Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it ^.^
I tried the growling technique a little. I'm not sure I did it right so it did not really work. I was hesitant to use it. Not sure if it is fully true but I heard barking at dogs will give them an aggressive temperment and I do not want a mean dog. When my sister comes down I sometimes catch her playfully barking back at the dogs and I fuss at her for it.
I do plan on taking both puppies to obedience school, but Mom keeps putting it off every time I bring it up. It's not exactly cheap. I am training Xena myself at home. She knows how to do the basics, sit, shake, high five, lay down, and go to her bed or her own couch (I got her one of those kids foam couches for the living room so she has a soft place to sit and doesn't go on the real couch as much). Now I am teaching her to 'leave it' with treats in hopes that i can use the command when I see her going to chew the pee pad or something she's not supposed to have. All areas of the house are well puppy proofed. And she stays in my sight whenever I take her out her puppy room. I can only do so much.
She doesn't nip toes or ankles anymore and going for the fingers has been reduced. Its only really bad when she gets too excited and over hipper. I found picking her up and standing when that happens really calms her down.
As for the chewing, I came home one day and she chewed up the molding on the kitchen door. Mom was sooo mad. We tried spraying that apple stuff on the walls but both dogs started licking the walls after that >.< So that did not work. I tried raw hides but it only lasted about an hour or two before the bone was gone then later she would try again. So I blocked the door frame she chewed and bought one of those little cat scratching posts that are in a shape of a hill. She loves it! She sits in the little u part and climbs over the hill part. It is small enough to where I don't have to worry about her getting hurt. I am going to have to buy a new one every two or three weeks because she chews the corners down to the base, unraveling the threads and started to pull the carpeting up on the hill. Its worth the 12$ every couple of weeks. Since she got it she has barely touched her pee pad when it comes to chewing and she leaves the cabinets and molding completely alone, they are chew free.
I still have some trouble with Xena comprehending the word 'no'. However, I found that saying 'uh uh' is working better than no when I don't want her to do something. She looks up at me or takes a step back and looks up. She still grabs my pants and sits when I try leaving the kitchen. I am hoping once I can teach her the command 'drop it', it may help a lot with that. It might not, she's a stubborn puppy sometimes. But I love her and over all she's learning. |