too much attention?
 

my oscar is with me 24 hours a day... i cant even remember the last time that i went somewhere without him... i carry him to work with me everyday...he goes grocery shopping... and even to church in his puppy carrier(of course no one knows he's in there:) i just dont know if maybe im giving him too much attention? he does get a little upset when i walk out of the room and he can't come with me.. and he will sit with his daddy and be ok...but instantly come to me when im in the room... i was just wondering if im hurting him in any way by having him by my side all day every day...anybody have any help? thanks

I don't think its bad...I wish I could Tiny everywhere with me!! Tiny is pretty much the same way about being in the same room with me too...And if I walk outside without him he starts bouncing on my trash can in order to turn it over and his dad could be right there beside him...They really latch themselves to 1 person....and I mean 1 person, and they are only out to please you.

lexi is so attatched to me too, but not as much as your baby is.. i think
that might be just alittle too much attachment...me personally dont think
its such a good thing cause someday you might not be able to be around
him for a period of time and hes gonna have a hard time with that...

i guess i am a little concerned about what happens to him emotionally when i CANT take him with me... when i work out and things like that...its only for an hour but he is with his daddy. and he seems fine but as soon as he sees me, he is done with his dad. he says that they have fun and play... i just dont know if hes being hurt by me ALWAYS bringing him everywhere.

For his well-being you might want to start building up his tolerance for how long he can stay alone or without you. You never know when an emergency is going to come up where he can't be with you. Imagine how traumatic it would be for him if he was suddenly without you. JMO.

So Much Attention?
 

LOL you sound just like me!! Stedman is guled to me 24/7. In fact, I posted about this a few months ago asking if anyone elses Yorkie was like mine :rolleyes: I don't take him grocery shopping with me though, haha...the stores of course won't allow dogs and there is no way I could sneak him in because he'd be yapping his head off :p However, when we are at home he is MY SHADOW. If I get up to do ANYTHING - ANYTHING AT ALL, he is RIGHT behind me AT ALL TIMES lol. Even if I jump up to get the phone or something and then sit right back down, he follows me. It is NUTS! Everyone calls him a mamma's boy (well they're right) lol. We do take him in the car with us alot, but not if we are getting out anywhere (escept PetSmart, or other local "Pet Stores"), but other than that we can only take him with us if we aren't getting out anywhere (running to the bank, going to pick up food, etc.) and he absolutely LOVES going for a car ride. He gets soooo excited. So anyway, to make a long story short, heck no...you are not giving him too much attention, in my opnion anyway. If you want, and are able to take him everywhere with you, so be it!! I think it's great :D

oscar LOVES to go anywhere with me... i walked right into walmart the other day with him in my arms (no carrier or anything) and they just laughed and smiled... bacially my whole town knows where i go ...oscar goes... he loves his little puppy carrier and it looks just like a purse so no one ever knows...i did leave him home completely alone for an hour and when i got home i thought he was gonna die to get out of his cage...he was jumping and scratching at the door.... he was fine when i let him out.. but i think it was even more traumatic for me to leave him!! i just cant!! he honestly jumps in and takes a shower with me every morning...he loves it!

How do you ever go out to eat or take a cruise? Little Bit loves everybody and I am grateful because there are just some places she can't go, such as hospitals, restaurants, grocery stores, tours, cruises. I love her to death but there are still other things I need (and want) to do with my family. :)

oh oscar def goes with us out to eat... he loves his carrier and just sits right there beside me quietly..(occasionally i sneak him a treat :) he went on the monticello tour about a week ago and loved it lol...but other than that i cant imagine going or doing anything without him...to me it would be like not bringing my child!

Everytime I take my pup with me she gets kicked out :mad: consider yourself lucky lol

I don't think that it's healthy for dogs (or children, for that matter!) to be too dependent on you. They have to learn to stand on their own. However, you sound like you're already pretty convinced otherwise.

Here's a recent thread on the topic:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53410

That's a great link, FirstYorkie. I had missed that!

i absolutely agree with everyone who says that i need to let go a little! i know that its not good for oscar to be with me 24-7...but at the same time he's such a baby (not even 3 mo old yet) that i just dont feel comfortable leaving him by himself!.. i did branch out and let his daddy babysit him yesterday and he was perfectly ok with it! so im very happy... hopefully i can continue to allow him to find out things on his own and not shelter him too much. thanks for everyone's advice.... but i do think that i will still take him everywhere with me...including restuarants(we had mexican last night..they love him in there lol) and grocery shopping :)

My two are clued to my butt, Rosi is pretty quiet, she just sulks and my Mom has to hold her, Poli is very verbal and whines as soon as i walk out the door...worries me too as you never know if you have to go somewhere..

First of all, let me say that I UNDERSTAND why you want to take your puppy with you everywhere! There are still times that I hate leaving mine at home, and I'm soooo happy about seeing them again when I get back.

However, no offense (you did ask! :p) I do think what you're doing is a little much, and not fair to your dog.

I got Mazie when she was nine months old, and she had been in a situation where she'd been "alone" most of her life. Then she got to my house, and it was the other extreme. At that point in my life, I was home most of the time, and many of the places I went, I was able to take her.

She became really abnormally, I believe, obsessed with me. I know we all love our little yorkies following us everywhere around the house like our little shadows, but there was a difference between her and Kiki. Mazie practically couldn't take her eyes off me, didn't bond as well with others, and became anxious if she thought I was leaving the room.

My life has been busier lately, and the dogs are often left alone for a few (or several) hours....and I really actually think it's been good for her. She's been able to learn that, yes, sometimes I "disappear", but that doesn't mean I'll never come back. I think she's developing a much healthier sense of security.

Think of it this way....what if you knew someone with a CHILD, who refused to ever go ANYWHERE without that child....or to let the child go anywhere without them? Obviously we all spend a lot of time with our young children, but as they grow out of babyhood, they slowly become more and more independent on us. If they didn't....what would happen if suddenly they HAD to be separated from us?! They wouldn't be able to handle it.

And I think that's even a worse scenario for a dog, because you aren't able to EXPLAIN to them, "Oh, I need to go take care of this sick person", or, "A friend of mine is getting married", or whatever. And God forbid anything should happen to YOU, and you weren't able to be home for days! The dog may even stop eating, or have long-lasting trust issues. You know?

Again, I'm not attacking you. I absolutely know where you're coming from! But I think it is important for us to occasionally reflect on whether our "spoiling" of our animals is really for their own good, or whether is it selfishly fulfilling our OWN needs.

PS....oh, also....I think you'll find that as he gets older, and isn't a "baby" anymore, people will be less inclined to break store and restaurant rules and let him in. :p

I agree with Jigg but it does sound cute to me though :)

right on jigg:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

good news! today i was determined to let go!! i simply put oscar in living room and went about my business cleaning and working. to my astonishment after about 5 minutes of his continual chasing...he finally realized that i was still in the house and id be right back! he sat down on the couch and took a nap... this ladies and gentleman is a huge accomplishment for us. i did break down and take him to the bank with me today and left him with his daddy at home for a few hours and everything went perfectly ok..no crying or wimpering :) hopefully we can continue this progress!

Well, I understand how this has happened. They are so cute, so tiny and so young! How can you go off and leave him when it is almost easier to just take him. But....I think you have answered your own question (smart mommy!) I think it is great to take him with you, but not everywhere, everytime. What if someday you have to be gone from home for doctors appointment, or god forbid in the hospital. Or a family member has an emergency and you must give them your priority. I think a happy medium is best in almost all situations, but that is just my opinion. I am taking Abbey with us on our vacation this coming week, but the last one, I had to leave her at home with my grandson and a pet sitter. I missed her terribly, but she did just fine and I think that was great! I take her shopping and even out to eat at times, but only once or twice a week. I have to go to a workshop in a few weeks and I won't be able to take her with me, but it is really comforting to know that she will be just fine without me and will be thrilled to see me when I return. She is young and I think will adjust just fine, especially if you just gradually decrease the amount of time and places you take her.
Good luck! Sounds like you have a great baby and he has a great Mom. What a blessing!
Ellie

Great Post Jig ! I wish I could say that worked for me but so far it hasn't lol - My girls are the same way and I DON'T take them everywhere - I wish they weren't so attached because I worry about what would happen to them if something happened to me...and I have a husband who is part of the furniture so it's not like they can't bond with him - they just can't let ME out of their site and when I leave the house - my youngest cries and my oldest Chanel sits with her nose glued to the door I leave from.

When I come home they go insane - and I mean litterally nuts - it's like they must think I ran away from home and changed my mind...

not that that doesn't seem like a good idea sometimes:D

oh and forget about going to the bathroom - if I close the door all I see is paws and really loud pissed off snorts from under the door lol - when I ignore them - Chanel will try to beat the door down - it's big fun.

Heh, well....Mazie is still very attached to me, but at least now I feel like I MIGHT not have to call in a doggie psychiatrist. :rolleyes:

I guess Kiki loves me most, but I think I only have a slight edge....she's almost equally bonded with everyone in our family, and that's nice.

Here's a thought, tumblnstar...do you crate train, at all? My dogs are only crated four or five hours a night, but even that, I think, helps kinda FORCE them to learn that being alone sometimes is okay, and feels good, even.

You could even try it during the day, when you're busy in another room. He might cry at first, which is hard to listen to....but start him out easy, and gradually add more minutes to his time. He'll quickly realize he's not abandoned forever, and you'll be back to get him out! Give him a treat everytime you put him in....or give him a chew toy to keep him busy....something to give it a positive association! Most dogs adapt pretty quickly, and learn to appreciate the secure environment of their crate!

When my dogs get left at home, I gate them off in the kitchen with safe toys, etc, but when I get home I most often find that they have chosen to nap the time away in the comfort and security of their crates (which I leave open). There are times when they get overwhelmed (or are pouting about something! :p) that they CHOOSE to go in their crates for some independent private time, as well.

Crating seems cruel to us, but actually creates a feeling of security and well-being, for most dogs. (sorry if I gave you the crate lecture, if you already know all about it! :rolleyes: )