She started out to be the best bitch imaginable. She excelled in her obedience class and was everone's darling. In the last couple of months, she has been changing. She will be 2 years old in another 3 months.
All of the sudden, she has become a counter surfer. She empties the paper trash looking for who knows what. If I scold her, she barks at me. Cleaning ears is like wrestling an alligator. She wants to play rough and is growling at the other girls. I broke up one spat a couple of days ago. I have no expalination for this change.
Can an ear infection possibly send her over the top? I am wondering if she needs to be placed in a single dog home.
Just my opinion. They go through these antics at times,I think to test your authority. It is just what they do sometimes and the only thing I would discontinue is the barking at you and at the other dogs and growling. As far as surfing, I don't like it but I don't think it is the end of the world. It is like a marriage try to work it through. Giving up is not the answer I would use. Ellie
I agree with Ellie, she is a teenager now, and do we all know what teenagers do?! They challange, they test.
When my very good boy Alex was about 18 months old, he began challenging me; bolting from me, blowing me off, etc. One day I was taking him from the car in the driveway to the front door, and he just bolted. He gave me a quick "screw you" look over his shoulder, and was gone. Not 30 seconds later, I heard a car screech it's brakes, and I ran. I saw him dancing in the headlights of a car, in the middle of the street, laughing at me. Just like any teenager, he thought he was invincible and was testing the limits.
This was so many years ago, but I think patience and training on my part and maturity on his part won out eventually. It only lasted about four months or so, then he was back to my sweet boy again.
Be patient, be positive, train and review lessons but don't overdo it; she will not have the focus or patience herself to learn too much while her hormones are changing her body and mind. Reward her for doing stuff she enjoys, pick your battles, and hopefully she will outgrow it.
As far as the ears, back off, don't make it a physical battle. Start at step one: just touching her ears and praising her for not fighting. Take baby steps and go slow, with lots of soothing touch; she needs to learn to trust you and respect you again. You can't win this battle by force, and she will resent you for it if you persist. An ear infection is important to resolve eventually, but it's not worth forfeiting a good relationship with your bitch by fighting her.
Good luck!
