[bellasmomok]

As far as making her feel better about being picked up: I read that since little dogs are so little, it's scary for them to be hoisted up into the air suddenly, and so it's important to say "Lift up!" every single time before you pick them up. I started doing that with Bella, and now when I say it, I can tell she's readying herself to be picked up. Sometimes when I say it, she even lifts her front paws off the ground for me. That might be something you want to try. It will take a bit, but I bet with a warning like that she'll eventually not mind being picked up so much. (Bella doesn't like me bending over when I'm holding her either....I have her rear end cradled in the curve of my elbow and hold onto her front leg(s) when I hold her, and when I bend over to get something off the floor, she uses all 4 legs to brace herself to make sure if I drop her she'll land on her feet...as if!!)

Here's the way I taught come: if you have a helper, you can let them stand across a room from you with your dog (first you have to be over by them and show the really AMAZING treat you have in your hand and then cross to the other side of the room). Then, the helper sort of puts their hands on the front of her chest to gently restrain her as you start SUPER, SUPER, ULTRA excitedly calling "Lily, come here!!!!" You have to be VERY excited!! The person only gently holds them back a bit, so that they feel the extra urge to want to escape them to get to you. The the person lets go and the dog should run quickly to you. (If you don't have a helper, I can tell you a one person version as well.) You have to do it several times on several different days, but eventually you can do it outside or wherever. The one rule I'm told with "Come", is to NEVER, EVER call your dog to "come" to you for punishment. If she needs punished, go to her. Also, I try to have a treat whenever I use that command if possible. The reason for both of those things is that you want to be sure she'll come when you call her if she's running toward the street or something equally life-threatening. (Note: I've heard that when you teach this, you should use a treat that you wouldn't mind eating as well, so that if she doesn't come when you call, you can walk back over and eat the treat yourself in front of her like it was the best thing you ever tasted. Then, show her another one and walk away and try again.) Now, my boyfriend can be across an outdoor garden (a big touristy one--no one else was there when I tried this though) from me and I can call her and she will run as fast as she can, ears back, to me!!! Such a good girl!! (It doesn't hurt that she loves her mamma! But she runs to my boyfriend--her daddy--when he calls too!)