Golden Retriever Trish was too much dog for her owners.
Trish greeted each day with such delighted enthusiasm that her 55 pound body could not contain the force of her exuberance. Her owners learned to step away from her crate door when they released her each morning. Otherwise, they would be mowed down in her stampede to commence the next 18 hours of Trish-created chaos.
Once she ejected from the crate, she zig zaged through the house at full speed. Rugs folded in her wake as she careened to the back door, darting to snag a kitchen towel from the counter as she passed. Leaping for the door, she scratched
Trish’s owners felt disheartened, frustrated and on the verge of giving up on their dog. Despite puppy classes and reading a shelf load of dog behavior books, nothing seemed to have helped. They were convinced that Trish was the product of a genetic glitch – a Golden Retriever crossed with a….Jack Russell?….Border Collie?…..Tasmanian Devil?
Actually, Trish’s seemingly uncontrollable wild nature was a result of confusion. Her owners, having read numerous training manuals and asked advice from every dog owner they knew, tried every technique, tip and device in vain hope of getting their dog to behave.
Poor Trish! Her owners randomly plied her with treats, walked her on a choke chain and then a prong collar, snapped a clicker in her face, and infused the air with a changing lexicon of words, all spoken in loud, harsh tones.
The answer to both Trish’s and her owners’ distress is simple:
Trish, like most dogs, does best with CALM and CONSISTENT guidance. By flitting from one quick fix to another, Trish’s owners sent her the message that they would eventually give up every newfangled idea they tried. Trish, being a strong-minded girl, figured out that she easily outlast them in persistence.
Eventually, Trish’s owners decided to stick to one solid method of training – patiently applied day after day, week after week, month after month. And Trish is now the happy, exuberant dog that she always was, just better behaved.
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