oscar is most definately by my side 24-7 .. i even bring him to work with me at a chiropractic office! lol he will go lay with his daddy sometimes but generally he is a mama's boy. how long has your sister had her dog? i know that in the past some of my puppies have taken a little while to get used to me and the new family.

From the day I got maggie she was glued to my side. I put her in her crate the first night and she whined and cried because she couldn't see me. I then, proped her crate up so it was eye level with me and she still cried. I realized, once I put my hand in her crate, she stopped and fell asleep... right next to it.

She then had to stay with my aunt the next two months because i foolishly fell in love with her while i was still living in the dorm (how could i not take her home with me?). My aunt is a major dog lover and fell in love. I think they had some of the really important b onding time and when she came to live with me again it took her a day or two to get use to me again.

I really regret those two months I missed with her. We're extremely close now and she's always by my side but she likes to be held on her own time. She cries when i leave and freaks out when i get home.. which i love.

Tell your sister to just give it time and let the pup cuddle on his own terms. Baby him, nuture him, treat him like he was your own kid.. and spoil him rotten! He'll love her like no other :)

I think I have the best of both worlds.

My little Yorkie is both - I'll be sitting on the sofa and he'll run over, jump on my lap, lick my face, and even lie down and snuggle for a while. Then off he goes - across the room onto a chair and lies across the top of it to look out the window for a while. He may even take a short nap there, but before long, he's running back to visit me again.

This same little guy never crys or barks when I leave him home alone. He just eats and plays with his toys and sleeps - and, of course, he's oooooooooooh so happy when I get back home.

May get some disagreement here ---but I think a well adjusted little pup needs to learn to be independent to some extent - I don't think being clingy and dependent and fearful of being left alone is really the way we want our little dogs to be.

I think a lot of people encourage their dogs to become dependent on them and become clingy and think you're doing your dog a disservice encouraging them to be this way.

Not with everyone, of course, but sometimes when I read posts - I wonder who's really dependent and clingy and who really suffers separation anxiety -the dog or the owner? --- maybe both?

But - I changed the subject somewhat, didn't I? Sorry about that.


Carol Jean