I'm fairly new here. Never posted before, but I've been doing lots of reading/learning for the last 10 days or so. We just got a rat terrier, she's 7 weeks old, her name is Lily. She's very sweet and we love her a lot. She's so smart, too smart, lol. She is very comfortable here, roaming all around the house now. Feeling free to tear around my kitchen table as fast as her little feet will let her, lol. She loves being around all of us, follows us all over the place. She gets lots of attention, sometimes possibly too much, lol. I have 3 boys and 1 girl, who love her to pieces.
We have been doing okay in the potty department. She's starting to get the idea about going outside. I read about the bell and plan on picking one up tomorrow. I am crate training, the best I know how. I haven't had a puppy since I was a kid, so this is all very new to me. She goes in her crate at night and sometimes during the day if I should leave (I'm a stay at home mom) for a little while. I try and take her most places I can with me, to socialize her. And if during the day she falls asleep in my lap, I put her in her crate without closing the door, just to help her feel like it's a comfortable place, just for her.
As sweet as she is though, she is quite stubborn. I think she is testing me, but I don't know. Biting of the fingers is a huge thing. I tell her "No bite!" firmly. And then I offer her one of many chewies. Her favorite is a very slender rolled rawhide. But often she still pushes the envelope, and keeps nipping at fingers. I know she is teething and I am 99% sure that before we got her, the family who had her the first 6 weeks of her life, let her chew on their fingers. They thought it was cute. *I* do not. I think it is a very bad habit. So here's my first question: If she continues pushing, is it okay to put her in a "time-out" of sorts, in her crate? Or is that a bad idea? I don't know b/c if I do that will it make her unhappy being in her crate b/c it's being used as a punishment?
My other bigger concern is her growing aggression. It's only been within the last 3 days. It happens when I correct her (a firm "No" for chewing on things she shouldn't chew on. She'll growl at me, and let out a little "yip". I swear she is trying to intimidate me, and she's all of 2lbs, lol. I heard it do it to two of the kids today, at two different times. But it was when they picked her up. I am a very strong believer that kids need to learn that animals have boundaries. However, I do not want her to think she is Miss Boss, and growl about everything, especially at the kids. How do I handle this? She also growls when she plays, which I am not sure about either? Is it okay? Or not okay?
Truthfully, I'm not really sure about how to go about correcting unwanted behaviors. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
~Alyssa~ |