ive tried the yelping and he barks at me....lol he was the only pup to survive out of his litter so he didnt have the chance to learn about how to play without being too rough. but im not going to give up. i know it takes some time and effort. im gonna jump off this a minute.


sometimes i catch myself comparing him to my other rt that i had for 15 yrs. she was 3 when i got her. she took to me instantly. about a yr or so ago she developed breast cancer and the vet said he wouldnt chance operating on her because at the time she was 17 and he was afraid with her age she wouldnt pull through it so we left it go as it wasnt bothering her. she was still an active fart. in march of 07 she was diagnosed with conjest heart failure so we had her on pills which worked until the week before palm sunday she started acting funny , couldnt walk without stumbling around, she lost her appetite and was going down hill fast. but i didnt give up on her. after struggling she died palm sunday in my arms. she looked at me as i was holding her and told her i would be fine to go ahead and go to sleep and thats what she did. took her last breath. i wasnt ready to part with her but , then i thought to myself would i ever be ready? no not really but this is all apart of the circle of life. it took 2 weeks of sleeping with her dog sweater to not get over her but to feel some closure because she wasnt going to have to take anymore pills and have to stumble around anymore. she was free. i know shes still here because i can hear her at times.

That is so sad i'm actually crying at work right now.  I don't know how i will handle that when Izzy is old.  I'm happy that you are not giving up on Scooter though.  He will come around with time i'm sure!

Scooter is so adorable!  As far as biting goes, I've also tried to hold her muzzle, but it really hasn't worked that well.  I have a 3 year old who is constantly playing (irritating) with Tinkerbelle and she has had a few bites.  I tell my daughter to put her hands on her hips and say NO BITE.  This actually helps.  It's a learning curve for both of them.  If Tinkerbelle bites her out of aggression, I do yell at her and I remove her ( usually putting her outside)

As far as chewing on things, this breed is notorious for destroying their toys.  They love to chew.  I have a bottle of bitterspray(you can get at petsmart).  When she is chewing something major like the couch, I spray it with the bitter taste and then she stops.  I now think I could just get a spray bottle because the second I spray, she runs away...she doesn't even bother to taste it. 

Hope that helps.  Your story made me cry too.  I had to put my Cocker Spaniel to sleep a couple of years ago and it was the most painful event for me to watch, but I was glad that I was there to comfort him while he went to sleep.  No more pain and now I know he's running around like a puppy with my Dad in heaven.

i think holding their muzzle makes them mad actually. i started using a stern voice with him today and have been using the spray bottle when he is doing something he shouldnt be doing. so far so good.

scooter may be adorable but you can see the devil in him...lol i sit and sing elvis presleys song devil in disguise to him... he just goes crazy...i think when my hubby came across him it was a sign from nikki that she wanted us to get him.  i had a nick name for her too that she loved "stinkin rottin flea bag" man was she spoiled rotten

haha... my boyfriend does that too And it actually does work!

Hello everyone,

I just got an 11 week old female Rattie, she is doing very well for the most part.  I am lucky in that I have 2 other very well trained (Aussies) dogs that the puppy seems to mimic.   I have experienced the biting thing, and her little teeth are so dang sharp!  I yelp, and put her down and walk away.  They seem to be more sensitive then most dogs, so this does work.  

I have been working with her so she knows her name. It advises that you call her name and if she doesn’t respond to leave her sight.  If she comes; positive reinforcement and or treats. Supposedly this teaches her to respond appropriately or she looses me.  I am applying the same thought process to the chewing thing. 

I am open to any suggestions for better methods.

Thanks in advance,

Roxie's Mom

~Kat