Our summer was terrible, despite us being super prepared for her to join our family and despite our best intentions with training, rewarding, etc…. She was such a stressful puppy. Plus, it didn’t help that our senior golden, Izzy has a halo around her head and she was a very easy puppy. If we told Izzy “no” she immediately listened to us. Leia, on the other hand, was always doing something naughty and then barking at us, or biting us, when we’d calmly take her to her x-pen area for a “puppy time out”. We took her to training (yes, this definitely helped), but I think it just took time for her to outgrow her land-shark phase.
We had to keep the dogs apart because Leia was always biting Izzy’s back leg like it was a chicken drumstick and Izzy wouldn’t put her in her place. She’s extremely sensitive and wouldn’t do more than bark at her, which Leia completely ignored. So, we’d continually try to keep them together, but every single time it ended up with a leg feast for Leia and poor Izzy pleading to us with her eyes to help us as she had a puppy hanging off her leg. For Izzy’s sanity, we had to give her breaks. About 2 weeks ago, we finally have been able to bring them together and have Leia trained enough with “leave it” to leave Izzy alone. My heart bursts with happiness to see them playing tug together or laying in the same room. Maybe one day we’ll have cuddles, but we won’t push it! LOL. We’ll take what we can get.
So many times, we felt like we had nothing more to give. We tried everything, read everything on the forums, internet and books. Consulted our trainer, and it just took time. I’d read the forum and it almost would physically hurt me when I’d see other people’s puppies as so adorable and well behaved. Our bonding with Leia was slow initially because it’s hard to bond to a puppy that constantly growls, barks and bites you! And, constantly growls, barks and bites at our Izzy. I feel like I can see the good dog she’s going to become now, and before I really didn’t have much hope. Our vet said to me “she’s going to be a really great dog”, and I didn’t believe her then, but I do now. As a new puppy owner, I really needed that hope that everything would turn out okay. And it will. Hang in there new puppy owners. Keep training and trying, with as much patience and love as you can muster – it will eventually stick! :smile2:
