Thank you all for your welcome and advice! I really need the support, because Dora is really difficult right now, and I've only had her for 1.5 weeks! I wish I had known about the possibility that it may have been too early to take her from her mommy. I'm trying really hard to do the right things and read lots about it. Dora has access to fresh water and food until an hour or so before bed each night, and she gets a decent amount of play and interaction. She's in her kennel area for about 7 hrs total per day (i work at home and take her out every hour or so); otherwise, she has the run of our downstairs, which is essentially just one big room. She seems to have plenty of energy and curiosity.
My worry, however, is that she won't stop biting me! I've tried the loud yelps + walking away (so that she learns that biting = no play); I've tried holding her little mouth closed and saying "no bite"; I've tried pinning her on her side so that she knows who's boss. Today is the first day I've really tried holding her mouth closed every time - I've been trying the pin-down submission thing for 2-3 days now. Each time, she just gets right up and comes back for more. I'm not sure if it's a game to her, or if it's serious - she doesn't wag her tail when she does it, and she sometimes growls. She struggles and tries to nip when I hold her mouth or pin her. Are these play behaviors or serious?
All I know is that I'm terrified of hurting her (I can get really impatient and frustrated, which makes my movements quicker and less gentle than I would like) and/or of making her scared of me or disliking me. I'm probably most scared that she will become an aggressive or mean dog. I DON'T want this to happen - please help me figure it out! I really appreciate it! |