Teenag Rebellion or Bad Parenting?

[Borgan]

Luna has become The World's Most Stubborn Dog.

This morning, she yodelled from 6am until 7am from her crate (we had previously taken her out to the bathroom and gone back to bed), so we ignored her until we got up, let her out...then she looked Morgan straight in the eye and squatted and peed on the carpet in front of him! I'm positive she didn't really have to go...I honestly think she was trying to punish us for not responding...she's been house trained for quite awhile, and knows to ring the bell to go out. She's also stopped coming when we call her, as well as chewing on forbidden items and running with them so we can't catch her. She even escaped from the house and ran out into traffic! I was horrified!!!!!

Has anyone else been here? Is this rebellious behaviour normal for her age (6 months), or a result of improper training?

Thanks in advance;)
Brooke.

[April]

Little Bo is very stubborn too. He yodels all morning in the kitchen wile I get ready upstairs for work. When I do finally leave for work, he knows and settles in. I listen outside the front door and he doesn't cry. He also goes peepee on the "Puppy Pad" and knows to go to the front door to let us know he has to go out but by the time i see him at the door, he squats & pees or poops. How in the world did you get Luna to ring the bell? I would love to get Bo to do that.

I am also concerned because we are going on a short plane flight out of state (about 2 hour flight) to visit my parents and Little Bo is coming on board. I bought a spacious carrier and have put his blankee and toys in it so he can play & get familiar with it. I am concerned about his on-flight behavior though. Any recommendations? My vet recommended Benadryl.

Additionally, when I give LIttle Bo a flavored rawhide, he snarles at us when we try to take it away. Coming from a 13 week old puppy, it concerns me; otherwise he is so wonderfully tempermented.

Thanks

[Borgan]

Hi April,

The longer I've had Luna, the less qualified I feel to give out advice (like the old adage, "The older you get, the less you think you know" ;) ), but I have achieved something! This is how I got her to ring the bell:

- Got little Christmas-type bells and tied them on a shoestring to the front door
- Rang the bell with her paw everytime I took her out
- She started to do it herself, and I would praise the heck out of her
- She started to do it for other reasons (to get attention, to go to the park, to piss me off), but I would still prasie her and take her out to her pee spot, then head right back in, even though she tried to take me to the park.

So, for the most part, she uses it for good reason now. The one thing I've definately learned about these dogs is that they're HIGHLY intelligent...so intelligent that they know exactly what you want, but CHOOSE not to obey if it doesn't suit them!!! Incredible. I guess that's my main problem...how do you give them insentive to listen everytime? Unlike so many other kinds of dogs, they don't fear you, or their desire to please you is not enough to keep them in line...Luna's like a 300lb Grizzly Bear trapped in a little dog suit.

[April]

Thank you so much for the bell advice. I think I will try that!!
It sounds sooo cute. Yes, they definitely are not the type of dog that lives to please its owner= they are all about themselves. Little Bo will be snarly when he has his little rawhide bone and wnat nothing to do with me but when he wants to snuggle, he doesnt care what mommy has to do; he just cries until I pick him up so he can go to sleep! I used to have pit bulls and their only goal in life was to please me so it was a totally different experience. Especially because they were shelter puppies and they must have been abused and appreciated their life with me. Little Bo thinks the world revolves around him!

Will let you know how the bell works out! I hope i have the same luck you do!

[Borgan]

Good luck, April:)

It seems to me that if you turn it into a game that they can "win",
they're far more likely to stay interested.

Your Little Bo is soooo cute! The creams and whites
are really distinctive and sweet looking.

[Sandi]

Brooke and April - Dogs enter their "Teen" stage usually between 8-9 months of age. They can however enter it early!!! We have our service puppy in training. Although she knows 24 commands with us she has just entered her teen stage and is really pushing the limits. Frenchie's are VERY smart as we have discovered with Bugsy. I have been training him to be a therapy dog. He has learned to Heal, sit, down and some tricks like speak, roll-over and high five. The trick is like Morgan said to make it a fun game! I do it every day for just about 15 minutes and give yummy treats and lots of praise.I have also always taught my dogs the "wait" command. This command is used to teach then not to cross certain barriers. Such as open doors and getting out of the car until given the "OK" command. This is really important. Especially if they are running into traffic etc... I have noticed that with Bugsy I just need to keep it light and fun. Too much correction and he gets his feelings hurt.
Sandi
P.S. Start in your back yard or somewhere where it is fenced. Have them on a leash and teach them the "Come" command. What I do is have really really yummy treats like cooked chicken or cheese. Then they learn that whenever they come to you they will get something really yummy. Also (and this is really important) Never never call them to you and then scold them. If they are not coming go to you then you must just go get them and then scold. They must ALWAYS be rewarded when they come to you even if they did something bad before. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more details.