Give an Inch they WILL take a Mile!

Crystal and I have had an OFF rule in our house from the instant Pyper came into the house, 7 years ago now.  However, it seems we have given some leniency on this rule somewhere along the way as now it is getting out of hand.  Every time we have company we are forever saying OFF, over and over again it is annoying and rather embarrassing.  So we have decided to put a stop to it!  In fact we have made a list of a few things that we would like to improve.

Jumping up
Mia's ability to walk on a leash
Hallie's Barking
Mia's potty habits

By identifying the areas that need improvement we have taken the first step toward change.  My suggestion to you is to do the same, make a list of the things you would like to improve with you and your dog(s).  This could be things like; crate manners, barking, whining, begging, potty habits, jumping on the furniture, jumping on people, pulling on the leash, bolting out the door, not coming when called, etc, etc.  Sit down with your spouse/family and discuss the areas that you would like to improve, write them down, and post them on the fridge.  This will be your first step to improving your relationship with your dog!

Second step is to determine how you are going to curb or change the behavior.  As a team (you and your spouse/family/friends) determine what changes you are going to make in order to achieve your goal.  This may mean discussing rules that need to be in place or a routine that needs to be followed.  If you are unsure of what needs to be done please let me know as I would be happy to join your team so I can try and help!

Now it is time to put your new plan into action, but don't forget to follow through!!  Life often gets in the way of plans we have set in motion so please try and stick to your plan no matter how complicated life can be.  If you just take the time now, no matter how complicated, you will see results sooooo much faster.  By seeing these results you will be much happier with your dog which will make your home life happier and easier, making life soooo much less complicated!

This is the action plant that Crystal and I came up with:

Jumping up - When we play fetch in the house we ask that the dogs bring the toy to our hand, which often is on the couch, so they jump up to give it to us.  Because of our LAZINESS the dogs have been slowly getting worse and worse.  So we have made the rule, if they jump up on the couch to give us the ball we don't play the game, but in return to them we will make an effort to lean off the couch to allow them to give us the ball.  Also, going forward we are going to have the dogs lie down to be greeted by company.  This way the company can lean down to pet them without being mauled and it will curb the jumping up behavior.  This is going to be very challenging to achieve, not because our dogs can't learn it but because company often do not understand your house rules which in turn they are "giving an inch" which help the dogs "take a mile".  So to help this we will explain the rules to the company before introducing the dogs so they can help with the training.

Mia's ability to walk a leash - this is a challenge I have taken on with Mia.  This is something that I will just take some time and practice.

Hallie's barking - Hallie is our barker of the family, I don't mind if she barks to warn me of something or someone, that is not the issue.  The issue is, if I say leave it, I mean it.  Hallie has gotten WAY better, trust me, but we think she could do even better.  So the rules are the same, if you bark once we say leave it and you bark again you go to your kennel for a time out, simple.  The improvement we need to make is our follow through; we are going to make a real effort to follow this rule, every time.  We are also going to buy a kitchen timer so that we can time her kennel time (5 minutes) so that we remember to be fair.

Mia's potty behavior - since the day Mia came home with us we have struggled with this, she no longer has house accidents but she continues to have accidents on the patio.  Truly they are not accidents anymore, she knows full well that she is not supposed to go potty on the patio but the consequence of her actions have not deterred her.  Mia has real issues with the feeling of the grass on her feet and this has only gotten worse since we have given her summer haircut (we shaved the dogs completely down); so she would rather suffer the consequence of going potty on the patio then walk on the grass....pathetic really.  So we are taking the puppy approach, she will be leashed when she is taken potty and we will walk her back and forth on the grass until she goes, if she does not go she will be taken back to her kennel and the cycle will be repeated.  She will not have patio privileges until she learns.  She is smart but stubburn so it will take a little time but she will learn.

I am very relieved that Crystal and I have come up with our plan, I can see an end in sight!

So what behaviors do you want to change/curb?  How are you going to address them?  Are you up for the challenge?