Is this normal?

I just got my pup yesterday and he is already really clingy to me. I decided to go for a walk last night and what do I know, he walked perfectly by my side off leash (12am so there were no cars) all the way to the local gas station and back to my house (about a 1/2 mile). He is only 8 weeks old, why is he so well behaved? :confused:

 

Wait a couple more months...he'll think the world is his playground...

 

i wouldnt walk a pup at 8 weeks on the roads/to the gas station. As it may get sick cause it's immune system is not that developed. JMO.

but nice on having your puppy walk on a leash well at such a young age.

 

He said off leash. Accident waiting to happen.

 

he also said 12 am and no cars,his dog,his property

 

off leash...what if he woulda freaked and ran off?

 

a puppy he can catch him.him getting sick would be my only concern.when he gets bigger that is a different story.i keep my bitch on a leash when we leave the yard she hates the belgium horses across the road,but they are not scared off her.they must have kicked the shit out of many dogs lol.

 

He is only 8 weeks old, he cant run very fast.

 

not gonna lie, i let mine go loose on my property while they are young so i can teach them not to run off while they are young enough that i can catch them if need be. Had dogs get free and not run off bc they know their boundaries. As long as they dont see another dog they will be fine. I dont like to get into jumpin on people but i wouldnt walk to a gas station just bc that seems dangerous....

 

if i take my pup out of my yard...he aint touchin the ground for more than 30 seconds....theres so much shit on the ground and the immunities aint built up yet.. dog could get into some roadkill and its game over.

 

LOL why is he so behaved lol cause he is just 8 weeks old silly you got him out at night and your walkin down the street poor little guy thinks your tryin to ditch him lol!!!

 

Yes, this is normal puppy behavior. It's not that he's well behaved, it's more of a moving with the pack behavior. It's also a very good time to leash train him. Just a light collar and leash. Take advantage of this trait when it's strongest and it should make on leash traing much easier.

Has your pup had any of it's shots? Without having the full series of shots and boosters, your pup may not have built up it's immune system yet. They can be very susceptable to contracting many things every time you take them out and about. I would recommend waiting until the full series is done, including Rabies @ 16 weeks.

Until then, just to be safe, keep him in an area you can maintain and keep clean.

Now, show pictures!

 

Nice reply Dry Creek! Totally agree. In fact, until our pups are about 5 months they don't set foot anywhere in public. Parvo can be tracked all over by someones shoes. Around 5 months they have all their shots and hopefully immunity built up. Bad as you want to show your pup off, it is better to not let people you don't know touch them until fully vaccinated.

You are the pack leader, don't let your puppy down by doing something unsafe or putting him in a dangerous position.

 

A lot of people may not understand how easy it is for a pup to get sick. I once had an idiot at the Vet's office let her dog run up and nose to nose my pup, only to find out from the Vet that it had just been diagnosed with kennel cough...:rolleyes:

I've worked in Vet offices and at the OSPCA. I have never brought any illness home to my dogs.

I've lost a few pups from Parvo. ( New yard after moving ) I've also saved a few. The hardest treatment I ever had to do was for a friends dog with Babesia. She survived and got healthy, only to be killed due to BSL.

There are certain protocols you follow when working with ill, young, or immunocompromised animals and I believe Vets should have pamplets that outline them for the average Joe. It should be part of a puppy package they hand out on your first visit.

You may not be able to prevent every illness or mishap, but you sure can learn as much about it as possible, for your pups health.

I'm still waiting for pictures!

 

I dont know what it's like over there but you can have a dog fully vaccinated for parvo much earlier than that here, I try to get my pup out as often as possible on the leash pre 5mnths. However he did learn a few small boundaries by roaming supervised in my front and back yards off leash from as early as 8wks. But from here on out its on the leash! I would think that the earlier you can get a dog to interact with the outside world (safely) the better it would be for the dog in the long run. just my opinion

 

Id also say its pretty normal. When we first brought home our pup i was unemployed for around 3months and this little guy was like my shadow! He wanted to be everywhere i was and wanted to do everything i was doing. I thought it might be hard to get back into full time work and have him on the chain after that, but he did fine! Now he's a bit older hes more cluey and adventurous he seems more than happy to be off running amok doing his own thing, he's not much for cuddles or watching TV much to my joy, and to my missus dissapointment! I dont think what your pup is doing would be classed as good behaviour. Maybe he feels protected and comfortable with you!? Mine was the same with me but not so much the missus I probably spent more time with this pup over 3-4 months than most people would a year i reckon!

 

My house girl Sugar still follows me around the house LOL. She sticks so close her nose bumps the back of my leg! Outside is a different story though, to many interesting things to get involved in...

My first house dog, Denim, never was on a leash. Had 50 acres to roam on and total verbal control. All I had to do with her was point and she'd get in her crate. Of course, I was not working at that time and had loads of time to train her...

 

I would say it's normal but not a great idea to be getting in the habit of walking off lead in public with the pup. I just saw today, on my way back into work from a break, (mind you I work in a pretty large hospital and this happened right out front of the ER) some guy walking down the street with about a 15 month old Bulldog without a leash in sight and all I could do is shake my head and say to myself what a fucking retard and an accident just waiting to happen. I only say that because everyday I walk my dogs I have to pick one up because some fuckhead dont have their dog controlled and leashed and they run up on us. As much as I would like to just let my dog hand the other dog is face to him, I pick up due to the publics oppinion and how it would look on me even though my dog is fully leashed and controlled ( not saying this is the case just pointing out that you shouldn't get in the habit of the off leash walking in public places, there is are many variables).

 

Walk em down those lonely back alleys late late at night and you shouldn't have any dramas. With a leash ofcourse!