Dealing with Biting, Tricks, and Updates

Well, it has been a while since I updated anyone about our fuzzy little puppy. She is quickly getting to a more adult-ish look and has her own adolescent problems. She has gained some very good habits and retained some awful ones (tricks and come/biting).

Tricks and Come

Elsie learned to ring the bell to ask to go out!!!!! YEAH!! Now, I think she might just ring it to go out, even if she does not need out! Sometimes she just hits it with her paw and sometimes she hits it with her nose.

She has mastered the dog door -- comes in more then out --.

Elsie also comes much better by now! Which is soooo nice!!!!!!!

Biting

Biting! Yes, I am afraid Elsie has gotten a very bad habit of biting. This is not always playful biting. She believes she is top dog. Over ALL! Well, not quite. The biting does not really affect me. I mean, she just seems to respond better to us girls... probably because we don't care to be a chew toy like my brothers.

One friend, who actually owns a Border Collie and used to be a Vet Tech, advised us to flip Elsie over on her back when she grows aggressive. There are many opinions about this this theory --negative and positive-- we found it very affective. Or at least us girls (mom and I) found it working, the boys.... well.... Elsie still gets nasty sometimes.

So I began a bit of research after my oldest brother came in. He reported that he had tried to take a bone away from Elsie. And Elsie had struck back........

Many are the theories! If you just look at one website, you can find over five or six remedies for this weird behavior. The include cans with rocks in them, squirt bottles, pinching the mouth open and the tongue down, ect. How to Stop Biting! Take a look at this link to get some pretty good information!

Anyways, pinching the mouth open works wonderful!

Surgery!

Elsie has about completely cured from her rear dew claw surgery! She got her bandages off sometime last week!

~Western Belle