How much attachment is normal?

[Kate Williams]

I give mine alone time. He gets to lay in the sun or run and play. I watch him from my kitchen window at first he was resistant to it but after a few times he looks forward to it. When he's in the house he's my velcro dog. They really need alone time for confidence building. With a Corso there is a fine line between loving their people and becoming a little neurotic.

 

[Dawn_B]

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.

Thank you! No, you're not being mean at all! You are telling me exactly what I wanted to confirm or deny, and that is that we need to work on the separation with Vito.

You read it exactly right. I want Vito to be as comfortable away from me as his nature will allow, if that makes sense? So far it's not bad and is actually pretty cute, but I want to nip it before it causes him serious stress.

So now with that being said do you have any tips for how I can help him realize that the world will not implode if he is left alone? Today is our test for our beginner obedience class and I can ask our trainer what she thinks. Although since it's just at PetSmart and she has NO Mastiff experience I would rather get opinions from you fine folks.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Start small. Go to the bathroom without him, when you come out of the bathroom don’t speak to him or look at him, just let him know its no big deal that he was away from you for 30 seconds. When he is calm then you can pay attention. Next go out the door for 30 seconds and come back in. Again no communication until utter calm is reached. You can start leaving it longer and longer once he has cracked 30 seconds, then a minute, then 2 and so on and so forth. The key to leaving and coming back is lack of communication, basically you are saying its no big deal that I am leaving and no big deal that I am home, your world did not and is not going to end puppy dog. LOL

 

[Dawn_B]

Start small. Go to the bathroom without him, when you come out of the bathroom don’t speak to him or look at him, just let him know its no big deal that he was away from you for 30 seconds. When he is calm then you can pay attention. Next go out the door for 30 seconds and come back in. Again no communication until utter calm is reached. You can start leaving it longer and longer once he has cracked 30 seconds, then a minute, then 2 and so on and so forth. The key to leaving and coming back is lack of communication, basically you are saying its no big deal that I am leaving and no big deal that I am home, your world did not and is not going to end puppy dog. LOL

Awesome!
I am on the right track then, which makes me feel good. I used to be one of those people who greeted their dogs with the super high falsetto voice and "oh look it's mama's little squishy faced boy! Who is the bestest squishy faced pooper? You are!"
Haha.
I was told to quit that and so I don't do it anymore. But it takes a lot of guts to admit that I used to speak to him like that on a public forum. LOL!

Thanks again for the advice! I appreciate it and will start putting it into practice.

 

[DennasMom]

Mooshi's got it right! I also came across the article link below, if you need some extra help. Denna tends to destroy (destuff) pillows and dog beds when we're gone, so we might try this at some point too, if she doesn't grow out of it. She stays in her crate and sleeps just fine after working the goodies out of her kong. And we know this because we have an internet "mole" camera, so we can keep tabs on her when we're not home. http://www.aocb.com/training/literature - click on "Binky Toy" in the middle of the list. Looks like something that might work?

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Its a normal thing Stone was constantly up my @$$, he got the hint about space when I did a donkey kick at him. Still doesn't stop him from following me every. I can give him a treat and nothing else is important than knowing where I am. Funny how he only does at home. Out in public he's like "SEE YA!!!!"

 

[Ben Curtis]

My 6 month old Corso is not much like what you are describing. I don't know if he is more of an exception or if it is our training. Leo is home all day with my wife who works from home. During the day she does not pay too much attention to him, and he mostly sleeps.

Early on we purposely put him in his crate and left for short periods of time, and kept extending those periods. He is absolutly fine being left alone, and has no signs at all of SA, which was something we wanted to curb early on, and I think we were successful.

Leo loves to be rubbed and to play with us, but when he rests he never does it right near us. He will go to the other side of the couch and lay there. Always in sight of us, but not too close. I think he overheats with our body heat next to his, and he prefers to be cool.

Outside he wanders on his own quite a bit. Never more than about a 30ft radius, and never ever out of his eye sight.

Just my experiences so far.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

Ruger takes every step and breath I take! LOL He is not a dog, he is an appendage. He is fine with being left alone, though, he just goes to bed (my bed) and sleeps until I come back. I haven't been to the bathroom or any other room of the house alone since I brought him home. The only time it drives me crazy is when I am putting clothes away and he has to jam his big ass in the closet with me. It takes us so long for him to back out or turn around so that we can go to the next place.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Ruger takes every step and breath I take! LOL He is not a dog, he is an appendage. He is fine with being left alone, though, he just goes to bed (my bed) and sleeps until I come back. I haven't been to the bathroom or any other room of the house alone since I brought him home. The only time it drives me crazy is when I am putting clothes away and he has to jam his big ass in the closet with me. It takes us so long for him to back out or turn around so that we can go to the next place.

hahahaha!

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Ruger takes every step and breath I take! LOL He is not a dog, he is an appendage. He is fine with being left alone, though, he just goes to bed (my bed) and sleeps until I come back. I haven't been to the bathroom or any other room of the house alone since I brought him home. The only time it drives me crazy is when I am putting clothes away and he has to jam his big ass in the closet with me. It takes us so long for him to back out or turn around so that we can go to the next place.

That's hilarious. :lol:

 

[Eliza]

I am every day more and more convinced that "attachment" is a "breed mark" for CC

My Kira (5 and half months old) is very attached with me ,thank God not in a "separation anxiety" way at all, but in a very sweat and adorable way. We are going everywhere together but she has learn to stay and home alone for as long as I or my roommate (whom also adores) are away for work.

One of my friends that also is a proud CC owner (1.3 years old) receives same attachment from his CC.

 

[Amanda F.]

Yep that is just a corso for ya! We went through separation anxiety with Parker and let me tell you it wasn't fun! We were a prisoner to our dog! We finally broke that and were determined not to repeat it with Jax. He loves his crate and doesn't fuss when put in it or left alone. But if I'm in the house he is my shadow, or more like appendage as stated by Rugers-Kris. As I type this I am sitting on a stool and he is standing with his front paws on my lap...he is truly ridiculous. If I don't allow him to stand like this or shut him out of the room I hear the breathing and whining at the bottom of the door.