By gawd, just because I’m tired, sick, and in pain is NOT a reason to give up and throw in the towel. I’m going to give Ruby the Corgi Pup one more try before I fling her back at the breeder or advertise her on Craig’s List. Here’s the deal: I am bigger and probably smarter (maybe) than this dog. I. am. GOING. to. win.
There are a lot of things in the puppy department that I’ve neglected, not least of which is training the damn dog.
• Item: Pup is going to learn “down and stay” and “leave it!” within the week.
• Item: As soon as I can figure out where they meet, I’m taking this pup to the corgi obedience training classes.
• Item: If she lasts long enough, she’s going to herding classes. That’ll run the ginger off her. 😀
After seven months of royal expenditures, I already own all the gear needed to keep Pup under control: a perfectly fine crate that she doesn’t hate; an expensive hinged kiddy-gate that is ridiculously handy and dandy to use; a pool-proof doggy yard; collars, leashes, harness…. Damn it. I yam NOT throwing all this stuff away. Nor am I throwing away a $1,200 puppy.
Decided to make the crate a little more chew-resistant. The bath rug and scrap swim towels I put in there are beginning to look like someone tossed them in a shredder.
So I thought to buy one of those big rectangular Costco doggy beds. But of course, Costco’s radar sensed that I wanted one…and so they took the damn things off the shelf.
Fortunately, I happen to have kept the outer fabric shells of the two doggy beds I’d used for Anna the GerShep and Walt the Greyhound. The stuffing was shot and got thrown out, but the covers were run through the washer and saved.
While contemplating what on earth I could stuff them with, it dawned on me that several old bed pillows would do the job. In fact, three decrepit old pillows supplemented by one decrepit old throw pillow (isn’t it great when you never throw anything out?) would plump one of those covers right up.
And while a fat doggy bed is of course chewable, it’s a lot less frayable and tempting than an old beach towel.
So. First off, the initial strategy will be to exile Pup from the bed. Two dogs on the bed is approximately two dogs too many, especially when you hurt. Cassie, being a polite little dog, always gives me plenty of room: she occupies a bottom corner of the bed and rarely encroaches on what she has declared to be my space, unless it’s very cold and she wants to get warm. Just now, that issue isn’t operative.
Pup, however, believes that her rightful spot is dead in the middle of wherever the human thinks it wants to be. She actually will try to push me off whatever spot I’m trying to get comfortable in. The heck with that noise: Puppy to puppy den.
Next, that damn X-pen is going out of the family room. Lordie, but I’m sick of climbing around that thing! Pup goes out the back door to eat her food. If it’s raining and the patio is under two inches of water, fine: she goes in a back room to eat.
As for the jump-Cassie-bite-Cassie behavior: why should I buy an electronic collar when I have a perfectly fine squirt bottle? Matter of fact, I could buy a whole arsenal of toy squirt guns (very handy!) for what one of those collar lash-ups would cost.
By golly, that dog hates to be squirted. She jumps on Cassie: SPLAT! That should bring a quick stop to that shenanigan.
Otherwise, to the extent necessary she can be kept on a leash and simply jerked off Cassie whenever she gets any ideas.
If these schemes don’t help within a month or so, then she can go back to the breeder.
This bleeding heart is happy that Ruby gets another chance. I wish I could whisper in her ear that she had better straighten up or she will be losing a really good thing.
🙂 You show her who’s boss!! (In a good way, of course!)
The more you write about her behavior, it’s clear she needs training. Pushing you around on the bed?! No way!
My dog is allowed to be on the bed and the furniture, but she moves when commanded to do so. “Off” is a very useful command that we use to order her off a piece of furniture or if she happens to jump up on a person (which happens rarely these days). My dog also responds to “move,” but she usually will just get off whatever piece of furniture she is on when I command her to move. I guess if she can’t have the exact spot she wants, she feels the need to go elsewhere. 😉
“Drop it” is not one she ever mastered, but I haven’t found that I need to use it much with her. “That’s enough” is something I use more. If she’s barking too much at someone walking their dog past the house or just generally getting too excited I tell her “that’s enough!” Most of the time she’ll stop.
Finally, “look at me” is one that the trainer and behaviorist suggested I try to teach her for when she is way too over-stimulated by another dog. I didn’t put enough effort into teaching that one, but she does sometimes respond to it.
Dog training is such fun!
“Drop it” is something I’ve never even tried (not wishing to have any fingers removed). But “leave it!” is very easy to teach.
“Look at me” is easier with some dogs than others. Ruby, heaven be thanked, already searches the human’s face anxiously. She looks you right in the eye, and when walking, she will look up at you every few minutes…a very convenient trait. Charley wouldn’t look at you if you offered him an entire filet mignon for the favor.
“Off” is great… Hereabouts it’s being used to say “Please, your ladyship, cease and desist from jumping up on the humans, making them nuts, and covering their clothing with your dog hair.”
How funny Linda suggests it, I’ve never needed it before (or in fact heard that command used) but Seamus is so freaking intense when he wants to meet someone that I decided to start working on “look at me” with him.
It’s very counterintuitive for him because if he thinks he’s being scolded, he doesn’t want to look anywhere NEAR your face. Much like Charley, I expect. Here’s hoping it sinks in 🙂
Good luck with Ruby.
Our Norwegian Elkhound and our cat used to sleep on the bed with us, mostly before children. The dog slept at the foot of the bed on my side and the cat generally slept about knee high between us. My husband is not a cuddler – “too hot, too hot!!” and that is why we have a king size bed LOL.
Anyway, again, wishing you the best with Ruby.
Chortle! Cassie is the only dog (before Ruby) that I’ve EVER allowed to get on the bed…on the other hand, she’s also the only dog I’ve had since I was about 18 that wasn’t as big as I am.
Cats, though…the damn things were always in the bed. Cats are a great deal more hilarious on the bed, and IMHO bossier. Much bossier.
If that doesn’t work, Tim might be able to train her. But he’s pretty heavy handed. Still, if worse comes to worst, he might be willing to brave the dander.
Oops! I entered a reply to the wrong comment. :-/
Thanks for the offer! Things went much better today than expected. As we scribble, I’m blogging about it over at MyCorgi.com. In a few hours that post should appear in the “Corgi Blog” feed in FaM’s left-hand sidebar.
PS. Tim just informed me that corgis are a very possessive breed and he considers them to be one-pet household kind of dogs. Sounds like that may be the issue with her and Cassie, especially if Cassie doesn’t put her in her place.
They can be very dominant and bossy! That, we’re told, evidently has to do with their powerful herding instinct — a corgi will start to herd a small group of goats or sheet pretty correctly from the git-go, with little or no instruction. They’re amazing animals that really shouldn’t be used as lapdogs — it IS a working breed. When you try to turn any working dog into a house pet, you usually get a neurotic.
I’m another bleeding heart like Anne above who’s glad Ruby is getting a second chance with you. And there are people who believe that obedience training is the cure for all dog behavior ills. Good luck to all three of you – I’m sure Cassie will be happier, too, when there’s more peace and order in your household.