I feel like I have a toddler, but I actually have a dog.

abrewer5

Hello! I have a rescue dog that is a little over a year old and we've had her since July. I really feel like I have a toddler that is only bad around her mom. This dog is crazy around me! She constantly bites me when we play, when she does I always replace myself with a toy and walk away but then she'll follow me and start nipping at my ankles and clothes. In the morning when I get ready for work she jumps on me and bites my clothes and tries to use them for tug-of-war basically. She'll jump in the shower with me which doesn't bother me so much, but also seems like something a toddler will do around her mom. When she has accidents in the house, she'll only do it when I'm home, and we usually take her out every 2 hours when we're home. Sometimes she'll come in right after being out and doing her business and pee. She'll chew my clothes when I do laundry (which I've gotten better with not letting her in the laundry area) but she's never once chewed up my fiance's! She's also destroyed just about every pair of flip flops I own, but has never once chewed my fiances. I feel like I'm constantly telling her "NO."

I'm a loss at this point. I try to discipline her and we've talked to trainer before which I've also tried their suggestions but it seems that she is only interested in acting up when I'm home. Even when the trainer came over she was very well behaved and the trainer looked at us like we were nuts.

My fiance doesn't have any issues with her biting and she NEVER goes after his clothes. When we have company she's a perfect angel and doesn't bite anyone, even when playing 

The weird thing is I know the dog loves me, so it's not like she does this because she hates me. She follows me all around the house when I home, follows my schedule for waking up and going to bed (even if my fiance is home), and when my fiance get home together she always greets me first. So it really makes no sense to me that she is constantly bad for me and only me!

Does anyone have any suggestions to help fix any of these issues?

Thanks in advance for any help, and so sorry for long post!

LuckyAngel07

Something has taught her that her behavior with you gets her attention. Even negative attention is attention, and dogs consider it a "reward" and reinforcement of their behavior.

Potty training 101. Do not let her out of your sight inside. If this means gating her into the same room as you, do it. Or try tethering her with a leash tied to your belt loops. As soon as she makes a move to potty, either clap loudly/say "eh eh!!" loudly or otherwise do something to distract her, then whisk her straight outside. If she doesn't potty, try crating her and taking her back out in 15 minutes (if she's not crate trained, do that). Praise like she just cured cancer for going potty outside!! Make it the most exciting and fantastic thing in the world (my neighbors probably thought I was nuts when doing this with our pup). Give treats.

For the behavior, NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free). And stick to it!! Consistency is key. You've basically got to ignore any behavior you don't want reinforced. If she follows you and nips your ankles when you stop playing with her for biting at your hands, then don't go anywhere. Just stand up and turn your back on her/don't look down at her. Cross your arms so she can't reach your hands. 

For constant nipping/biting if you're really having a hard time. Get a spray bottle full of water. Spray her in the face. It's unpleasant and should help break the behavior. You can also try spraying a bitter apple type spray directly into her mouth when she's being nippy.

Click the Board FAQ discussion for information on how to go about NILIF and crate training and good potty training behaviors.

LuckyAngel07

OH! And also: learn to put your stuff away. Until the dog is better trained not to chew up inappropriate items, you need to be diligent in putting it out of reach of the dog. This is going to sound harsh, but you have no one to blame but yourself when your dog destroys shoes, items of clothing, or papers. It's all about your own diligence and training your dog to know what's allowed to go in her mouth.

abrewer5

Thanks for the help! I'll try out some of these tips. I'm also going to try to find a local obidence trainer, she's really smart and I think she would enjoy it.

closapio

Lucky had some great tips.

My suggestion for you is that if you are able to find an obedience trainer, take her yourself. She will learn to respect you better if you are the one working with her constantly.

chrisnjay05212010

the pps gave you great advice!!! And i agree, you should be the one to take her to training. Consistency is key, she will learn, some dogs pick up faster than others. 

oxdelaney

It took our dog until now (2 years old) for her to settle down. Training training training!!!