hiya all,

myself, my fiance and son got a cocker spaniel puppy 5 weeks ago, after looking into it and thinking about it for a year.

However over the last week my fiance has said he no longer wants our puppy. all because he brings in muddy footprints now due to the weather and we've had a couple of wires cheewed up. also still has a odd wee in the house. its not a regular thing, but what do u expect with a 14 week old puppy.

we paid £500 for him. I do all his walking, feeding, mopping up after him. and everything else for him. i dont ask my fiance to do anything for him, he was walking him but seems to be up to me now which I dont mind at all.

what can i do as he really wants to get rid of him, and i love the dog dearly so does our 7 year old son.

i love my fiance and obvoiusly if i had to choose between fiance or puppy i would choose fiance but i dont want to choose, i want both.

someone please help a very upset woman xx

Best try to keep an eye on the pup as far as the weeing and chewing goes, the chewing needs to be watched as he starts teething which at 14 wks it may have started. The only advice I can give re the muddy paws, and I know its time consuming is have a damp cloth and a towel by the back door and wipe down his paws each time he comes in. I do this with my two as Ihave a cream carpet the dogs soon get used to the idea that they have to be wiped down and now they even wait for me to do it.

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yeah at the moment im watching him constantly, so he doesnt chew on anything he shouldnt, and doesnt have many accidents, maybe 1 a day.

yes i have been having a towel ready at the back door to dry of his paws.

i am trying my hardest to keep all these things under control so he cant wind my partner up, and it doesnt seem to be enough.

he still wants to get rid of him. it would break my heart to get rid of him, i love him dearly, hes part of the family now xx

this type of story happens every day in britain.
it is a major factor why there are somany abandoned dogs in rescue centres or put down.
your fiancee and you should have agreed together to get the dog.it is a lifetime commitment.
if you are getting rid take it to the blue cross as at least it will find a loving home.
giving up without letting the dog get used to what it can do or not is sad and shows a lack of patience.

Will the breeder not have him back?
Tell OH to deal with it. He is a puppy at the moment. And you can't give in after a couple of weeks.

If it was me id get rid of the fiance

I wouldnt want to be with someone so shallow that a few muddy paw prints and the odd chewed thing meant more than a living creature

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first of all we did both agree we both wanted a puppy and looked into it all before anything, so was all a joint decision.

to be honest it was him that first bought the topic up and said about a puppy.

i dont want to give him up, i love him. and have said to my fiance i will do everything for him, he doesnt have to do anything.

but at the moment theres a wedge between us, we are hardly talking and dont know what to do.

i dont know if he will eventually come round.

exaclty, we've only had him 5 weeks and its too soon to give up. he wont be a puppy forever and will soon learn about chewing ect with being told and shown what to do.

i have lots of patience and want this to work. hes so cute and i love him so much, would break my heart to get rid of him, i know its only been 5 weeks but i love him xxx

i dont know whether to feel pity or rage.
dogs chew things.you can tackle this by encouraging it to chew certain toys.
also if a dog has anxiety it is more prone to chew things.when you go out leave items of your clothing near the dog.
you fiancee is a quitter and didn't think the dog ownership through.dogs have fur that will get aroud the home,they have a slight smell,they will bring in mud.
all these things were obvious to me and every other dog owner.the difference is we accept it and it doesn't really matter.

We bought a rabbit play pen (4 wire panels that link together) for our puppy to play in when we couldn't keep two eyes on him.

Another trick you can do is leash him and attach the lead to your hip, so you can feel what he is up to.

Now that Wookie is 6 months old, we've extended the pen panels across the wall with all of the wires on so he can't get at them and he has a bit more freedom in the living room.

I recommend Huggies Baby Wipes for getting rid of muddy paws. Also handy for a quick wipe down if puppy is stinky, but doesn't quite need a bath, also great for wiping up those few prints that get onto your floor.

A puppy is a big commitment, and your fiance needs to try a bit harder. I would have a nice family walk every evening. Try to get your Other Half involved more with the day to day training of your puppy.

hes not chewing things when we go out, because we have a cage for bedtime and for when we have to leave him at home.

so is only out the cage when we at home, which i am alot of the time, or he comes out with me.

i am trying to discourage the chewing best i can. he can be a little pickle but is a puppy so i expect it. but he can be good. and will grow out of the bad things eventually