# Clingy puppy



## Driznay (May 31, 2008)

I have a 9 week old mini dachshund who I've had for a week now, and he doesn't seem to ever leave me alone. Anytime I'm in the house with him, he has to be with me. He isn't happy unless I'm holding or touching him. When we go for a walk, he stays two feet behind me at all times. Even when my wife is playing with him, as soon as he sees me he has to come over to lick me. I know he sees me as his mother now, since I'm the one who feeds and walks him mostly. He IS fairly social around other people and dogs though, and when we crate him he only cries for a minute or two then he's fine..so I know he's not suffering extreme SA. I realize that he needs a lot of attention, and I probably give him too much actually. I have been trying to get better about ignoring his whines to sit on the couch with me at all times. I guess my question is this...Is this normal behavior that will eventually go away, or is it something more serious? We're enrolling him in puppy training class at Petsmart when he gets to 10 weeks old, so I'm hoping the behavior training they provide will help.


----------



## French Ring (Mar 29, 2008)

If you are giving in too much, you can create a severe SA in that little dog. You want to encourage him to be more independent. I have a miniature pinscher named Roo. He was so clingy to me, but I worked with him through his issue. I would crate and kept him tethered to other people in my family. 

Now he is not so clingy as he used to be when he was younger.


----------



## KintaroLove (May 21, 2008)

I have the same problem as well right now. 


Can someone go into detail on how to correct this?


----------



## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

There is a huge difference between puppy attachment and that same behavior in an older dog. For puppies, this attachment is a hardwired survival instinct...separation/isolation from the pack can be a death sentence in the wild. That's why basic training is so easy at this stage. 
In older dogs, you'll often hear comments like, "they're stubborn or hardheaded" while puppies are willing and eager sponges. 
As puppies grow older and gain more maturity, they learn that being alone is OK....their world gets bigger, they develop other interests and grow in confidence.
It really comes down to teaching the crucial life skills...how to overcome/deal with fearful things...new sights and strange sounds..grow in confidence. This is the heart of puppy socialization programs.


----------



## KintaroLove (May 21, 2008)

my pup is about 8 months old. is that too old?

so for him to grow more confident do i let him run around the house, take him to more walks, introduce him to the dog park or crate him more often?... the avg time i crate is sleep time at night and at the most once a day for 2-3 hours

sorry to steal your thread w. my questions driz


----------

