[PixieStix]

Yes, I do think this IS animal abuse. Hitting (from the sounds of it, hard) and kicking are definately physical abuse, and should NEVER be used in training.

Firstoff- You say you won't do any positive reinforcement training with Lexie because your mom will still yell. If you teach Lexie through positive, kind methods, then presumably the undesireable behaviors will stop. Therefore, your mom will not have reason to scream and slap her.

What about printing off sheets from the internet? Buying a good book on good training methods? It may be more convincing if she has facts in front of her instead of being repeated from a possibly unreliable source (I'm not saying you do get info from unreliable sources, but she may believe so).

Is she using the fuzzy thing as a toy? Especially since she's puppy like, do you have plenty of safe dog toys for her to use as an alternative?

My little dog 'digs' on beds and couches. He does this before rubbing his scent onto the surface or to make a blanket a more comfortable shape. This isn't a huge concern, but he does have his own blankets he can lie on top of for the couches. He actually prefers to sleep on a warm blanket and he likes to dig and rumple it more. Maybe give her a blanket to sit on while on the couch?

One more thing- if you are considering doggie daycare for Lexie, how is it too much time? I think it may actually save you time in the long run- she'd presumably get walks and playtime, tiring her out. If she's already tuckered out from playing all day, she may not want to chew and play with things you don't want her to.