Yes, you’re just a cuuuute lil’ girl puppy. Yes, you bring me oodles of joy and happiness.
But you ARE 8 months old. You SHOULD be able to be left alone for the 5 minutes that I stepped outside to talk to Mr. Athena without damaging anything valuable. You have your lil’ pink ball that you love, your gazillion and half teddy bears, your blue duck, your rawhide bone, your food, your water, and your big brother Shiba to keep you company. You have dog beds, couches, human beds, and a sunbeam to sleep in, should you feel like lounging. You have windows to look out of, and the stray ants and moths to chase around the room.
Why, oh why, then, did you have to eat the $20 bill so unthinkingly left on the coffee table? If currency consumption was unavoidable, could you not have chosen one of the two crisp new $5 bills instead? Why the 20? And why in so many pieces? And how the @#@!$# did you do that in 5 minutes?!?
I pit you, pug. I don’t care how cute you are. I don’t care how your ears perk up so attractively. I don’t care how your cute lil’ pug tail seems to wag all on it’s own when you try to sit. I don’t care how your big brown eyes look at me so sadly.
But lookit that face! Lookit that cute puppy face! How could that face do any wrong?! Who’s a good puppy! Who’s a good puppy! Yes you are! Yes you are!
Don’t blame the little guy, look towards the big brother. You know how it is…mom and dad aren’t around, big brother starts making suggestions, and the little tyke goes along with it because, well, obviously they look up to older siblings.
I think you’ve got an instigater in the house you need to pay attention to. You need to sit Sheeba down and explain to him that just because there’s a new little one in the house, doesn’t mean he’s any less loved. Show him that there are no favorites in the household, and that the two of them don’t have to compete for your love. They need to work together and be closer, not fighting. Once he realizes this, he’ll gladly share the proper toys with his new little sister, and you’ll be able to trust both of them again.
Unless you’re dealing with food, at which point all bets are off.
I think you have a winner. In one of Kerouac’s books, he has a character fantasize about training a dog to steal money. In fact, he wants the dog to never steal anything less than a $20.00 bill. I’d say encourage the pup and you are on your way to easy street.
I cannot believe you pitted this courageous beast. Every puppy knows that motion precedes danger. When you closed the door, the $20 bill undoubtedly fluttered ever so slightly. Li’l Pug, immediately recognizing the danger and wishing to protect his beloved mistress from the evil interloper, bravely pounced on the bill, knowing full well the cunning and diabolical nature of American currency. It was only his skill as a warrior and the speed of his ambush that allowed him to claim victory with nary a scratch on his little pug nose.
And what thanks does this hapless canine get from his ungrateful mistress? A PITTING.
I’d definately second this suggestion- that stuff worked when we were training our little princess. And it really does taste terrible, as I found out when I accidently got some on my finger and then went to eat something. Ugh.
We sprinkle black pepper on places where Lexie tries to chew. She hates it. We tried this spray that’s supposed to stop animals from chewing, but wouldn’t you know, the little runt actually LIKED it!
See if that works, but make sure to have water available after she gets a taste.
Our problem seems to be that this dog is so damn NEEDY! She’s almost a year old, and she can’t stand if we even leave the room for a minute to use the bathroom! sigh
That and biting. Any advice on getting her to stop biting? She nips to get our attention, and sometimes when she’s pissed about something she’ll bite. She’s a Westie, and the trainer at the vets said that terriers tend to be very fiesty and usually mellow out when they’re about two years old. I can’t wait that long.
sigh
(If it were up to me, she’d go right back to the breeder…sigh)
Whenever her teeth touch you, and you know it isn’t an accident, roughly shout “No!” and flick her (not that hard–mostly as a symbolic attention getter) under the chin. Have everyone in the household do it consistently…
I imagine this would also work for biting children.
A lot of the time, though, she nips at heels then jumps away and barks. When we yell at her, or correct her she barks-if she were a human teenager, I would imagine she’d be mouthing off!
booka, I have some bad news for you if this is what happened. (We own a few Pugs now and I’ve owned the breed for over 25 years)
Our oldest was raised by me till age 3. The youngest is now 18 months and got her at 6 weeks. My wife went nuts and the youngest just imprinted hard-core. Now my wife can’t leave to get the mail without the puppy (they aren’t adult til 24-30 mos.) giving herself a near stroke. She doesn’t try to destroy anything anymore, and hasn’t wet the rug in about 6 months, but this may also be due to getting her fixed. It’ll be tough, but patience and training should help you out in a not-too-long timeframe.
Imprinting… yup. She’s my oogy lil pug girlie, yes she is! Lookit those lil ears! And those lil’ eyes? You wanna sit on my lap while I work all day? Oh sure, let’s do it. You can help me move the mouse, oh yes you can!
Nope, you can’t have her. Even if she eats $20 bills. I’m completely stooopid about that dog… to the point that I take pictures with her when I’m on vacation, and show her off the way proud parents show off their babies.
Yes, I’ve become a crazy dog lady. Even if I pit her every once in a while.
