[Nico29]

Originally Posted by HarleyHOO

Aww...I can only imagine what that must make you feel like. But like other's have said, don't give up. She's definitely testing you to see how far she can go. And I know its probably hard given her current behaviour, but try to have calm and positive energy around her. She can pick up on it when you're annoyed and that just makes it worse because dogs don't trust or respect someone who is uneasy or unsure. From what I understand, they actually view it as a sign of weakness, therefore think they NEED to assume the "alpha" role. Good news is, you can totally break this behaviour. First, like other's suggested, definitely exercise her and wear her out. Then, maybe set aside a few minutes a day in a quiet room, just the two of you and simply love on her, massage her, tell her how special she is to you. She'll pick up on your loving vibes. I think this will help with the bonding stage.
Also, to reclaim your "alpha" status, try some of these things and be consistent :

1. When ready to feed, always make her sit and stay calm before dropping the food in the bowl. And tap your fingers in the food several times while she's eating so she know that its OK to have someone close while eating. This shoud prevent her from becoming territorial over her food later on. Or at least it worked for mine

2. Never ever let her enter through a door before you. I taught mine to "wait" and until both of my feet were inside, she waited. Still to this day, she will wait until I ask her to come in...she nevers rushes ahead of me.

3. If you're not crate training yet, start. It makes the potty training MUCH easier. Harley was fully trained within 4 months. But I was tough In fact several family members called me "the warden"...haha. But it paid off and now she's such a joy. When I would come home from work, I'd open her crate and pick her up to take her outside. Literally, her feet never hit the ground until we were in the grass. Then I'd say "go potty" and she would...then lots of praise immediately after. Every now and then she would be stubborn and after waiting 10 minutes and not potty, I'd pick her back up and back in the crate she went. I'd wait another 10 minutes and try again. Before long she realized that she didn't get any play time or interaction from mama until she went potty outside.

4. Put her on a strict feeding schedule. This will help you determine when she needs to be taken out.

5. Don't let her have free roam of the house until she respects you and abides by your rules. Limit her space and make sure you keep a close eye on her at all times.

6. Do not allow her to get away with anything that a big dog wouldn't be allowed to do...for instance, jumping on the furniture, jumping in your face, nipping, etc. This isn't to say that you should never allow her on the furniture, but not until she's older. I didn't let Harley jump on the couch unless I invited her too. Now, she's always on it with me, but she knows that a privilege. If she nips your nose or hand, say "OUCH" loudly and get up and go to another room. Cut off all attention for a few minutes.

Sorry this has been so long..haha. I could go on and on about what worked for me, but I know that every dog is different. I'm not an expert but these are some of the things that helped me through the puppy phase. And now, I could not imagine my life without her. And she's spolied, but also knows who's boss. Rarely do I have trouble.

Good luck and hang in there! You can do this!!

Completely agree. Our trainer told us was that after you put the food in her bowl pretend like you are taking food out and pretend to eat it. It definitely commanded respect almost immediately. Another thing I noticed was that they need to be stimulated mentally. We bought interactive games and he would have to figure out how to get his meals. This was completely supervised of course and in the begininng I would help him after a few attempts. I had to laugh when you wrote she won't come to you. He has me very well trained here. He only comes when he knows I have food. Our trainer told us in the very beginning to ration out his food (to prevent from over treating him) and keep some in a bag in your pocket. We were supposed to give him a treat every single time he came to us for about three weeks. We failed to follow through here which could be part of the reason he doesn't always come now. When you call her try to use an extremely peppy and happy tone and give immediate praise and treat. Another tip is that don't ever call her and then do something she doesn't like...such as grooming or giving medicine...a bath...bc she will associate coming to you as a trap. One last thing is that she is definitely picking up on your emotions. You need to try very, very hard to remain calm and cheerful even if you get frustrated or sad. -- These are just my opinions...just things that worked for us. Best advice on this thread is that a tired puppy is a happy puppy--and mommy too! With time and patience you will see that it all falls into place.