Confessions
I’ve come to the hard realization over the past few days that I’m spoiling Mimi rotten. I need to correct this immediately, or Mimi will become an unbalanced dog, and we definitely don’t want that to happen. I want her to be a happy and healthy dog. People in my life who are close to me have been telling me subtlely (and not so subtlely) that I’m not training her correctly, or more specifically, that I’m not firm enough in how I correct her bad behavior. Also, it seems as though I’m giving her too much affection. This is what I struggle with the most, because she is just so hard to resist!
Everyone that meets her thinks she is the cutest thing in the world, so soft and cuddly. Mimi loves to snuggle with me and sleep on my arm or my leg, or just right next to my face. These adorable little gestures are what make it so difficult to not show her so much affection.But I need to stop making excuses! As much as I would love to cuddle her, I need to cut back on that just a little bit, for her own good.The main problem I’m having right now is that she loves to bite while playing. Sure, this is normal puppy behavior, but when we play, it escalates and she becomes hyper. Closing her muzzle doesn’t work. Saying “OOwww” in a high-pitched voice doesn’t work. Saying “NO” in a deep, threatening voice doesn’t work. I have found that only one thing works - holding her body down until she stops squirming. When she stops squirming, I release her and she stops biting.
Tonight I will start crating her on a regular basis for bedtime. I had been letting her sleep with me, but in the long run, it’s for her own good to let her sleep in her crate all night.
Wish me luck!
Hi there! I saw your baby on HolyCuteness. Your blog is nice and I love the puppy pics.
My boyfriend just adopted a 2 year old dog who’d been neglected. He is a very affectionate dog but my bf is having trouble with his “mouthy” behavior. I suggested the high-pitched yelping but that doesn’t seem to be working. If my bf wrestles him to the ground and holds him down he’ll eventually release whatever he’s holding with his teeth but that doesn’t seem to be a realistic long-term approach. We don’t want him to bite his leash/people’s sleeves/people’s hands in the first place! It’s hard. My bf is going to work with a trainer a couple times to learn some techniques so hopefully things will get better soon.
Maybe you can take her to group puppy classes; I hear they are very helpful for socialization too. Good luck!