I guess it is my own fault that my dog, Shaun Hill, does not want to stay when told. He’s had a very free puppyhood, doing whatever he wants, more or less, and he’s getting away with a lot of stuff in the house, including (but not limited to) hiding under the bed to chew something he found, picking on Charlotte when she sleeps, fussing when I want to get him ready to go out, and barking at the air. (Maybe we have ghosts.)
He’s still in the later stages of puppyhood, I know, but he’s a little spoiled, I think. We were walking him with Charlotte today around the block after dinner. He was okay, until he started pulling. Of course, it’s hard to walk with my husband in tow because my husband doesn’t seem to have much patience for training and he kept scoffing at my attempts to be a “tree” to stop Shaun Hill from pulling me down the street.
By the time we were out the gate, I had him pulling me down the block. Around the corner, I finally got to a quiet street and was able to calm him down a little — just enough that he would sit when I told him the 5th time. Then, he started doing a little better with the sitting. When we went back inside the complex, we walked around the office and I got him to sit, but by then, my husband was tired of my attempts to control my dog.
He was better, I guess, as we were getting home until we passed a neighbor’s house and what sounded like a very evil chihuahua that is penned up in the back yard all day. No wonder that thing sounds grumpy. At least our dogs don’t bark like that..
You should watch “It’s Me Or The Dog” on Animal Planet. Trainer Victoria Stillwell (star of the series) shows how to train even the most unruly dogs in simple commands, so maybe that will give you some ideas.