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Old March 4th, 2011, 09:45 PM
rdial rdial is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2
Post Overly Needy Behavior

Hello, I'm writing because I need some advice. I'll start with a bit of a back story. I recently adopted a dog named Roxy. She is a black lab mixed with ?. I've known Roxy for 4 years prior to adopting her. I know that in the beginning of her life she was a stray and then I came to know her when a friend's uncle adopted her. The second part of her life she was left outside 24/7 365 with minimal attention and affection. This went on for about 4-5 years. I've wanted to adopt her for years prior but decided to do the responsible thing and wait until I had a stable home with a yard for her (I couldn't immediately because I was a junior in high school). Now is that time. I've had her for about 5 days now. I knew that adopting a dog that was so unaccustomed to home life would be difficult and I was right. I want to do everything I can do to help her adjust because I know there is no other option for her. I had to fight to get her out of that yard and into my home and if I give up on her she will go right back to it. I don't plan to ever do that.

My concerns are pretty usual I assume. She is very calm and loving but can be considered overly needy. If my fiance or I gets up to go anywhere she follows us from room to room. She needs constant connection with us. Meaning that when we are sitting at the computer or couch she will hit us with her nose until someone shows her attention. The second day we got her the need to be close to me was so strong she crawled under my computer desk and ended up sending my monitor crashing to the floor (I needed an excuse for a new one anyway lol). The only thing is if you show her attention the sweet 50lbs dog will do everything she can do to sit in your lap. She will fight and claw her way up into your lap. If you try and tell her no and slightly nudge her away she just pushes back even stronger. It's like if you give her an inch she will take a mile. I want to show her love and affection but find myself disconnecting myself from the situation because I don't want to deal with the consequences of that affection. If we show our other dog Louie (2 year old Boxer/Lab mix) attention she will position herself between us and him and has even resorted to snapping at him. He can even be two feet away from her showing her no attention and she barks aggressively at him. I can see the situation taking a toll on Louie as well. On the other side of that though Louie is a great well behaved dog and she has been learning a thing or two from him as far as inside behavior. Each day it gets a little better. I guess my only question is if anyone has tips for training a dog that has had little to no human contact the majority of her life. I am committed to helping her live a great life inside a loving home but the stress of living with a overly needy dog is starting to take a toll of our home life. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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