Photos as promised: The offensive, baseboard chewing pup

Thanks to White Dove for helping me with the photo upload process.  I still think there should be a way to just copy and paste directly into a forum post.  Sigh.

As promised, photos of the dog.  She is soft and fluffy and oh so cute.  But still a dog.  A dog who likes to chew stuff.  And who now likes to chew my baseboards.

So cute. 

Is she a Coton de Tulear? If so, I have two - and even at ten years old, they need lots of walks to keep them out of mischief. They are amazing companions!  :)

Yes, she is a Coton.  I am glad to hear you have such fun with yours even years later.  We really love her.  She is smart and *****y.  Good natured.  Very strong and active.  I think with the snow, we have not exercised her enough these past two weeks.  We just got this puppet toy--a shark puppet with thickness around his mouth--meant as a dog toy.  The kids have loved playing with her with this puppet, for a lot of indoor activity.  She is our family's first dog ever--and my first dog ever--I never had one as a kid.  So it is quite a learning experience.

Yes, having a dog comes with a learning curve and is a big commitment, but so rewarding! I've had dogs on and off through my life, and have always found that early obedience training helps both me and the dog(s) learn good communication/behaviours and skills. This is particularly true for really smart dogs like Cotons, who are inclined to challenge at every step - always in a completely adorable way, of course!

My two (Fred and Ginger) have very different personalities. Fred is sweet, gentle, and is happy to go with the flow. Ginger is bright, inquisitive, and extremely independent - it took quite a while before we established that I was the family alpha, and much of the time I suspect she is just humouring me! They are both very cuddly, especially Fred, who will curl up on my lap and sleep for hours. If they feel ignored (if I'm on the computer or phone), or haven't had enough exercise, they find their own entertainment - luckily not chewing baseboards - so I do have to keep an eye on them. The only time chewing is an issue is when there is a thunderstorm. Ginger goes into full panic mode and destroys anything she can sink her teeth into. I finally tried putting her in her crate with a soft cushion and some toys - she feels safe in there, and can calm down.

Your pup is so lucky she has children to play with - lots of attention and plenty of playtime. I wish you many happy years with her!

You can find helpful tips for behavior issues at www.Coton-de-tulear-care.com

Good idea!  I will try that.