Millie listens to wife more than me

[ArJay84]

So we've had Millie for almost two weeks now. My wife Misty has been home with her the whole time (she works with teachers, so she gets summers off). Misty has been working with her, feeding her in the mornings and most evenings, and I usually take over when I get home to give her a break.

Millie will crawl up into her lap to cuddle, listens to her when she goes outside to potty , and walks well on a leash (around the house) with her. When I get home, it seems to either rile her up. She starts to want to play, so biting becomes an issue. She does have her crazy spells during the day, but she seems to be better about playing with her toys than she is at night, when she wants to bite my toes, hands, our furniture, etc. Plus, when I take her outside, it seems to be a lot harder to get her to potty in a timely manner than when Misty does it.

Has anyone else experienced this dynamic where maybe the pup doesn't see one member as "above" them in the pack? I'm not sure if that's the case, or if it's just the time of day. The real test will be August 11th, when Misty goes back to work and I take the day off to spend some time with her.

 

[JakeP]

Yes!

When we first got Jake at the age of 9 weeks, it was like your dynamics. He followed me everywhere like a good puppy, but not with my husband. I started training him as well so that also helped me. When I left the country to send my son to university, my husband had to step up. Well, after 6 weeks of being away, my Jake now knows how to do "down", "crawl", and "go to his mat". Who would think my husband would continue training him lol. After this, Jake now listens to my hubby as much as he listens to me.

 

[2BullyMama]

It is somewhat typical that they will bond more with one over the other. However, she should still be listening to your instructions.... take her for walks, feed her, and use the training technique 'Nothing in Life is Free' (link in training section top of page).... it is a great way to keep the whole house on the same page and for Millie to know the leaders.

 

[Miami927]

Our little girl Miami is 13 weeks old and I'm home all day with her too just like your wife is, Miami is the same way with my husband. I have noticed that between 7-9 every night she goes nuts so we put her in her crate for time out and she just goes to sleep. I think she just gets over tired between those times. I read on another feed to try it and it worked I'm so happy I found EBDN you can always find someone that's going through or has gone through the same thing. One thing I would suggest is to always make sure you are using the same commands as your wife uses all day. Good luck with your new puppy

 

[JakeP]

When your puppy goes "nuts" or hyperactive at night, train her. It's when they are in this mood and energy that training takes their focus to what you are teaching her rather than finding things or someone to bite.

I started training Jake 3x a day when he was 12 weeks. He is now 5 months. These training should only last 2 minutes max as you want to stop while your pup is still interested to learn. Bulldogs are very smart. Be consistent with your training schedule. When you do that, you are establishing a routine. When night comes, her energy will be lower. I did this with Jake one trick at a time.

 

[Manydogs]

Yeah, [MENTION=7260]Chumley[/MENTION] s wife used the "nothing in life is free" training method on Jim, and it worked for her!