# My new baby



## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

I have just bought an adorable little puppy to take my mind off concieving and to use my mummy skills on. 

His name is louis and he is an 11 week old cavalier king charles spaniel, it has been a blast having him here and it took my mind off the constant thinking of becoming pregnant. He is just what the doctor ordered after my 3 rounds of clomid have all been BFN's 
I have added a picture so you can all see.


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## flowerpot (Jan 20, 2005)

Awwwwwwwwwwwww he is just gorgeous!!!  We desperately want a dog too but am worried about leaving it at home during the day.  he is adorable and I'm sure you will make a great "mummy" to him


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## Juniper (Dec 13, 2005)

He's lovely. I'm sure he will bring you lots of love, relaxation and joy, though during the training stage they can be .

As you can see from my profile, I'm spaniel crazy myself and having a pup has helped alot.

Lots of love and good luck to you


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## Suzie (Jan 22, 2004)

awwww hes a real cutie 

have fun , our fur babies are great arent they 

xxx


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## sarahstewart (Aug 4, 2005)

Awww he is cute!!! Hope he gets as spoiled as my cat's do  

Good luck for the 20th BTW.


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## binty (Jan 6, 2006)

He's so sweet.  You will make a fantastic mummy to him.


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## KerryB (Mar 7, 2005)

What a cutie! He'll be a great substitute, mine certainly is! He thinks I'm mental cos I talk to him all the time and he gives me that "I have no idea what your saying" look...come to think of it DH does that too!!!

xxx


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## Vikster (Oct 11, 2005)

Ah he is lovely!


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## sweetpeapodder (Feb 6, 2005)

Awww - what a sweetie - I am a spaniel lover too - I have a working cocker which we got after my 2nd m/c - spaniels are such loving doggies...


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## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

He is so loving but he is becoming a really big pain in the   of a night because he just doesnt want to be left alone at all he is barking and scratching the doors down stairs and DH is getting very   with him

How did you all bedtime train your little doggies? it says to ignore them but he was doing this for over an hour and in the end DH had to go down stairs and shout at him which seemed to work


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## sweetpeapodder (Feb 6, 2005)

We had a crate for Jed (a dog cage ) at night lined with vet bed which he used to nip in and out of during the day to have a nap so it was very much his "den" - I really would recommend that you consider one for Louis  - we had ours under the kitchen table. It is also very useful for toilet training 

Jed doesn't use it now but when he was little we could pop him in and know that he couldn't get up to mischief (like chewing flexes!) as the space was his own safe area (it was a very big crate too, so I think you would use something much smaller for Louis). I got it from Ebay.  We were lucky that cockers rarely bark, so we couldn't hear him much at night when he was very small.

I would guess with a cavalier that it's very much in their breeding to want to be with you all the time so you might want to do the usual hot water bottle, cuddly toy, ticking clock, maybe a radio left on low?

Try and find an online forum and ask cavalier owners for some advice too (in case they are more prone to this as companion dogs)? 

It's a really personal choice, but I would prefer to use some ear muffs in the early days (happy that pup was safe first of course) than run the risk of a dog which can't settle alone.

It will pass though 

PS we were unexplained too (secondary IF) until cycle monitoring via bloods showed an ov problem for me - hang on in there


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## Mrs Hopeful (Sep 1, 2006)

I have to say your new baby is beautiful and me and my DH would love a dog but worried about leaving him/her all day.  I can honestly say i bet he is fab therapy.

Sweetpeapodder, just wanted to say congrats on for your BF   on your 6th cycle of Clomid.  You bring hope to all of us.  

xx


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## jocole69 (Dec 19, 2004)

Hiya,

He is soooo cute!! When i went to see a clairvoyant 6 weeks ago (who so far has been 100% right) she told me to get a dog cos i'd been thinking about it - which i had cos i love dogs, but live in an upstairs flat! she said if i put all my nurturing skills into something else it would chill me out and i wouldl get pg! anyway she was so good i believed it and so we have put our name down to get a house (i m in part rent, part buy accommadation) so i could get a puppy.
I really chilled and now, as you may know, just got a BFP!!  I think its because i had given up for now and had decided to concentrate on something else. she said that all the ladies she has told to get puppy or cat etc have concieved!! so you never know - he is soooooo sooooo cutie, bless whats his name

Sorry to ramble     Jo xxx

PS. Once i do get a garden and not working full time i can get my doberman puppy i want  
They say its best to ignore them when the howl at night, but i used to sleep in the kitchen with my parents dobermanns!   bad!!


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## babybiggles (May 1, 2006)

awwwwwww so so so cute what a sweetie pie,  i love doggies so so much i want one but hubby says no at the moment cause we work such long hours,I looked after my friends doggy for two weeks whilst she was away on hols in france and she was lovely she is a black collie cross labrador an old lady with grey bits and bless her she put up with me mothering her all the time. louis is so cute have lots of fun awwww

lisa xx


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

Hi

I'm sorry he's being a bit of a pain in the      at night!! He misses his mummy and his siblings and his crying is a means of trying to communicate with his "pack" unfortunately the more you go to him when he's doing it the more he will continue because he's getting rewarded for his behaviour! If you have to go down to him again to tell him, don't open the door, just give him a firm command through the door something like "louis no" should do it! If you have to just keep going back and repeating the command, eventually he will get the message! 

Crates are a great idea, even if you dont actually shut them in, because in the wild a dog would create a den to sleep in and it would go to that place to feel safe and "off duty".  The crate, particularly under a table or with a blanket over the top side recreates this experience for them.

I dont know how close to the breeder you live, but if it's not too far, ring them and ask if you can bring an old towel round and rub it all over his mummy, it will then smell of her and he will cuddle up to it when he goes to bed.  Blankets are fine as are older t-shirts smelling of you when they get a bit older but because of his young age he will need the smell of his birth mummy for reassurance not his new mummy!

If all else fails, get a baby gate and put it on the kitchen door, then you can leave the door open when you leave him but he will still be contained.  Often dogs dont like the idea of being shut in but they can cope with having a physical boundary so long as they can see through it!

Sorry to ramble on, but this is something I know quite a lot about!!   I had a dog who was so anxious and dysfunctional we had to have a dog psychiatrist!!  When he was put to sleep at the age of 10 following a final nervous breakdown it spurred me on to do an Animal Psychology Diploma!    I'm now mummy to the most fabulous, calm and well adjusted Golden Retriever anyone could ever meet! 

Take Care and give Louis a big kiss from me! 

Amanda xxxx


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## Matisse (Mar 31, 2006)

I'm a Clinical Animal Behaviourist (aka pet behaviour counsellor) - am happy to help if you get stuck, you can e mail me privately if you (or anyone else) likes?
Emma x


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## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

Thanks everyone for the amazing advice i will try and give it a go as i do dread going to bed and am finding myself not sleeping  very well through listening if he is alright 

Oh joecole69 lots of   for a happy healthy pregnancy it is lovely to hear happy stories, and i am also going to see a clervoant on 28th september so maybe i will get a reading like yours 
Or maybe not this puppy has been the best contraception going i have been so tired that i havent got time for anything else plus DH has said that if i get pregnant the dog has to go  
But im sure he won't!!! ( i hope ) it took me 6 weeks to convince him under the agreement that if i did get pregnant i would give him up 

anyway going to have a look on ebay now for a cage thanks for the tip

Gail xxx


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## jocole69 (Dec 19, 2004)

Thanks,

We used to use the cages too, like a play-pen. Nooo you cant get rid of him if you get pg, tell DH to bugger off!!! (after youve eventually got jiggy  )  
Hope the clairvoyant is as good as mine!

I was gonna train as an Animal Behaviourist after my Psychology Degree, i worked part time in a vets too, but my vet didtn think there was much call for it in this country - I think he was WRONG!!!  Jo xx


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## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

Did you concieve Au natural jo?? while you were off clomid


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## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

sorry im asking the wrong person its vikster that has just had a bfp


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## jocole69 (Dec 19, 2004)

YES!! i had been off clomid for 2 months and i never took my last lot so only did 5!  GP says stays in your system for a while?!

amazing! x


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## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

no i am on the right tracks sorry im in a daze watching the pup outside!! i need to concerntrate


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

Jo 

your vet was def wrong!  My friend has a PHD in Animal Psychiatry (I met him through my dog with mental health problems) and we've stayed friends since Rocky was put to sleep.  He charges £80an hour and drives a brand new BMW M3 so I think we can safey say business is thriving!! 

Hope your little bundles being a good boy parkes! 

Amanda xx


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## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

He is yes we have been putting a night light on and leaving him in the kitchen past few nights and he seems to have stopped the barking  Maybe he was scared of the dark


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## Mrs Chaos (Feb 12, 2004)

Hiya Gail
hope you don't mind me gatecrashing 
Can I recommend a *wonderful* book called the Dog Listener by Jan Fennel, it is my bible when it comes to doggies and training.
Loads of luck and fun with your fur baby.
Gayn
XX


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## Gail1982 (May 24, 2006)

I will give it a try 

Thanks ( and anyone is welcome you are not gatecrashing)

Gail


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

Awwwwwww Bless Him... Perhaps he was.. imagine being all on your own away from your siblings and in the dark as well.....   

Glad the night light worked Hun 

Amanda xxx


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