanted to talk to the breeder to explain the behaviour if it would help) and to say that they would be continuing to breed the two dogs in the future (against the advice of all 5 experts) is irresponsible in my opinion.

The breeder told me there was nothing wrong with the puppy and wanted to know what I had done to make the dog behave that way (like it is possible to create anxiety like that in a matter of days). I think the reason why I was given the puppy at 7 weeks was because the breeder was going on holidays. Had I known, I would have waited until they returned.

To answer some questions: The puppy was taken to SASH because of quite a lot of blood in their poo. It was later found to be Coccidia. The puppy is fed and has water inside only and did not have access to any birds when with me. The anxiety continued to become worse after treatment. I too thought that I could train the anxiety out of the puppy which is why I saw so many specialists as I thought the first one was wrong. I contacted the breeder immediately after the illness & again during the anxiety issues.

I should start by saying, I have had this particular breed of dog for 30+ years, so I am well versed in how the breed usually behaves and it is why I consulted so many experts. I had been looking for a new dog to add to our family for quite a while and came across this particular breeder. I researched them and found they were quite reputable, a long term breeder, showing and judging for many, many years. After talking with the breeder, I was really happy with the conversations as it seemed they were very focused on raising the dogs & puppies as part of the family, rather than out in a kennel as some others do. I organised to pick the puppy up when I thought it was 9 weeks old, which I was pleased with as an extra week or two is always helpful in my experience. When I got home, I found all the paperwork pointed to the puppy actually being 7 weeks old. Don't they have to be at least 8 weeks old? When I got the puppy home, it was quite reserved (as I would expect) and over the next few days & weeks the puppy became increasingly distressed whenever I left the room. A bit of anxiety is understandable, but this went from zero to hysteria in a matter of seconds and the puppy never soothed. In the two minutes it takes me to go to the bathroom, I would return to urine, faeces and vomit all over the floor. Even their crate wasn't safe. The next stage consisted of biting paws and maniacally pulling out their hair. Obviously I thought I might be training the dog wrong, so I spoke to two dog trainers, two vets and a vet behaviorist. They all concluded the same thing. The puppy had a severe case of separation anxiety that would be very difficult to fix and may not be curable. They all believe it is hereditary and asked me to speak to the breeder about not mating the two parents again. Despite this, I would still spend 4-6 hours a day training my puppy to try and get this problem under control. Also, not long after I took my puppy home, I had to rush to SASH because they had a parasite and advanced worms. 48 hours and $2600 lighter, I was able to take my puppy home. The vet at SASH advised that I speak to the breeder and have them check with the owners of all the other puppies in the litter to ensure they were treated. Speaking with the breeder, they were very hostile and refused to believe there was anything wrong with the puppy and if there was, it was entirely my fault. I can understand them being a bit upset as it is their reputation, but they were not willing to listen. So my question to you is, do you think this is a case of bad luck?