Hello to everyone. I wanted to post a cute picture of our new baby Lucy but when I tried to attach it it was way too big and now I can't delete this post. But I will try again later.

Dear Jenny, You could put it back on and I will crop it for you. She looked like a doll from what I could see if the picture you had on there.
Love, Ann

Thanks, Ann -I was able to shrink it down. I think it will work this time.

Yes, everyone, we have our new girl Lucy. Sometimes she reminds me of Allie in a good way, and other times it makes me very sad, because I just want Allie back. And sometimes Lucy is so different that I realize that I'll never be able to find another dog quite like Allie. I swear to you, one of the many great things about Allie is she did not smell like dog! When I walked in our door last night it smelled like dog and I know it is Lucy. But these are trivial things that don't determine how much we can love. I've only cried once over Allie since Saturday when we got Lucy.

Lucy is a very sweet and loving pup. She is also teething and her teeth are sharp! Any advice for teaching her not to bite? I've tried closing her mouth with my hands and saying "No bite" very firmly. It works for about two seconds and then she forgets again.

I miss Allie so much, but I really am enjoying Lucy. And she and Norah are getting along famously. By the way, I will also post a picture of Norah so you can all see.

Thank you all for your support since Allie died. I truly believe I would not be where I am today in the grieving process if it hadn't been for all of you. I will always miss and love Allie, but I also look forward to bonding more with Lucy and Norah.

Love,
Jenny

Oh Lucy is so beautiful! Her coat looks so healthy and shiny too!
I'm happy to hear that she and Nora are getting along. I understand the crying slowing down now too. Since we got Brandy we have been SO busy all the time! She keeps us hopping for sure!!!!!

Oh how I remember the teething with Brandy! It was just a few short months ago. I tried keeping her happy with the frozen stuff, like dipping a wet washcloth into chicken broth, wringing it up a bit and freezing it for her. When she would bite, we would tell her "No bite" in a REAL stern voice. When she didn't react to that, we had an empty Pepsi can that we filled with some pennies and taped closed. We would shake that and the loud noise got her attention fast!

Good luck with your new baby!
Please keep us posted on Lucy and Nora

Cheri

She's beautiful Jenny! She looks so happy! I'm so glad for you. She does look a lot like Allie. I'm sure Allie is very glad you were able to open your heart and give another pup a good home.

Hi Jenny,

What a cutie! She looks like such a happy girl too.

I actually let Kali bite on me (sometimes it looks like I've been attacked by a cat), but she's not allowed to do that with anyone else in the house. I'm told that this is bad because she won't be able to understand the difference between what is allowed and what's not, but I've experienced otherwise.

I've read that the best way to teach them not to do something is to mimic the way the mother dog would do it. If a mom dog wants a baby to stop something you'll usually see her snap at the baby and let out a rather nasty sounding snarl/bark. Sometimes they may even grab the pup and even knock them around a bit. But they don't hurt the puppy.

Initially, a sharp, stern, and fairly abrupt "NO!" or "STOP IT!" should get their attention. If they don't react to that, take ahold of the scruff of their neck and give it a shake while saying "STOP IT!". Not so much that it hurts them, you're just trying to get their attention. A third way is to say "STOP IT!" and hold their head so they must look at you, then stare them down until they look away with their eyes. Lastly, you may have to demonstrate whos the alpha. If it gets to that, you'll want to lay them on their back and hold the muzzle closed. When they stop struggling, they've submitted to who's in charge. It usually doesn't take more than a minute or two for this, but on larger dogs it can seem MUCH longer.

Remember, you're not trying to inflict ANY pain. When you shake the scruff it should be enough to get the dogs attention but no more. If you have to hold the muzzle, don't squeeze the airways, they gotta breathe.

Another thing that seems to work, although it takes lots longer for the pup to catch on, is to say "ow, ow, ow" and act like you're crying whenever they start biting on you. Most of the puppies we had when I was a kid were trained not to bite this way by my Mom. When they got older, you could wrestle with them and if they started getting bity simply saying "ow, ow, ow" would get them to lighten up or stop completely.

It's gonna take some time for her to get the idea, especially if she's used to puppy to puppy play. Using a combination of these techniques, mostly the fake crying bit, Kali is already learning that she can play rough with Dad but with everyone else there's no biting allowed.

Tim

Dear Jenny, Lucy is so beautiful and looks like a real love bug. I hope you will have many years to share joy, laughter and love with her. I look forward to more pictures of her. Hug that little doll for me.
Love, Ann

Lucy is just adorable!

I think Tim and Cheri have given some great tips. I know I'm kind of dealing with the same thing with Koda. I usually always try to have something acceptable for him to chew on with me, so I can stuff it in his mouth if he starts wanting to knaw on something...rawhide chewy, toys, etc. If he bites me, I usually say "OUCH" and then pull my hands back, cross my arms on my chest, and ignore him for a few seconds. Koda loves attention and loves to play, so ignoring him really catches his attention.

Keep us posted on your progress.
Kathleen

Jenny,

Lucy is beautiful. She looks so happy in her new home! Good luck with the "teething" stage. Everyone gave you good advice and remember, this "puppy" craziness won't last forever.

Lynn

Hi Jenny, I forgot to add that Schnitzel was terrible about wanting to bite on my family when she was a baby. It got to where no one wanted to pick her up and hold her. Even my husband complained that he didn't enjoy having his hands bit up. Sometimes Schnitzel would come up and act like she was going to see me but she would bite my nose with those sharp teeth. It hurt even though I could tell she was only playing. Petting her was torture she just wouldn't quit bitting.

I tried the growling method and I would stand up to stare her down too. She lasted a good 5 minutes each time but I did not look away. It sure felt like it lasted a lot longer than that. It seems that the only thing that really helped was time.

Now that she is 8 months old she rarely does any play biting. I kept telling myself that she would grow up soon enough and things would get better. She has started to calm down a lot lately and loves to be held all the time. Hang in there it will soon be over and Lucy should turn out to be real nice.
Love, Ann

Thank you all for your great comments and advice. I tried Tim's tip about grabbing her by the scruff and shaking her lightly while saying "NO BITE" and WOW let me tell you this really works! I couldn't believe how well she responded to it. So I have been using this for other things too, like when she barks at the neighbors, or just doing anything I don't want her to do, and she immediately stops. It may not be a magic cure for everything for every dog, but Lucy definitely responds to it.

Here's a picture I took last night. What a beauty isn't she?

Love,
Jenny

She is GORGEOUS! Wasn't she a rescue? Who in the world would want to get rid of such a beautiful furdog?! I am so happy she has brought joy back into your life again. It sounds like Nora is happy to have her there too

I am going to try the scruff routine on Brandy! Thanks for letting me know it worked great for you.

Cheri

Jenny,

Lucy is beautiful! Look at that smile.... I think I see a modeling career in her future! She's quite photogenic and seems to love the camera!

Nothing but joy to you, hon and a big kiss on the nose to Lucy!

Hugs,

Pat

I know, isn't she a ham? Maybe I should put her in commercials Just kidding, she'd have to be much more well-behaved for me to do that! Thanks, everyone!

Oh, go ahead and put her in anyway. Let her be a DIVA!!

I'll buy her the sunglasses and boa! lol