Puppy grumbles
Hello! We brought home at 8.5 week old male cavalier 3 weeks ago and to be honest it hasn’t been great. We specifically got a cavalier as a family dog that would be loving and cuddly and easy to handle since I have a 7 year old. Our puppy is sweet when he isn’t biting and busy exploring, but the main struggle I’m having is that he doesn’t enjoy being picked up or moved when he is comfortable/busy and when we do he is full of grumbles. I’m trying not to move him or handle him too much and treat him when I do, but he is a small puppy and sometimes I just have to. And he grumbles. And I keep trying to hold him in a way where he isn’t going to grumble but I can’t figure it out. There are times he definitely doesn’t. But even if he is in my lap comfortably and I have to get up he grumbles. I’m so scared of him grumbling because I don’t want it to escalate one day. And this whole experience is not what I had in mind when getting a cavalier. I’ve never had one before but all I hear is how wonderful they are and such good family dogs. We’ve taken him to the vet twice to rule out any pain. I’m not convinced he isn’t in some rear pain because he yelps when grooming and sometimes when we support his rear up a stair for example. But I’m at a loss and I’m having trouble bonding with the dog as a result of all this. I don’t want to return the dog because my kid loves him, but also I can’t have a dog I can’t comfortably pick up for the next many many years. This is not what we were going for. Experienced cavalier owners wondering your thoughts? Do I need to reframe my thinking, what am I missing if anything?