[Ashley1123]

I've posted before about my 1 yr 1 month year old Beagle/Boston Terrier mix. This is my first time actually having a dog. We've only had her for about a week and a half.. I don't know how to handle these two issues.

1. She's super clingy! Wherever I go, she follows.. If I do dishes, she cries.. and whines to get my attention.. I can't finish them cause she doesn't stop. If i'm sitting on the couch she has to be right there laying on me. If i'm in the car she has to be sitting on my lap in the passenger seat. If i'm driving she has to crawl ontop of me. If I go to the bathroom, she has to be in there with me.. Heck she even tries to get in the shower! When I take her outside and bring her back in, she whines and wants to go back outside.. so we bought her a tie out, I put her on it.. and when I leave her sight she starts barking and whining.. I don't know what to do.. but I can't get any house work done without her being up my butt!

2. Her previous owners never kept her on a leash, she is so hard to walk! She is 22 LB.. and pulls.. and pulls.. and pulls.. and i've been trying to get her to do what someone suggested with the treats from a previous post on here and she doesn't care.. she just pulls.. and she walks me basically! And i'll even pull her back or try to not give her that much leash room and she'll still pull... it's really frustrating.. and it sucks because I know she's been trained without a leash.. so she always wants to do what she wants to do..

HELPPPPP

 

[Hambonez]

She sounds pretty insecure! You haven't had her long, and it will probably take a while for her to settle in. Hamilton used to be obnoxious when I was trying to cook, but he learned that if he is sitting quietly, food scraps magically fall from the sky. If he's being nudgy nothing falls. Earlier on, we found that it helped to give Hamilton "busy toys" helped him to be less clingy. If he's bored he's more likely to come bug me. The car thing makes me nervous though; it really isn't safe for either of you! Hamilton HATED being in his crate in the car. He would let out these unending bloodcurdling shrieks the entire time. It took a while of driving him places all the time with extra special treats in the car every time. Now, he'll occasionally shriek, but is mostly just quiet, it took time, and I KNEW if I let him run around the car he'd be quiet, but I also knew it wasn't safe for him and that I'd feel way worse if anything happened to him (or me, or anyone else) in the car than I feel having to listen to him whine.

Try to find some basic obedience classes to take her to. They have been so helpful for us, and Hamilton really enjoys it. A private lesson or two for leash walking might also be helpful.

 

[Ashley1123]

The car thing makes me extremely nervous aswell because one time she got on my lap and I was driving, I was trying to push her off and somehow got the car in nuetral when I was on the highway! I'll have to look into obedience classes to see how much they cost.. I just got up from the couch to get something to eat cause she was laying on me and she got right up and followed me.. always by my side. When I leave to go to work and my fiancee is with her.. she just sleeps.. and I come home and she's jumping ontop of me.. and gets so anxious and she won't calm down until I pick her up.. like a baby.

 

[Shell]

I'll put my comments/suggestions in bold

I've posted before about my 1 yr 1 month year old Beagle/Boston Terrier mix. This is my first time actually having a dog. We've only had her for about a week and a half.. I don't know how to handle these two issues.

1. She's super clingy! Wherever I go, she follows.. If I do dishes, she cries.. and whines to get my attention.. I can't finish them cause she doesn't stop.

You've only had her a short time. Some dogs are naturally clingy, but any dog can feel insecure for the first few weeks or even up to a couple months depending on their personality. Before you start doing something, give her a chewy or safe toy and then ignore her whines. As long as you know she is safe, you ignore her. When you are finished with the chore, give her some attention and then move on.

If i'm sitting on the couch she has to be right there laying on me. If i'm in the car she has to be sitting on my lap in the passenger seat. If i'm driving she has to crawl ontop of me.
Crate her or use a car harness in the BACK seat. as you have noticed, it isn't safe and even having a dog buckled in the front passenger seat is not safe due to the airbags. She might howl and whine; my foster dog rose a racket and a half in the car, but the only safe options are to secure her in the back seat or (in an SUV) the cargo area

If I go to the bathroom, she has to be in there with me.. Heck she even tries to get in the shower!
When I take her outside and bring her back in, she whines and wants to go back outside.. so we bought her a tie out, I put her on it.. and when I leave her sight she starts barking and whining.. I don't know what to do.. but I can't get any house work done without her being up my butt!
Get a crate and play crate games to teach her that it is a good place to be. Provide her with a safe chew toy like a kong or a nylabone when you crate her to do chores. You can also leash her to a table in the general area of your housework and keep an eye on her but not pay attention to her barking.


2. Her previous owners never kept her on a leash, she is so hard to walk! She is 22 LB.. and pulls.. and pulls.. and pulls.. and i've been trying to get her to do what someone suggested with the treats from a previous post on here and she doesn't care.. she just pulls.. and she walks me basically! And i'll even pull her back or try to not give her that much leash room and she'll still pull... it's really frustrating.. and it sucks because I know she's been trained without a leash.. so she always wants to do what she wants to do..
Look up "silky leash" and "loose leash walking" - there are several good techniques for pullers. In general though, simply pulling back or holding her close will not work. A dog's instinct is to push back against restraint- you pull on the leash, she pulls back harder.


HELPPPPP

Even a basic training class will likely help you a LOT. Your problems with her are fairly common and not too complicated (in the sense that you aren't dealing with a dog with real emotional or behavioral issues, just an insecure and untrained dog). If you are in the US, PetSmart or similar should have a basic class under about $75 for 6-8 weeks.

Give her plenty of exercise, even if leash walking is a trial to the patience you HAVE to get her out walking and exercising. It will help with all kinds of behavior issues.

In the end though, some dogs just want to be by your side. If that is her nature, you aren't going to be able to change it. You can likely stop the whining and barking, but following you from room to room may just be her thing. ASAIK, Bostons are a breed that can be clingy like that. You'll likely get used to it, especially once she learns to do it more quietly and calmly.

 

[doxiemommy]

Shell gave you great advice! I agree with it all. One other thing that sometimes works to try to break the habit of your dog followinging you everywhere is to make lots of really boring, pointless trips around the house. For example, get up from the couch and go get a book. A minute later, get up and get a drink, a minute later, go get a pillow to cozy up with, a minute later, go put your book back and get another. A minute later get another drink, a minute later go put your pillow back. Make as many small trips up and down from the couch as you can. The goal is for the dog to realize that nothing fun is happening when you get up, and that you always come back. So, staying put doesn't seem so bad when she realizes that.

But, yes, at this point, the dog settling in may solve some of your problems. Good luck!

 

[Ashley1123]

Oh I also forgot to mention.. she play bites.. when we play with her.. but some people can't take it.. and she does it to everyone.. how do I stop this?

 

[Shell]

Oh I also forgot to mention.. she play bites.. when we play with her.. but some people can't take it.. and she does it to everyone.. how do I stop this?

Read the stickies on "the bite stops here" and do some forum searches on "bite inhibition"
It is a normal part of being a puppy/young dog but you want to train her out of that habit.

 

[JulieK1967]

The car thing makes me extremely nervous aswell because one time she got on my lap and I was driving, I was trying to push her off and somehow got the car in nuetral when I was on the highway! I'll have to look into obedience classes to see how much they cost.. I just got up from the couch to get something to eat cause she was laying on me and she got right up and followed me.. always by my side. When I leave to go to work and my fiancee is with her.. she just sleeps.. and I come home and she's jumping ontop of me.. and gets so anxious and she won't calm down until I pick her up.. like a baby.

I'd use a travel harness and keep her in the backseat. A loose dog in the car is so dangerous for you and everyone else on the road not to mention the dog. This is the harness I have for Molly: http://www.berganexperience.com/travelharness/index.htm You'll probably want to get her used to it slowly. Let her smell it & get comfortable wearing it before you try it in the car.

 

[Ashley1123]

thanks everyone for your replies, i will try anything I can