Okay Sandra, I'll give it a shot ... I have no idea what my thoughts are based on, as they surely can't be the number of puppies/dogs that I have had in my lifetime ( n = 5) ...
You didn't mention in your post how long the new owners have had this puppy, if they have another pet in the house, if they have ever had another pet in the house, or when this behavior began ... sounds like they had the puppy home for about a week and then the behavior began, coinciding with temp changes ... Is there a possibility that this could be territorial behavior emanating from some stress? Is this a rental apartment/home? Has there been another pet that died at home or a pet that messed on the rugs previously? Going in the absolute opposite direction, is it possible that the puppy misses having all of the other littermates around? I'm sure you asked about changes in work schedules etc. How about looking at when the puppy doesn't mess in the wrong places, roll in it, etc.? What is different about the puppy and/or the environment during those times? What is the puppy's general temperament like? Is she/he excessively needing to be close or distant? What is the quality of his/her attachment to humans? How does the puppy play with toys? Mealtime behavior? What was this puppy like when with you and do you see other behavior/temperament changes now? Something just struck me about your post ... humor me ... I think you all know me well enough after all these years ... but your description made me wonder about what this puppy is "missing" or "needing" that might be different in some subtle way from what she/he had before. Did this behavior just start full blown? Or was it a gradual onset? Have there been signs of other things changing too? Like temperament, needing to be closer or more distant, etc.? You all have seen this before ... is it possible that the puppy has developed a biochemical imbalance or some other medically related difficulty? Maybe I've triggered some new ways for all of us to help in thinking about this ... just trying to come up with all possibilities ... and maybe it will help the new owners to know that everyone is trying to think this through with them ... helps them to at least feel more proactive ... Keep us posted, Sandra Best, Jayne, Sir Willie and Princess Phoebe [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.jmsandalusians.com ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author.
