So finally, we’re going to get some help for our stubborn little Hershey from a woman who loves to help people with their pets. Yay! We made an appointment with this Fairy Dog Mother (FDM) and she set up some ground rules: don’t hold the dog back when I come in and don’t talk to her. I’m going to completely ignore her when I come in and see what she does.
Good luck with that. And sure enough, when FDM came to the door Hershey went wild, jumping all over her, desperate for some attention—and even more desperate when she wasn’t getting any. But FDM would have none of that. She totally ignored Hershey and eventually, Hershey gave up and stopped whining and barking.
“Let me see how she is with you when she’s on the leash,” FDM instructed. So I took Hershey outside; or, you could say that Hershey took me outside.
“She thinks she’s the lead dog,” FDM told me. “You have be the one going in and out of the door first, showing her you’re in charge.”
Guess what? That’s a really hard thing to do. It’s so much easier to let her out first and follow, but that’s what I end up doing the entire time we’re out—follow her. But when I did go out first, remarkably, Hershey was much more manageable. I couldn’t believe it! Not that she wouldn’t give up without a fight. She wrestled to get the leash in her mouth so she could get back control. I think she knew what was going on.
We decided to take her back inside, so FDM could try to show Hershey who’s boss on the leash. FDM walked her round and round, trying to get her to stop and sit when FDM wanted her to, but Hershey didn’t want to relinquish control. Hershey would just flop to the ground on her back, with her legs in the air.
“She’s so stubborn,” FDM said. “I’ve never seen a Lab this bad.”
Now there’s an honor every dog owner is looking for.
FDM tried a choke collar on Hershey, but it just seemed to agitate her even more. So FDM ran out and bought a harness for the dog and we practiced a bit more trying to be in charge when walking her. The harness collar really helped. It didn’t choke Hershey’s neck, which she hates, and the harness gave me control over a bigger portion of her body.
The kids were given instructions not to talk to her or look at her when they come home from being out. They can rile the dog up without realizing it. If we get all excited when we come home, then Hershey’s going to be all excited whenever anyone comes in.
“This is going to take time and work, but you can be in control and have a wonderful calm dog. She’s very sweet, but right now, she’s ruling this house,” FDM said, promising to come back in a week or two.
So, armed with a few tools now, we’re trying to get our little doggie to behave. It’s hard to believe just one visit could make such a difference, but it did. Now we have to put these lessons in practice every day. That’s going to be the real test. But there’s no room for error for the worst lab FDM has ever seen.
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Have you missed any of the articles in this series?
If so, you can find them at:
The Bringing Up Puppy Series page.
Related posts:
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Holding Tight
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Who is the Boss?
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Fairy Dog Mother – Part 2
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Hello Stranger
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – A Love Hate Thing
