I have a problem that is is really real to me. I can tell other people, and they think it's silly, but I'm hoping that, as dog owners, you folks understand me.
My dog loves my boyfriend more than she loves me. There. I said it.
It's not pretty, and it's even kind of petty, but that's what it is.
People ask me, "How can you be sure?" Well, first of all, I'm the one who wanted to buy Scooter. I paid for her (not that dogs know that). And when I got her, I really wanted her to be like a baby to me. I grew up wanting a dog but my parents never wanted to let me have one, so I decided that when I grew up, I'd get my very own. Now I really do treat Scooter like my baby.
When we first got Scooter at 8 weeks old, she didn't seem to have a favorite person. She came and went, and played with both of us. Now that she's 4 months old though, I've noticed that she prefers to sleep on top of or near my boyfriend. Even though I'm the one who lets her out of the bathroom in the morning, she runs straight to my boyfriend. When we both call her, she comes to my boyfriend instead of me. She doesn't misbehave nearly as much with my boyfriend as she does with me, and as a result, I'm more stern with Scooter than my boyfriend is.
It's become desperate now. I try to bribe her with treats and give her table scraps at the dinner table when my boyfriend isn't looking. And to my disappointment, Scooter takes the treats from me and then goes back to my boyfriend! Even though I give her table scraps, she still sits right next to my boyfriend's chair and waits to get scraps from him even though he never gives her scraps.
I feel bad for trying to bribe her for her love, but I feel even worse when I see that it's not working! She's just using me!
Both my boyfriend and I play with her all the time, but I feel like she only plays with me when my boyfriend isn't around. We both discipline her in fairly the same manner (except that she misbehaves more around me). I have tried to exercise "alpha dog" persona in hopes of having her more responsive to me. I also make sure that I'm the one who feeds and bathes her.
Please help! What is it that I have to do to get her to love me more?! Do I have to speak softer? I can't possibly give her MORE treats than I already do! Do I have to spend "alone time" with her? Take her for walks by myself? Show her "less" attention, in hopes that she'll notice and be more attentive to me?
I feel like I am now begging for scraps of her love, instead of the other way around! It's really heartbreaking because I feel like I take care of Scooter's basic needs more than my boyfriend does. I'm really concerned about this because ultimately, if my boyfriend and I ever break up, he told me that I have to take Scooter because he doesn't want to be stuck with a dog. I fully accepted this responsibility, but now I fear that I'll be stuck with a dog that doesn't love me and pines for my "ex-"boyfriend!
Please, someone give me advice!

My dog loves my boyfriend more than she loves me. There. I said it.
It's not pretty, and it's even kind of petty, but that's what it is.
People ask me, "How can you be sure?" Well, first of all, I'm the one who wanted to buy Scooter. I paid for her (not that dogs know that). And when I got her, I really wanted her to be like a baby to me. I grew up wanting a dog but my parents never wanted to let me have one, so I decided that when I grew up, I'd get my very own. Now I really do treat Scooter like my baby.
When we first got Scooter at 8 weeks old, she didn't seem to have a favorite person. She came and went, and played with both of us. Now that she's 4 months old though, I've noticed that she prefers to sleep on top of or near my boyfriend. Even though I'm the one who lets her out of the bathroom in the morning, she runs straight to my boyfriend. When we both call her, she comes to my boyfriend instead of me. She doesn't misbehave nearly as much with my boyfriend as she does with me, and as a result, I'm more stern with Scooter than my boyfriend is.
It's become desperate now. I try to bribe her with treats and give her table scraps at the dinner table when my boyfriend isn't looking. And to my disappointment, Scooter takes the treats from me and then goes back to my boyfriend! Even though I give her table scraps, she still sits right next to my boyfriend's chair and waits to get scraps from him even though he never gives her scraps.
I feel bad for trying to bribe her for her love, but I feel even worse when I see that it's not working! She's just using me!
Both my boyfriend and I play with her all the time, but I feel like she only plays with me when my boyfriend isn't around. We both discipline her in fairly the same manner (except that she misbehaves more around me). I have tried to exercise "alpha dog" persona in hopes of having her more responsive to me. I also make sure that I'm the one who feeds and bathes her.
Please help! What is it that I have to do to get her to love me more?! Do I have to speak softer? I can't possibly give her MORE treats than I already do! Do I have to spend "alone time" with her? Take her for walks by myself? Show her "less" attention, in hopes that she'll notice and be more attentive to me?
I feel like I am now begging for scraps of her love, instead of the other way around! It's really heartbreaking because I feel like I take care of Scooter's basic needs more than my boyfriend does. I'm really concerned about this because ultimately, if my boyfriend and I ever break up, he told me that I have to take Scooter because he doesn't want to be stuck with a dog. I fully accepted this responsibility, but now I fear that I'll be stuck with a dog that doesn't love me and pines for my "ex-"boyfriend!
Please, someone give me advice!