Should i be strict with my puppy

He's never done this with me. Does this mean that Tama has "picked" my boyfriend? Overtime, do you think I can still become his person? This is so important to me Am I just not dominant enough?

Simply in terms of personality, my boyfriend is much more outgoing and dominant than I am. Should I work on being more firm? I think you are doing really well. I too am the one in our household who looks after our 8 month Harry old during the day. What he eats is down to me, his toys, grooming and welling being is also down to me, although my husband feeds him his first meal, as he mostly gets up with him at 6 am. Harry goes mad when my husband comes home and really gets excited when my two adult sons come home as they play and run around with him.

But it is me that he seems to look to for guidance or reassurance. We all argue about who he loves the most in our household, but we have agreed that he loves us all. With regards to being strict, we are quite relaxed and over the past month, Harry is becoming a wonderful dog who rarely needs telling off. You keep talking about how submissive Tama is with your boyfriend as though it's a good thing.

Why would you want to be dominant over your dog partner and companion? You sound really insecure, are you worried that your boyfriend is going to ruin this special thing you have?

I am sure Tama loves you very much and feels safe and secure with you, but when someone else walks in who is only there for short periods of time they are going to be interesting and exciting, and if he's been harsh in the past maybe Tama feels he has to work hard to keep this person happy by being submissive and doing whatever it takes to avoid the reprimands.

I don't think the submissive act with your boyfriend is a good thing at all. It tells me that he was way too hard on the pup. Personally, the last thing I would want from my dog is to run to me with ears pulled back and sit in front of me in a submissive posture. This isn't love, it's fear, and it's not the kind of relationship I would want with my dog. It sounds to me as if you may not have had quite a firm enough approach with Tama.

Now, that doesn't mean raising your voice or being hard on him the way your boyfriend was. It means having within you the attitude that you are the boss with the final say. Just that in itself makes a difference. I once trained a border collie with someone who had never been able to get her to behave on a leash even once, despite having tried the usual and mostly effective things, including my personal technique.

I took her out without her owner and used the technique I recommend for not pulling on the leash and the dog walked nicely right away. Her owner came out and was utterly amazed. You can be firm without being harsh or loud or punitive in your manner. You can be firm and impersonal or cheerful and friendly at the same time.

This is how I work. Other than that bit of advice, I would only say that you are probably worrying too much. It sounds as though your pup loves you and if you can avoid feeling anxious about this it may help the situation on more than one level.

I am sure Tama loves you very much and feels safe and secure with you, but when someone else walks in who is only there for short periods of time they are going to be interesting and exciting,. Great point. My Mancer does this as well.

When my friends come over for Sunday football she goes bonkers, loving on them, playing with them, etc. Agree that you are probably over worried about this, as I was temporarily as well. I think any good dog owner who loves and cares about their dog always over worries about things at some point. You can post now and register later.

If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Paste as plain text instead. Only 75 emoji are allowed. Display as a link instead. Clear editor. Upload or insert images from URL. Am I being too hard on my puppy? Share More sharing options Followers 0. Reply to this topic Start new topic. Recommended Posts. Posted January 24, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options Dinkle Posted January 24, ShellyF Posted January 25, Posted January 25, You might have to do is a couple of times before it sticks, but hey, it's a pup Another thing that I think is important in training is showing the pup what you do want her to do.

Michael Parkey Posted January 25, Rush Fan Posted January 25, Lenie Posted January 25, That is a general observation on people. I would not allow anyone to interfere with my bond with my dog. Again, just my own personal opinion for what it's worth. Do you think you'll go on to have human babies with this man? D'Elle Posted January 26, Posted January 26, ShellyF Posted January 26, Make sure that you keep feeding him! D'Elle Posted January 27, Posted January 27, Posted January 29, You will not only see a reduction in unwanted behaviours, which is huge in itself, but you will have a much happier dog, healthier relationship, a more enriched and fulfilled dog both mentally and physically, and a tired dog as well.

Some of you may need to manage your environment or dog slightly more than others, maybe due to their reactivity or fearful behaviours, but there will always be away for you to provide for your dog. Thank you Jake. All Posts. Recent Posts See All. Doggie Daycare. Post not marked as liked. Does my dog think I'm fun? How can I do more? I'm constaly having to steal the covers back or push someone's butt out of my face!

And the livingh room furniture, forget about it! Any twitch or repositiong causes him to put his full wieght on you, out offear you'll get up. LOL And, God forbid my son sit on the one end of the sofa! Puppies are so adorable. Other people's puppies, I mean.

I love them when they're someone else's responsibility. Join now to personalize. Debate Team Am I being too strict with my puppy? My sister who has an ill-behaved adult dachshund and has never raised a puppy keeps saying how bad she feels for my 2 month old golden retriever puppy because we don't let her on the couch or beds.

She says she'll never feel like part of the family. She's wrong, right? When puppy is an adult dog I trust she'll be allowed to sleep with my kids if they want her to. Also, puppy currently sleeps in a cat carrier by my bed, but is quickly outgrowing it. My sister thinks it's super mean to make her sleep in her full size kennel in the kitchen and that she'll be a miserable dog if we don't buy her another kennel for our bedroom taking the current one upstairs would be a huge pain with how big it is and how narrow the corners are.

I'm pretty sure she's wrong, but I don't want to mess up my sweet puppy either!