How do I discipline a Frenchie, if she already feels guilty?
My Frenchie is 3-- I've had her a month, I adore her. Not sure what her last situation was but she has some bad habits.
I am new to dog ownership and am unclear about training cause-effect/psychology. And cannot find examples of specific situations I've been experiencing.
A recent example of behavior is; I left for a few hours and put her in my room (with open crate, food and water bowls and chew toy where she spends a majority of time). When I got home, I found one of my sleeping ear-plugs in the middle of the floor. I picked it up and before I put two-and-two together, I noticed she was in the guilt position (ears back, head-down, big watery eyes, and shaky legs, submissive urination, et al). I realized what had happened. So I calmly asked her if she had eaten the other one. Her groveling led me to believe she had.
This is where I get stuck-- I never raise my voice, nor am I violent, and I never even acknowledge the submissive urination because she isn't in control of that really. I have only given her a sense of disappointment really, even thought-- in this case it is my fault for not keeping the earplugs in a safer place. But at the heart of it, I want her to know she shouldn't make a habit of eating strange things because one time it could be something that will hurt her.
She knows she did wrong-- but I feel like petting and consoling her gives the wrong message--? But "punishing" her with a time out also feels harsh. But not acknowledging it feels irresponsible.