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Originally Posted by FlDebra  This is very strange. How old is Nozzle? Did you go on vacation soon after getting him? Are you trying too hard and maybe overwhelming him? I have found that Yorkies are very sharp and intuitive. They can pick up on our feelings and unspoken thoughts much more than I would have ever guessed. Your last sentence makes me think you have not really bonded yourself. You say you would give him up if you were smart and that you want to love the dog, as in you don't yet. His name, itself, while cute, sort of pinpoints a negative aspect of puppies. How have you handled pee/poop accidents? Do you punish, holler, scold extensively? Could it be that you are not sure you want a puppy?
Everyone does not take to a pet right away. I fall head over heels immediately. That is why I cannot go look at puppies until I am sure the breeder is right, all my questions are answered over the phone, and I am ready to bring one home -- because I will when I see them. Some take time to bond and there is nothing wrong with that. So, it may be nothing is wrong, you two are just taking longer to become close.
Once you decide you do love this puppy, I will bet he will decide he loves you back. I just have never seen one not return the love genuinely offered. |
Nozzle is about 5 months old now. I've had him since he was about 6 weeks (too young, yes, but I live in Japan). Getting a puppy was not the smartest idea I ever had, but I wanted to try it and I thought I did good research and found a breed that was small but would be good for me. It's been, needless to say, harder than I ever imagined. I would say you're right...I'm not really bonded with him...it seems to come and go. House training hasn't been too big of an issue, especially lately. Kasey took him outside one night a month or two ago and discovered that Nozz likes going outside vs. the pee pad (he still has them but only uses them when he's home by himself). That alleviated many of our potty training battles...I just take him out every couple of hours and first thing in the morning, etc. He still has accidents, but not many. The problem I've been having there lately is for no good reason, I'll go to take him out and he'll get away from me and cower in his kennel instead of going outside when I KNOW he's got to go really bad! We've had some submissive peeing incidents here, but I can't tell you why that's happening. Like I said, I've tried not to punish or yell, but I've been inconsistent. So a lot of this is my fault, I know. The thing that makes me so sad is that I'm really trying to get better and I make huge efforts to come home and play instead of doing homework, cleaning up, etc, and it doesn't seem to pay off in the behavior he shows me vs. my friends (the tail wagging, wanting to be picked up, etc)...
I appreciate the questions...