Oh me, oh my....Tucker must be in the terrible puppy stage.
I'm taking the food manners head on. Feeding time is not cute anymore. Now Tucker is getting really good at sitting and the "don't touch" of having to wait till I say "take it" that he and Stewie can eat. No the big problem is getting the food out of the bins in my pantry.
Tucker goes ballistic with the vertical jumping in place. Like he is a puppy pogo stick. Then as I am trying to open the bin top he starts trying to stick his nose in to grab food. Not cute. When he was little he couldn't see that high, but now he is all paws and pushy. Oh, and the barking at the same time with all of this.
At first I would hold him off with my one hand while I scooped out his and Stewie's food but now the claws and noise is unacceptable. Mr. Stewie sits so calmly, watching what is going on. He looks confused and annoyed with Tuckeroo. Me too.
Lesson one: Stay calm (me).
Lesson two: Food is earned by good behavior. This is going to be a huge challenge for Tucker. My goal is for him to sit, just like Stewie, while waiting for a meal.
For a few times I put him in his puppy pen to fend him off but that didn't stop the annoying barking and jumping around. Now I have been holding him by the collar and asking him to "sit, stay". So it is one thing to ask him to sit which he does quite well but to stay in a sit is a lesson in progress. This is my goal though. Now I sometimes confuse the command with a "sit, don't touch". This is a quandary for me, because I don't want him to touch it either till he is released to do so by my "take it" command.
Yes, it feels like Tucker is challenging us to see what he can get away with and if we will allow it. I realize I need to step up with tethering him with me. When I am busy around the house it can be easy to put him in the puppy pen and not have to think about watching him. Problem is that he doesn't have the chance to learn from being tethered to me, of what he can do or not do. He may think he can chew that chair leg (not), or bark (not). With him near me I can set up a positive of what he can do. Provide him that pad to lay on and give him something he can chew. If I am going room to room he comes with me and learns about the house as well as he has to do what I am expecting him to do which is to follow around me, not the other way around. I am the "Alpha"
I know I have written about this previously but if you have any advice you can share of this stage of raising a puppy to be a welcome family member I would really like to hear about it. Wish us luck and smooth training!
