Calling All Dog Lovers, Help Me


I love my little pooch, AJ, but boy, he is getting on my nerves. He is lovable, and we are learning to walk on the leash each day. He loves being with me, and this is where the problem lies.

I can’t go anywhere alone. This isn’t too bad. I can always shut the bedroom and bathroom doors behind me. It is more than that.

I have tried carrying the cane close to me to teach him space, but it isn’t working. If I sit, he is under my feet. If I go to the kitchen he is right beside me. I have to watch closely or trip over him.

I can handle the constant looking at me when I eat. It is the not leaving me walk in my own space. Afraid to take steps, constantly taking baby steps. It makes me just want to scream.

There has to be a way to stop this. I have a fly swatter and one day when I first got him I slapped the fly swatter on the top of his cage and he hushed. If he started to do it again, all I had to do was show him the fly swatter and he became quiet.

I just hate to carry around this fly killer. It makes me feel like I am threatening him plus it makes me feel like some huge bee with a huge stinger. I don’t want AJ to be afraid of me, but I have got to be the boss in my own home.

Give me some help before he trips me again. The last time he made me fall I was lucky enough to fall into the pile of dirty sheets I had just tossed on the floor from making my bed.

AJ at the beauty shop 2AJhappy-dog-tail-wag

41 thoughts on “Calling All Dog Lovers, Help Me

  1. We’ll for 1thing, we don’t know what kind of life this poor baby had in the first place, I can only imagine…and if he is making you fall, you need to find another home for him…he was probably tormented and wants to be close to someone again… if I

    had room for him, I sure would take him!!!

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    • He seems very social. He is not afraid at all. He just loves to be with me. He was only lost for one day. He has had his check ups and has been neutered by me. The vet says he is a great dog and smart. He is six months old and it is time to train him . I just wanted some tips, that’s all. I am in no way giving him up. He isn’t afraid at all

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  2. Poor you and poor pooch! He is a rescue and is dying for love. Our two year old girl, who is just over 50 pounds, has to touch us all the time. And the baby, who is 10 months old and 60 pounds, likes to lay on us when we get in bed. While we don’t allow them to do whatever they want but we certainly give them a whole lot of space to love us their way. And they do get underfoot and trip us often 🙂

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    • He isn’t a rescue. He was lost one day and I got him. He was never in a shelter or foster home. He is too well taken care of and loveable and excellent health

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      • Sorry–I must have misread that you got him from the shelter, or assumed as much. Many lost but well cared for pets end up there too, which is why I made that leap 🙂

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  3. You are just making him afraid of you and his new surroundings, he needs to find out in his own time that he is accepted. If you feel you can’t give him the affection and time that he needs to adjust then I suggest you give him up to someone who is willing to give the time and has the patience to do so. I’m not saying this to be mean, I’m saying this as I have raised rescue dogs all my life. He needs lots of attention, not wraps on his cage. that will just make him more anxious. He is like a small child who wants to make sure he is accepted and loved. If he irritates you that much, give him back or find a good home for him somewhere else. Simple. You got him, he is a responsibility, like a child. He needs lots of love and patience.

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    • He isn’t afraid here at all. He races through here and has lots of toys. We go for walks all the time. I just wanted some tips on how to teach him not to walk under my feet. You make me feel very bad like I don’t take time with him or toss him aside. He is loved very much and very well taken care of, but he is six months old and needs some training on social behavior when around others and near my feet

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      • You keep rapping his cage and he soon will be afraid. If he needs training and you don’t know how to do it I suggest you go to your library and take out some good books on how to train a puppy. It still takes lots of time and patience.

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      • I rapped it one night. He has never barked at nights since. I asked for tips from dog lovers first. They I trust and have good thoughts. I am a dog lover not a dog hater

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  4. Perhaps you can go to the library and take out a few good books on puppy training. It takes consistency and confidence to train a dog. I would begin with a good book as I did a long time ago when I did train my puppy. We are talking about almost 55 years ago, so I don’t remember it all but I did spend hours each day working with her. And I did get away from her each day as I was in school during the day. Good luck. AJ is a good companion, but a big responsibility for you to take on at this time.

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      • Terry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was criticizing you. You are doing a good job so far. You asked for suggestions and I suggested getting library books because they are free and there are many to choose from. A book can be a reference to look at and will not tell you you are doing anything wrong. I think you have plenty of love to share with AJ and he is ready to share love with you. You will brcome a close knit pair. You are not doing anything wrong right now. It will just br a short time before AJ understands exactly what you want from him.

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      • You are very kind and I didn’t think any less of your comment. I didn’t get the books but I did go to U Tube for videos on training. I know it will take work and time. It was I just couldn’t think of an idea for the walking under my feet. Hugs my friend

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  5. We have four cats. I was not a cat lady at all, but my husband had always been and he attracted strays. The first one was a black cat that lived in a trailer park that we lived at for about six months. We fed her on a Thanksgiving Day and from there she found a place in my husbands heart. I was more concerned about fleas and did not want her on our bed. I was not too fond of her but I cared enough to agree to take her with us when we moved. From there we adopted two females, kittens from the same litter. In that time I grew to love them and then we had another opportunity to take in a tiny kitten my husband came across two years ago. In all of this time since 2003, I learned a lot about myself. Now I thank God that I had the experiences I did with these cats. I learned that I was impatient, not loving and sometimes not very kind. My heart has changed over the years. I was able to take a look inside and I didn’t like what I saw.. Anyway I share my experience and I still lose patience with one that is a bully and I cannot stand that and I get exasperated but we have given them a place of shelter and they get plenty of love doled out to them. You may decide that at this time you are not at a place to tackle all that AJ needs. It’s ok and only you can make that decision., but please put the flyswatter aside.. lol!

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    • I have never hit him with anything, so don’t think that, but he has to learn some manners. He pulls on the leash, he licks me everywhere, he jumps all over me and anyone that comes near. I need to teach him just like we teach our kids.

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      • He has some terrier in him so he is a little hyper, lots of energy. But I realize he is a pup so bit it that he loves to play, but he can not keep causing me to fall, and that is why I reached out to all of you, for helpful tips and hints

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    • I asked for tips on how to train him to not walk under my feet. I didn’t say I hit or beat him or didn’t have time for him. He follows me everywhere because he loves me

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      • I’m sure he does Terry! Take care… I think maybe the Dog Whisperer would have suggestions. I have not read his books, but have heard they are good.

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  6. I have no idea about dogs, but I guess it is like wiht children, educate them slowly and show htem boundaries. You both will get it right together, I am sure!

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  7. I think in the world of the interwebs some miscommunication has seriously happened with your post. Either that or people clearly do not know you Terry.

    I know people are different to dogs this is true but by goodness to all of those awful people above can you not see that TERRY IS JUST ASKING FOR HELP!? This courageous woman just spent the best part of 7 (i think it’s 7) years caring for her very ill brother, why in goodness name would she hit a dog?! There is nothing in this post to suggest that. And I’ll have you know my in laws whom I trust with my own daughter have the most well behaved dog in the world and they tease him with the fly swat all the time.

    Terry, you listen to me, right now. You are not a bad person. Dont make any of these comments make you feel so. At all. I’ve never had a dog in my life lovely but I’ve had kittens and they love under your feet. Hes either doing it because he is young and needs lot of puppy attention to reassert his need for love or hes doing it because he needs to be trained. Maybe try learning a dog trick online like stay? At least if you can’t get him from under your feel alllllll the time using the stay trick might make him stay if you think he’s gonna make you trip.

    I’m sorry that you tried to turn to your online friends who’ve brought you so much comfort in the past only to be knocked down by so many of them 😦 xxxx xxx sorry I couldn’t be more help with AJ. But I know you have the time and patience to train him and you’ll get there

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    • I am going to use a cane to carry with me. Not to keep from falling but hopefully to show him how close not to get. I respect you so much that I am tearing up a little because it feels so good to know that you knew me well enough to realize I would never hurt anyone or anything. Big hugs

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      • I’m just so sorry that you tried to reach out to the people you thought were friends and all you got back was nothing short of horrific. I would have been in pools of tears just the same Terry. The cane is a very good idea. My in laws have a lurcher but they used to have a little dog so I can ask them on how they got the dog as a puppy to stay out of their space. I am sure with time and practice you’ll get there. He just wants to be under you like all pups and young kids. Xx

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      • Yes, this is true, He is such a loving dog with lots of energy. Please do ask your in laws. I am interested in their approach

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  8. Terry,
    I have known you for 38 years. You have never mistreated an animal in your life and never would. It almost seems like some of the negative comments may be from not reading your entire post? I know AJ is loved and treated well.

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    • I think you are exactly right Lez. They scanned the post. I so wanted to talk to you about the issue on training but after what you have been through, I hesitated and decided not to bring it up. Thanks for always knowing me so well!! love you

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  9. Ah. Now I see what you were talking about. I’ve never done much with dog-training, so I’m not going to offer you anything cuz I don’t know what I’m talking about 🙂 With people, however, I have a little more experience. As I said earlier this morning, the criticisms aren’t worth a single one of your tears. Assumptions were made by some, and that’s sad. You explained yourself very well and you have nothing to be ashamed of.

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  10. When we got our dog many years ago, she was terrified of everything and everyone because she had been badly maltreated. It got to the stage where we had cared for her and she would follow us. We sometimes dropped treats for her on the floor so she would be preoccupied when we went elsewhere. Maybe try that, see if that would work with AJ.

    The only problems we had with her after that was when she needed a bath. Because she was shut in a bathroom by her first owner, she would wet herself and panic. It was something that we could never help her to get over. We ended up showering her in the summer in the back garden instead when she was happy with it. So, just stick with it, and she will get to know that you aren’t going to leave her. In time she will calm down. I would suggest trying the treats though.

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    • I will Al. I used treats for getting him to sit and go into his cage and that worked. AJ’s problem is that he thinks everyone loves him and wants to be with him all the time. LOL. I haven’t found anything he is afraid of yet. He wants to chase the squirrels and the birds. LOL, He is always on a leash outside to keep him and wildlife safe. Thanks for the great tip my friend. This is what i was looking for! HUgs

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  11. With time AJ & you will find your routines & this includes behaviors.

    Try checking out some links on training dogs or YouTube vids.
    http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/teaching-your-dog-not-jump-people

    If you can attend puppy/dog training with Petco or PetSmart or some place like that – that would be helpful too.

    YouTube has tons of videos on training techniques. Check it out & see what might work for you…
    Good luck!
    {Hugs}

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