[mafiaprincess]

I am going insane.. I'm about ready to throttle Cider.. *I really won't just an expression but it's about how I feel*.

Background info for those not in the know.. she is a 10 month old cocker spaniel. Purchased from a petstore, most likely from the dunville mill..
I told my roomie about the evils of mills but she bought her anyhow..

I didn't purchase her. My roomate did, and then decided she was going to dump her at the spca when she became inconvenient. Horrified, after being up late nights for potty breaks, through months of training classes, and more I took her home myself. I was attached. I am attatched although she is not a breed I would chose for myself.

I have done more research than I know what to do with, and tried to educate myself early on about absolutly everything possible, since my roomate did not. I've tried to a good puppy mommie, but I'm at my wits end..

Cider is a velcro dog. She can not be anywhere I am not. Not to go outside in the fully fenced yard and potty without me standing directly over her, not to eat dinner in the kitchen without making sure I am firmly sittiing somewhere with no intention on moving. If she can be certain I'm not moving, she'll go cause puppy trouble.. but all puppies do..
If I look like I am getting up, she is directly under foot..
She finally likes her crate and will go in by choice. She can go in and cause no trouble.. but the more velcro she gets the worse that is getting. It does not seem to be separation anxiety.. at least not from what I read/ understand. She will whine and bark, but when the front door closes my parents tell me she settles down immediatley, She voices her displeasure at being away from me, or other people if she has to be with them.

Depending upon the day she can be crated no fuss, or she is causing destructive trouble lately, that I will crate her to go to the bathroom myself. The minute it takes me to go and come back she's complaining and scratching and making a ruckus.

I spent months ignoring the behaviour because I was told that she would see no attention given and stop. Wel lshe is so bad about these short bursts of time that I can't help but reprimand her... people are often sleeping..

She now is talking back like mad.. barking at people (until now she only has barked because she wants her pack back) and tonight she snapped at my face while I was sitting on the couch. She was begging for a family members food and I told her enough.. Next thing I knew if I hadn't moved backwards she would have bitten my nose. I probably shouldn't have alpha rolled her... but the behaviour horrified me..

I was leashing her to me every moment of the day trying to reinforce behaviour. My family members often don't correct bad behaviour, and she was back sliding. It was getting better.. and now it just seems to be mediocre. Good behaviour here and there, and bad behaviour the rest of the time.

I know she is a puppy. I don't expect her to be perfect. But I am starting to wonder if she has overly crappy genetics and I have one of those 'infamous cockers' that everyone thinks are the norm.

She bared teeth at me and snapped when I tried to brush her last week... she's always been okay. I assumed I was hurting her tryign to detanggle matting.. but she just seems ot get a little worse each day.

I am almost wondering that even though I was attatched if taking her home was a mistake since I am at wits end now.

It was one thing to leave her for 2 minutes to go to the bathroom and find her destroyign something of mine when I got back. That would be my fault for leaving her alone. It's another for her behaviour to seemingly be changing.

I'm not sre if this is just a pointless rant..

I would be open to advice.. since I now really don't think I have a clue what I'm doing. It's to the point where her behaviour makes me mad far too often, and it isn't things like not supervising what she is potentially getting into..

It doesn't help that no one in this house wants to enforce any form of rules... just yell at her when she's finally done something bad. Or reprimand her for something bad in a 'oh what a good puppy voice'. I started advanced training with her, but it was the class from hell. So I went back to working with her on my own. She is still learning, but it isn't helping with her behaviour as of late.. I was hoping confidence might create less velcroness..
So now, my mother likes to refer to the dog as an endless money pit, so I doubt there will be formal classes again in the near future.. but I'm not so sure that would have exactly helped with the current issues I've been having either...

I'm doubtful the hot as heck weather helps.. but I try hard to keep her well excersised so she is tired, and played with so she isn't bored. I try hard.. I just feel like a really big failure right now and am nearly in tears..

Help me?

Please..