Friday, February 8, 2008

The Miracle of the Spray Bottle

I adore my puppy, I really do. Ali is sweet and cuddly and funny. And she bites. And she jumps on things she's not supposed to jump on. And she eats shoes.

Or at least she did. Last week, I bought two spray bottles (one for Melody and one for me). It has been amazing ever since. Puppy has a combination of healthy fear of the spray bottle coupled with an intense interest in it. If it's sitting idly, she wants it. If it's picked up, about to be sprayed at her, she backs off immediately. It's wonderful.

And she listens! And she's been so much sweeter since.

The first day I was telling Mike I fell bad about spraying my baby and Mike, ever the good boyfriend (with the exception of Valentine's Day plans), said, "You shouldn't feel bad about it. It's helping her learn."

A few days ago, I said something about how much better she was being and he grinned, and then he said, "You don't feel bad anymore, do you?"