My new Malinois puppy (Maximus)(9-weeks old now) arrived last Monday (4 AUG). He was flown to me from a breeder across the country and seemed pretty traumatized from the flight. He had poo'd his crate twice (very loose) and didn't want to come out of the crate. We cleaned him up when we got him home, but has still been pretty shy all week.

House training has been going 'fairly' well. His poo hardened up after about 36 hours. (He is on a Honest Kitchen diet.) He has had a couple accidents but all due to handler error - I know what I need to do there. He has been spending a lot of time in his crate and the screaming has been manageable, thank goodness. He seems a bit shy and has not been showing the working qualities of his pedigree. It's been 5 days and he is just now starting to show interest in moving objects. For the first 5 days he was completely indifferent to balls, bite rags, tugs, etc.

Behavioral Questions:
(1) Is it 'normal' for a Malinois puppy to lose his drive for a week after a traumatic event such as an airline flight?
(2) Is this a sign of weak nerves in my puppy? Has anyone else had a puppy come off the plane from the breeder ready to "play ball"?
(3) Is it 'normal' for a new puppy to not want to go in his crate, but when it's time to come out, afraid/hesitant to come out?
(4) After 5 days, Maximus has started showing interest in his leather bite rag. He will chase it and chomp at it, but will not grip it tightly enough to aggressively tug with him. Is this something he will grow into, or can I do something to help develop his drive to hold onto it?
(5) If he does grip the rag, it is a weak grip and he will growl a bit. Ed says in his video "Bite Training for Puppies" that this is a nervous trait. What can I do to give him more confidence so he stops growling?
(6) Maximus came from the breeder with vaccinations for Parvo and Distemper (20 JUL). My vet (of course) highly recommends further boosters (I actually got the feeling he was trying to Jedi-Mind-Trick me into getting them.) I am not in favor of this, but my wife is worried that Maximus will get sick if he doesn't receive the vaccinations. Who here thinks that Maximus needs further vaccination boosters for Parvo and Distemper?

I try to "let him win" all the tug games we play, but it's hard to play when he hardly grips the rag.

Thanks.
v/r
Kurt

Kurt,
Let's look at this from the pups point of view for a moment.

I'm 56 days old, I get thrown in the crate, put into a plane, come down an off ramp, banged around with a bunch of baggage, nothing but strange smells, and wtf is all that noise!!!!!! Now I've got this face staring at me through the wire.. I'm dragged out of my safe heaven. Where is my pack?? AAAAh I don't know what to do......my pack, wheres my pack!!?? Now I'm thrown back into this place I can't move from. I don't know what to do, aaaah where's my pack???!
Think you'd be a little put out at your ripe old age if it happened to you? This animal is only 63 days old. Give him a break and some feeling. It's never all work, if it is, it makes for a dull relationship.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Well, that was succinct. I was trying to think of how to say "You are asking all this after the puppy has been with you for only 4 days?

It must be exciting! I can imagine!

But 4 days .... Whoo. Let him breathe and look around.

Hi Kurt - You will get lots of advice far more expert than mine. I tend to worry about every little thing with a new pup. I've owned working breeds my whole life but I worry with every new pup.

Relax and enjoy him. You are trying to temperament test a pup that's only been with you a few days.

I learned from someone on this forum to just calm down and let the pup take stuff at his own pace.

My male wouldn't come out of the crate at the airport either. He is now a social butterfly.

He would never grip a Orbee ball worth a damn but you should witness his bitework at 14 months.

You will drive yourself crazy worrying about every little thing.

I know I did.

RELAX!!

Ditto!! Well said Randy.

Kurt what is your rush? You have plenty of time ahead of you for training. Work on your bond with this little guy; it will do wonders for any future training. I'm a little concerned with the second part of question 2. It doesn't matter; you have Maximus and who he is to work with. Remember, Mals are extremely handler sensitive. If I'm reading some disappointment in your post with the pup. You can bet your life he feels it too!

Throw out all preconceived notions and get to know Maximus; its only a matter of time until he nails you and you wish for the quiet first days of his arrival

Okay, okay, okay, alright already!

Yes, I'm trying to temperment test my pup. Unfortunately, I've never owned a new puppy before and all I know is what I see on Ed's DVDs and what I'm viewing on the DVDs didn't match up with reality on the ground. There is no rush. I obviously had some invalid expectations and you all have set me straight. Thank you.

All points well taken. Anyone want to weigh in on question #6?

Thanks again.
v/r
Kurt

Even without shipping, puppies take awhile to warm up to their new home and handler.
Danke took about three weeks to really start bonding and showing her true spirit.

Your pup will show more interest in tugging, as trust builds.

In-so-much as the vacc's go, that's a personal decision... but I wouldn't.

Not #6 question Kurt, but I did think of something on my evening walk.

For both, you and your pup.
Build on confidence, don't feed insecurities.

And above all......
Have fun with your new pup.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

 Quote: Kurt Smith

Anyone want to weigh in on question #6?

Do you trust your vet to give you accurate information about what the actual occurrance rates in your area are for any of the diseases being vaccinated against? It is a tough call.

Even if it weren't the law I would probably still vaccinate against rabies(not as frequently) because of the high numbers of wild life that are affected in my area especially raccoons and those little buggers can get into anywhere; even my stockade fenced yard.

My first response is NO but I would do some research first; though he probaly is already protected from the first series.....deferred to the vaccination experts

 Quote: sheila buckley

 Quote: kurt smith

Anyone want to weigh in on question #6?

Do you trust your vet to give you accurate information about what the actual occurrance rates in your area are for any of the diseases being vaccinated against?

That would be distemper and parvo, the two optional of the three "core" vaccines.

http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html
is a minimal-vaccine protocol from Jean Dodds. You will want to scroll down to the biggest part of the chart, which is the "not recommended" vax. You might even want to print it.

This site has many threads on vax. There is at least one current one, and it has five links to LB and other articles to really educate yourself before deciding.



Edit: http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/204855/page/0/fpart/1




Edited by Connie Sutherland (08/09/2008 08:57 PM)
Edit reason: add link