How much attachment is normal?

[Dawn_B]

Hi guys!
I just have a question about my 5 month old CC, Vito.
I'll start off by saying that while we were researching breeds we learned that the Cane Corso love to be with their people more than anything else in the world and so we were prepared from the very beginning to have him always with either my husband or I. He accompanied either one of us to work for the past few months, and he comes with us in the van/car EVERYWHERE.
Now that this is my second week being a stay at home mom we have noticed Vito becoming less of a constant companion and more of a "OMG WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITHOUT ME?!?!" kind of dog. He has even busted through the bathroom door enough times that we have had to barricade it with the piano bench so he doesn't barge in!
Even my toddlers don't do that! Haha.

We do not crate him at night, but he does spend some time in his crate during the day with not a peep from him. If we leave the house while he is in the crate he loses his mind.

So my question is A) Is this normal behavior for a 5 month old CC?
And if not, or if there is a way to make him a happier/more self confident pup, do you have any tips for me?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Cody]

Yup, is normal.
I go no where without my 2 on my heels.
Sometimes I play games with them, make them think I am going somewhere then try to deke them out lol.
The upside is I never worry about them running away, they just don't want to be out of range

 

[raechiemay]

I can't offer any advice but I know my EM will be up my butt sometimes. I started a new game where I follow her around for 5-10 minutes & it freaks her out. She usually ends up laying down like she says "mama stop!!!" Lol

 

[Dawn_B]

Yup, is normal.
I go no where without my 2 on my heels.
Sometimes I play games with them, make them think I am going somewhere then try to deke them out lol.
The upside is I never worry about them running away, they just don't want to be out of range

Awesome Cody! Thanks!
People are always so shocked at how well behaved Vito is at the dog park. He is at my side 90% of the time and when he isn't he is always looking my way. I just laugh and say he came that way. Haha.
I think he would have a heart attack if I pretended I left without him! Poor guy loses his shit when I try to go to the basement to do laundry. He thinks it's the seventh layer of hell for some reason. Funny kid.

Thanks for the info.

---------- Post added at 12:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 AM ----------

I can't offer any advice but I know my EM will be up my butt sometimes. I started a new game where I follow her around for 5-10 minutes & it freaks her out. She usually ends up laying down like she says "mama stop!!!" Lol

Hahaha!
That is hilarious!!! I should try that too!

 

[Dawn_B]

I can't offer any advice but I know my EM will be up my butt sometimes. I started a new game where I follow her around for 5-10 minutes & it freaks her out. She usually ends up laying down like she says "mama stop!!!" Lol

Hahaha!
That is hilarious!!! I should try that too!

 

[raechiemay]

I get where you're coming from though. When I'm at my parents house this usually happens:

Old pic but you get the point. I just accept it & close the door after everyone is in. They will sit outside the door & cry & scratch the door if I don't let them in.

 

[Dawn_B]

Haha Raechiemay! That is awesome! What a great looking bunch of pups!
I thought I was the only person in the world who had a bathroom full of dogs/kids. Thank you for making me feel normal.

 

[Smart_Family]

You guys are mean. Let those poor dogs out of the bathroom!

 

[raechiemay]

You guys are mean. Let those poor dogs out of the bathroom!

Hey...if I have to smell their shit they can smell mine! ESPECIALLY the blonde one. Her parvo crap smelled terrible when she was sick.

 

[hedacon]

I can't offer any advice but I know my EM will be up my butt sometimes. I started a new game where I follow her around for 5-10 minutes & it freaks her out. She usually ends up laying down like she says "mama stop!!!" Lol

Great idea!!!

 

[sissie20]

lol raech you are one in a dozen lol i dont have any pics but it is daily routine for bot of my 2 legged kids and my 4 leggers to be in the bathroon with me the only time i cant stand when shes up my butt is when im going up and down the stairs i actually tripped over her down the stairs one time while my baby was in my hands she new i was PISSED she hid in ker kennel the rest of the day now when she follows me she waits until i all the way up before she comes up and all the way down before she comes down she still has her moments somtimes but she knows when she messes up

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Im sorry, I don’t mean to be mean but this sounds like the beginnings of separation anxiety to me, which is really something you don’t want. I know CC’s are Velcro dogs, and that’s great, I wish my TM was a bit more, but she is a TM so that’s never going to happen. As much as I would like for her to be a bit more ‘attached’ I would also be very aware of creating separation anxiety in her, which is not healthy and can make life very difficult should the day come that you have no other choice but to leave him alone for an extended period of time. Now I may be reading this completely wrong, and Im cool with being told I am wrong, but if I am not then maybe you want to think about having your baby be happy, or at least secure, in being away from you? I’ve seen dogs with separation anxiety before and it can make life really difficult. A friend of a friend of mine has a sausage dog and she cannot leave it for a minute, she has no life to speak of outside of taking it to work with him and being home with him, the only socializing she does is where she can take the dog, basically she is a prisoner to her dog. Its not healthy for her and it certainly isn’t healthy for the dog. I am not saying that you are doing this, or will do this, but it is something to give serious consideration to. Sorry to rain on your parade, I am really not being mean just playing devils advocate.

 

[tb44]

mooshi...who is that in your avatar? Beautiful pup!!!

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Thanks! Thats Mooshi the first day we brought her home. My hubby and I say TM pups look like baby monkies when they are small. LOL

 

[tb44]

reminds me of the monkeys from wizard of oz!! LOL she is a looker that is for sure.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

see we are not the only ones. lol!

 

[Cody]

@Mooshi, my 2 are fine being left alone.
We both work, kids at school ... Life happens. We do get a dog sitter to come over when we go away, no issues. But when we are home there is 0 privacy. Bathrooms, basement... Hell, our house is open concept but if I get up to go to the kitchen they are both there. They need to be at my side, preferably touching me
I have almost being knocked down the stairs by dumdum's head hitting me in the back of he knees a few times.
I will say however, the CC is VERY prone to separation anxiety so definitely be sure to leave them at home every now and then. Because they are so attached to their families they NEED time away.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

@Cody: my comments were not meant to say anyone's CC is not fine at being left alone, just wanting to bring to Dawns attention to be careful as seperation anxiety is not nice, for the family or the dog. Hope you were not offended. Especially with Dawns pup being around its humans all the time it can cause problems in the future and it better to work on seperation now before its too late.

 

[Cody]

@Cody: my comments were not meant to say anyone's CC is not fine at being left alone, just wanting to bring to Dawns attention to be careful as seperation anxiety is not nice, for the family or the dog. Hope you were not offended. Especially with Dawns pup being around its humans all the time it can cause problems in the future and it better to work on seperation now before its too late.

OH NO! I agree 100%
Lol, CC are prone to SA, they are hyper attached
I agree to be sure to leave alone, or let stay with other ppl. Is also good for their confidence. The following around is normal for the breed, but you do have to be sure that they get alone time as well, so that problems don't arrise in the future

 

[Elvismom]

I had to chuckle at the bathroom comment. Reading your posts and the responses here lets me know that Elvis is normal. The reason I kept searching to find out more about him is because there was so much about him that was not like other breeds I have previously owned/handled.

In my house the bathroom is not a sacred spot. I am raising Elvis with two grown cats and one chihuahua. For all intents and purposes, he is at the bottom of the chain and he understands this. He is protective of Pita (chihuahua) and respectful of the two cats. Everybody plays with him and they have taught him the boundaries under which they will play. Having said all of that, when I go to the bathroom I have two cats, Pita, and Elvis who all believe that they need to be sitting with me...no matter what I am doing and taking a bath is definitely interesting. Nothing like having to make sure he is off of my bath mat before I step out of the tub and then he thinks he needs to help dry me off (he has finally learned I can do that myself...lol)

He is really well behaved no matter where we go but when we are at home, I have four shadows and one of my cats has taught him how to open doors....sometimes it's like 'come on...give me some private time' Actually it feels like I have small children again.

I do have a really large back yard that we have fortified and we use it mainly to let him go out there and be by himself and learn to be confident in himself. It is the one place that he can dig to his hearts content, get dirty, roll, whatever it is he wants to do. I just can't leave him in it when I leave (at least until I get some kind of electric fence to keep the neighbors dogs out).