Overly attached rescue dog

eviltwin

We brought our rescue dog Milo home on Monday. He's a 7 yr old Westie cross and has settled in well.

The only thing is he's very attached to me, he follows me everywhere and constantly wants to sit on me. He gets on well with our other dog and cat unless they want my attention at which point he will growl or bark.

He's okay with my husband but seems a bit nervous and jumpy around him and has nipped at him.

He came from the pound so I know he's probably terrified of being abandoned again but how do I make him less clingy before it becomes second nature to him.

Graces7

eviltwin wrote: »

We brought our rescue dog Milo home on Monday. He's a 7 yr old Westie cross and has settled in well.

The only thing is he's very attached to me, he follows me everywhere and constantly wants to sit on me. He gets on well with our other dog and cat unless they want my attention at which point he will growl or bark.

He's okay with my husband but seems a bit nervous and jumpy around him and has nipped at him.

He came from the pound so I know he's probably terrified of being abandoned again but how do I make him less clingy before it becomes second nature to him.

Time and patience. It will take him a while to settle . I thought this when you posted how he had got

used to you all so fast. Let him work it out at his own pace. Always encourage.

When I took the collie in she was the same . Had to have her head on my lap... gazing into my eyes. I let her and it eased slowly as she became at home

I do not think there is a "clingy second nature :issuei in this,. It is a tremendous total change for the dog and sounds he is dong well

aonb

So, the dog has only been in your house 3 days - hes probably more comfortable with you for some reason - maybe he had a previous woman owner, or maybe his previous man owner wasnt nice to him - as you say, hes a rescue, so you'll never know. Well done for rescuing - I hope you all settle in together, and it works out.

It will take several weeks for him to be totally comfortable in his new environment. So that you establish good habits as early as possible, its important to be quietly firm, calm and gentle, and to settle him into a routine as soon as possible.

I would suggest that your husband take a much bigger part now in your dogs daily routine - your husband should be the one to feed him, if you're home all day, when your husband comes home, he should play gently with him, giving lots of treats. Maybe he could bring the dog for his evening stroll on his own (without you) too, to help build up trust and bond.

If he growls/barks when you pay attention to your other dog/cat, I would say "NO!" firmly, and maybe turn away from him, to let him see that this behaviour is not going to change anything.Maybe distract him when he is being a bit clingy - get a nice big raw bone, or a chew/rawhide and put him in his bed with that.

Do you have/use a crate?

razorblunt

This is no timeframe to judge at all.

We've had our recuse Westie almost 2 years now, though it feels like she's always been here.
She's very "un Westie" in that she loves cuddles and wants to in amongst people all the time.

We saw remarkable changes in personality after 6 months, a year and even 18 months (last Xmas).

Once they get used to the routine they should settle in and get their own independence.

Your husband needs to take things slowly too, bond with the dog on his own, spend time with the dog on his own.
Our little one came from a woman only house, so she took a while to warm to me, still prefers the wife, but every now and then she'll let me know that I'm ok too, even when the wife is around!