As sweet as our furbabies are, their motivations are pretty simple - and selfish. That's not a criticism of them, it's simply recognizing reality. For the most part, they are most attracted to whoever spends the most time with them and provides the more care and comfort to them.
Bailey and Meggie are 19 months and 11 months old. I adore both of them, and they love me every bit as much as they love my wife. I'm convinced this is because we have both invested a lot of time and effort in their care. From Day One, I have been the one that gets up in the night with them and the one who feeds them in the morning. From the beginning, I took more time than usual just sitting around and used that time to hold the pups. I gave up a few hours of doing things I wanted to do, but if you hold a puppy very long, if's going to fall asleep with you holding it. Do that a few times, and it is a habit for the puppy. My wife has the whole day with them while I'm at work. When I get home, she gets them all worked up when I pull up in the driveway. ("Is it him? Is he home? YES, Daddy's home!). When I walk in the door, they're jumping all over me. (Not great discipline, but a really great welcome!) Ours are definitely lap dogs - if there's a lap in the house, they're on it. And it doesn't matter to them whose lap it is. From the beginning we have each urged the pups to "Go See ..." the other. We have not tried to make either of them "my" dog or "her" dog, and as a result they are definitely "our" dogs.
So ... if you want a puppy to love you, invest time and effort. Give up some time. Give up some sleep. And give up the pup. You'll be rewarded. |