My wife and I just got a Mountain Feist from a reputable breeder about a week and a half ago. My Mom and Dad have a female from the same litter. From the info I've found, Feist are great squirrel dogs. According to the breeder, training shouldn't start until about 7-8 months old. The dog is now about 9 1/2 weeks old, and I originally had high hopes for training a squirrel dog. It was fine when we brought it home, but within the past few days, she's started acting strange. All she does is eat, sleep and go outside to "do her business". At first, I thought she just wasn't used to the new house. She's hardly the playful puppy that I was expecting.
I've asked the breeder about this, and he has seen the dog since the odd behavior started. He says he cant see anything wrong with her. He suggested that maybe the other dog (a 100pd doberman) I have is scaring her, which does make sense, but if anything, I would say the Dobe is mothering her. They play all the time, and there doesn't even seem to be any tension between the two, even at feeding and watering times. This gives me doubts about the breeders theory.
Do any of you guys have any ideas about this? Like I stated above, my Mom and Dad have a sister to my dog, and she acts the way a puppy should act. I've looked all over, but I cant find anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
