Seth is a seven month old Pomeranian whose owners are getting a tad frustrated with him.
Its not really the stealing of the flip flops or the occasional potty accident that is causing their irritation. Its Seth’s attitude.
Seth talks back.
When his owners ask him to Sit,
he takes two steps backward, looks at them critically, and gives three sharp barks “Arf! Arf! Arf!”
Seth reminds me of a teenager who rolls his eyes whenever his parents speak to him (or enter a room, or breathe). He would reply with something unerringly cool and dismissive like “Duh.” or “Whatever.”
Seth is feeling pretty confident in himself. He doesn’t want to do what he is told, so he gets defiant. His “Arf! Arf! Arf! translates to “Yeah? Go ahead and make me!”
Some people would say he is being sassy. Or bold. Or obnoxious.
If Seth’s owners made the mistake of using a treat to get him to comply at this point, they would only be reinforcing how effective talking back can be.
Getting into a confrontation with Seth would be fruitless as well. Taking this approach could turn into who can shout, or bark, the loudest.
Instead, we leashed up the little back talker. We said nothing. We took him for a quick walk through the kitchen, family room, dining room, and back to the kitchen. Seth, startled – and silenced – by this unusual turn of events, sat immediately when asked. We praised. We unclipped the leash. We went about our business, leaving Seth to ponder this exchange.
The next time Seth had something cheeky to say, we did the exact same thing.
Pretty soon, Seth realized that rude barking would only result in a boring walk through the house.
No more back talk.
For more information on bold barkers, read Listen Up!
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