The Red Brick Times

Things Niki, my new puppy, must learn:

1. While socks may appear to have been created as the perfect tug-of-war toy you must make every effort to refrain from using them as such, especially when I’m trying to put them on in the morning. Ditto for bath towels, whether in use or not.
2. Contrary to popular opinion the living and dining rooms are not perfect places to take a shit.
3. The idea of “fetch” is that you chase the thrown object, not me.
4. Do I steal food from your bowl? No. Please have the same respect for food on my plate. (And yes, coffee tends to be very very hot.)
5. Sticking one’s snout through the shower curtain when the shower is in use will indeed result in the aforementioned snout being squirted.

Posted 12:14 PM by whatley (5) comments

       Comments:

Russ,
Get her a sock that she CAN play with and tie a knot in it so its recognizable and give it to her when she tries to take yours. We've found that the positive reinforcement method (rewarding behavior you want to encourage when there is a clear link between the two) works alot better than negative techniques we've used inthe past.

When you eat try putting her on a lead and sitting on it with your foot on the lead near her neck. Tell her to"Down" and "Stay" and make sure she does then reward her for it with table scraps or a biscuit.

You have to remember she has six months of bad habits to correct while you instill the good ones you want. Enjoy!

# posted by  A. O. : September 11, 2005 5:14 PM
 
It's not really socks themselves, it's just that she's real playful in the morning. Turning on the light and feet hitting the floor signals the start of the "morning ritual"; two minutes of frantic tail wagging and undivided attention. And she hasn't started begging. She hit my plate once when I was stupid enough to set it on a low table then walked away for a second. One other time I sat my coffee on the same low table. She sniffed at it but I figured coffee (black & very hot) must smell awful to a dog and didn't think she'd go for a taste. She stuck the tiniest tip of her tongue into it and jumped a foot in the air.

# posted by  whatley : September 11, 2005 7:24 PM
 
ain't dogs cool. Have you checked into puppy classes for her. I highly recommend it if can find a good school.

# posted by  A. O. : September 12, 2005 12:44 PM
 
Yeah, I've been thinking about that. She's over her super timidity enough now that some kind of training could start. There's only one training ad in the Elyria yellow pages. I'll probably give 'em a call and check pricing.

# posted by  whatley : September 12, 2005 4:08 PM
 
Petsmart has obedience classes on premisis. I went a few years ago with Speedy. Now I hardly ever piss in the aisle.

# posted by  Ray : September 18, 2005 8:39 AM
 
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