Congratulations! Bailey Rose is completely adorable and your story made me tear up a bit -- we have a cat we adopted as an adult and he has an eating disorder now from his time on the street--he will eat and eat and eat until you take it away from him, and it's been *6* years since we took him in. Poor dear : ( I'm a sucker for dog and cat yawns, for some reason : ) And WOW, I didn't know what a catahoula was, so I googled it and yes, I agree with Linda - catahoula sure does look like a serious possibility for some of that mix. Very cool, or should I say very catahoul : )

I had two females in April last year. One Terrier/Lab the other Lab/Weirmaner. This after losing my third, a Shepard/Lab 3 months earlier. Things were in a funk and needed something desperate. A puppy would keep everybody busy. She is now about 90 pounds. Everyone get's along great. I did do a lot of homework before committing myself to this. Three dogs are a huge amount of work, and a puppy has what I refer to as "a force to be reckoned with". They can be very cute one second and incredibly destructive the next. Are you crating your pup when you are out? This should be done for at least the first nine months after you bring it home. If the crate is to big for the pup, put something in it that they can't destroy. Dogs and especially pups love the feeling of being closed in. It also keep them from getting into mischief. When the pup can't be supervised every second, it must be crated. Gradually wean the pup away from the crate after about 6-8 months. Allowing them to much freedom all at once will confuse them. If you scold your pup you need to do it in a way that the pup is going to get. One word corrections like STOP are good ones. They simply don't get babbling outbursts. You also must also catch them in the act. If this cannot happen, forget it. They will not know why you are upset. To get them used to STOP, crate the pup, put a sheet or blanket over the crate and when it starts to whine or do something you do not approve of GENTLY tap on the crate and firmly say STOP. After a few times, when you say STOP it will associate the word with the crate noise. Your older dog could see the pup as a threat on her territory. You need to make sure that both get the same thing, food, water, attention, toys, everything. Otherwise you are setting things up for problems. You are looking at a process that could take 6-9 months, not only with puppy issues but other things as well. When things get worked out, it will be great! I don't see any reason why it can't work. Good luck! SG

Thank you, cynthia and holligator for your reading tips! I appreciate those so very, very much. mazer, you continue to be a font of information! lily316, the way I found our breeder is by first visiting the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club USA site, the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club site, and, to a lesser extent, the AKC site. I looked for breeders only listed on those sites. I did NOT use search engines to find breeders. There may absolutely be reputable, ethical breeders out there not associated with the above-mentioned organizations (although why they wouldn't be I don't know), but for me this was a "safety net." I then e-mailed to them a long list of questions, asking if they'd be willing to talk with me and answer these questions: 1) What are the registered names of the puppy's parents and may we have copies of the registration certificates for both parents? 2) What are the birth dates of the puppy's parents? 3) Have you complied with the MVD Breeding Protocol? 4) Have you complied with the SM Breeding Protocol? 5) Have both parents' hips been x-rayed after age two years, and have those x-rays been evaluated and cleared of HD by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)? 6) Have both parents' patellas been examined and cleared by qualified veterinarians within a year before the date of birth of the puppy we may adopt? 7) Have both parents' eyes been examined and cleared of serious genetic eye disorders by board certified veterinary ophthalmologists within a year before the date of birth of the puppy we may adopt? 8) Have both parents' hearing been tested and cleared of hereditary hearing deficiencies, preferably by the Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) test, no earlier than at age 2.5 years? 9) Has either parents exhibited the symptoms of episodic falling syndrome? 10) Have both parents' blood been tested and cleared for diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism within a year before the date of birth of the puppy we may adopt? (see here for information regarding the above diseases / syndromes) I was both surprised and disappointed at how many breeders did not want to answer these questions. They were immediately crossed off my list. To my absolute delight the breeder to whom our little girl was born answered every one of my questions at great length. They also had a long list of questions for me, which thrilled me. This led me to believe they don't let their puppies be adopted willy-nilly -- they wanted to check us out as well! Our breeders are in Wyoming, and they got started breeding Cavs because they'd each (they are two friends) had a heartbreak with a sick Cav. They vowed they would help "clean up" the system and they take fastidious care of their dogs and have all the paperwork / registrations for it. Anyway, this is how I found a reputable, ethical breeder in our part of the country (I'm in Colorado). I was heartsick reading about the Greyhounds dying of bone cancer -- I never knew about that! When I was a little girl living in England the caretaker of my parents' "farm" (more like a weekend house -- as if my parents farmed!) had a multitude of Greyhounds. I loved them. Beautiful, gentle creatures. Fast, and then a couch potato! This is a picture of our little girl from last Thursday, on her seven week birthday. We're naming her Genki-chan. "Genki" is Japanese for "healthy," "peppy," "lively" (although she is a mellow girl -- the breeders decided only two of their litters would be suitable for us [with such small children] -- gentle with their teeth, but still "sturdy" for play with toddlers), and "chan" is the feminine diminutive. My husband is Japanese and our children speak Japlish. Well, more English than Japanese at this point, but we keep it up. My 3.5 year-old refers to Genki-chan as Genki-grill; "grill" is how he says "girl." Our 19 month-old merely says "Genki." One of the breeders gave the laddies a little stuffed Cav doll whom the 3.5 year-old named CiCi-inu -- "inu" is dog in Japanese. I have no idea from where the "CiCi" came!

Okay, good information. And Kudos to you for adopting and what a regal dog !!! My first concern would be a physical problem and the vet NEEDS to check out your dogs back and back end to make certain there is nothing wrong physically. Nerve problems in the back can make it so your dog has NO IDEA of when it is time to go. You wrote: "~ We never yell or hit him when he has an accident. We just show him and tell him, "NO . . . bad dog! Kennel!" Pick up the poop and take it and him to the kennel where we put it down and say, "Kennel . . . good dog, kennel" We then meticulously clean the rug using a good quality dog accident cleaner & deodorizer. " This connect negativity with bathroom works and you should really stop doing it. THIS "Ronin has an accident perhaps once or twice a week, although never peeing. All the other times, we/I just take him out to the kennel and lock him in until he goes, when we let him right back in, praising him, "Good dog, kennel!"." Is also not a good idea. Next I would call the foster person and ask if they had the same problem. If all that turns out to be normal and this is a new behavioral problem I suggest a couple of things - First you have had the dog 3 weeks and he is going through a period of transition - so you are bound to have something come up. You wrote that he is okay with other dogs and people and he gets kennelled on a rgular basis. All okay *BUT* you have failed to write ANYTHING about his daily walking routine!!! This dog should be taken out on a leash walk at least 3 times a day. For at least 15 minutes a day. NO LESS. Im not tqlaking just a quickie around the block where the dog sniffs a couple of bushes. Im talking find a good fire road or an area where your dog can really get in a good pant. DONT let him stop and sniff the bushes or rocks or anything else JUST a good walk at a good clip. Just when you are heading back to the car - let your dog stop and sniff the bushes. Hopefully the regualr walks will help alot - they usually do. Be careful not to go to the same place for his walks. I suspect your new charge is bored, and not stimulated enough. But that is just based on what you wrote....When your dog does do its duty. It is important to first give your dog a command to poop - it should be unemotional. Just a fact - go make a meadow muffin....when the dog does, praise him highly. As if he has just brought you a bag with a thousand dollars in it. If your dog likes privacy (mine does) just make certain you bring a longer leash so he can hide behind a bush or tree for his duties. Another part of the training is to take his present and take it outside to a place where you will walk your dog daily. Be certain to stop and let him sniff his stuff, give the unemotional command and praise him....good luck - let us know how it goes.