When Yelling "Stop Doing That!" Isn't Working: Distract and Redirect
Your dog can exhibit a number of behaviors that you would prefer they didn’t do. They bark at people as they walk down the street, they charge the delivery man as he brings your packages; they chew on shoes, and steal our socks. The list could go on and on. There are thousands of things you don’t want your dog to do. That is why it is so important to teach them what you DO want them to do. You could spend your entire day yelling at your dog to stop doing this, don’t do that, but what fun is that?
My Sirius Life: Sirius Proves (Once Again) He's One Champion Dog
When I am training, sometimes it is necessary for me to take along a dog with me. I have the perfect dog for that. I was working with the most loveable boxer the other day that also happens to be leash aggressive. This is such a shame. Some people, but mostly dogs, don’t get to see how cool this dog is because he scares them away before he can show them. So, we had done several weeks using "Rowdy," my life size stuffed toy lab, and he was showing real progress. It was time to bring in the big guns. This is where Sirius comes in.
As I was given a very unexpected gift of a new puppy for Christmas this year, I found myself at a little bit of a loss. What do I do with this new bundle of joy? I have had dogs my whole life, but they have always been "outside" dogs and no kind of potty training was needed. This has always worked great for me. My new little bundle that I received this year is a Chiweenie; this is a Chihuahua and Dachshund mix with a very small bladder. We named her Kayla.
I’m old enough to be a grandmother, but instead find myself in my later years raising a very active three-year-old named Ruby Joy. She has reddish-brown hair, huge, expressive brown eyes, and a little stump of a tail. Did I mention that she is a cute, annoying, bounce off the walls, hyper, lick-everything-in-sight, boxer? Yes, she has four legs, but she is my baby. My husband and I finally got our last fledgling out of the house and were enjoying a happy empty nest.
