For the past 3 nights in a row, Mimi has slept in her crate overnight. She is still waking me up every 2-3 hours. She needs to learn how to hold her bladder a bit longer.
She is definitely getting used to the crate and stays in there happily during the day and takes naps. She doesn’t give much fuss about being in there anymore, which is wonderful.
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!
I took the top photo because my apartment complex requires a photo for their tennant records. The bottom photo was taken at the edge of my sofa, a place that Mimi loves to chill out and relax. She had been playing around in the living room and wanted to come up on the sofa.Mimi has been such a joy to be around, and I love her to pieces. She is potty trained very well, and she happily goes into her crate when needed. She’s a little shy when meeting new people, but I have been socializing her as much as possible. I love taking her outside every day to play in the park in front of my parents house. She loves chewing on leaves and pieces of bark, which I have to watch out for.In the apartment, she has found a love for chewing the carpet. I had to sprinkle a little bit of vinegar around the edges so that she would stop chewing it, and that worked really well. She also likes to nip at my feet and my pants legs and my hands. I am trying to teach her to stop nipping, but I guess I’m not firm enough. I put my finger and thumb around her muzzle to stop it, and it works sometimes, but when she’s in her very playful mood, nothing works! Hopefully she will grow out of this stage when she gets her adult teeth.On Tuesday, we are going to PetSmart for puppy training class! I’m very excited about it.
Little Mimi is adjusting well in her new home…
We just got back from visiting the vets and my parents house. I stopped by Petsmart to get some rawhide called “Buddy Sticks”, as recommended by the breeder. She loves those sticks and it helps with the chewing tendencies.The only thing I told the vet was that she scratches every now and then, as if she has fleas or something. I never saw any fleas, and neither did the vet. She said it was normal puppy behavior. The only thing that is a tiny worry is that the vet said her gums were a little pale. She said that it might be because she was really nervous. I’ll check them later to see if they are more pink. [Edit: they are looking very pink and normal now.] She also told me to socialize her as much as possible. That’s why I went straight to my parents house, because just adore her to pieces. She needs to get used to as many people as possible.
