Reform School for Annie

Our Annie has left the puppy stage
and made the transition to adolescence.

And (if you have had dogs then you know this all too well) with adolescence
comes a whole new set of "problems".


Our Annie has been causing a few problems around the neighborhood,
as well as going on several-hours hunting trips.
Of course, Oakley goes along to make sure she is safe.


It has gotten so that Sammy is now the "good" dog of the house.
And when Sammy becomes the "good" dog, you know something is really wrong!


So, as with Sammy in the past, we have had to get the "good girl collar" out for Annie.
We are working really hard at coming when called
and not pestering the barn kitties.


And on Sunday, when the newlyweds, Andy and Ashley, brought the newest member
of their household, Sam #2 (who looks an awful lot like Oakley)
for his first farm visit....


we had to use the good girl collar to reinforce to Annie that we don't show
 aggression towards our cousins.


What Annie learned from that encounter was that Sam #2 has a rather "electric" personality.
(She got a bit of a "shock" from the collar when she became too aggressive.)
She spent the rest of the day giving Sam#2 wide berth.

By the end of the day, all of the dogs had worked out their issues with each other, 
and there was peace in the pavilion.

This training collar works wonders with discipline issues.
Annie now comes right back to me as soon as I call her name.
This particular model has a 3 options....beep, tiny nick of a shock, and a sustained shock.
It also has a control for how intense the "shock" is...we have it turned down very low.


We prefaced the use of a "nick" with the beep,
and now, if Annie is not listening...
the beep is all that is needed to get her attention.


It really only takes a tiny shock once or twice for a dog to learn their lesson.
It may seem a bit harsh, but I assure you, it is not.
(Not when you compare that to this... or worse....)

Oakley, after porcupine attack.  Annie tangled with a porcupine twice this summer.
And, after a summer of dealing with porcupine quills and skunk sprays...
this is what is needed to keep Annie from running off into the woods
or getting into mischief.

I must say, since we placed the "good girl" collar on her,
Annie has been a model citizen...
staying within sight of me at all times.

I only hope that the good behavior transcends the collar.
And when the collar comes off, I hope that the lessons stick!

Comments

Candice said…
Ah, the adolescent stage for dogs. We are definitely there with our Simon and Sadie (1 and 1-1/2 respectively). They are so full of energy it's hard to control them when needed. Sadie is currently in training to learn to not jump on people, come when called and to not rush the door when going in or out of the house. It takes so much patience on all of our parts.
Anke said…
We may need to whip out the "good girl collar" pretty soon since our dogs are slowly but surely turning our yard into Swiss cheese. Nothing we've tried so far has kept them from digging one (smallish) hole after another... Grrr...
Anonymous said…
You are doing a great job with Annie! They have to learn so they are safe! TerriC
Carla said…
We had to use a 'good girl' collar on our dog because she began to think the cat (who was here before her) was something to be chased and caught. It took one day. She has since taught our newer dog that chasing cats and chickens is against the rules. The only down-side----the little beep has stuck with her for 12 years. To this day, she cowers when my son's watch beeps on the hour.
Carla said…
Anke--try this first. When our dogs began digging holes, we (lightly) buried blown up balloons in their favorite digging spots. As soon as their claws hit that balloon, it pops!
Junebug said…
Oh that silly teenager!! I'm sure she will be a fast learning, but like all kids they need a reminder once in awhile. Keep the collar close once it comes off. Hugs!
This N That said…
When I first moved into squirrel Haven, Molly was dragging me up trees after them. Several weeks of a shock collar took care of that. Then all I had to do was put it on her. She hasn't had it on at all this year. They work wonders. Hope you're having a great day hugs
Anonymous said…
Adolesence is when most dogs end up at the pound as they can be real brats, proper training and a collar like you are using is a great way to reinforce good behaviour. This is so much better than being a nuisance dog to neighbours or the skunk/porcupine ordeal or worse. We have invisible fence on our property but a porcupine encounter still happened. Patty/NS
Jessica said…
Our Pyrenees has a "good boy" collar. It's been years since he's worn it, but when he misbehaves, all it takes is for him to see the collar or the remote control to quickly remind him to behave. If he's too busy misbehaving to see the collar then I turn it on and beep it. He could be across the yard, but he'll come running with a guilty look on his face when he hears it. ~Jessica
PKBrandon said…
Hi Beverly, I know you and your husband are nothing but kind so not concerned about the use of the "special" collar with Annie. She will remember and be safer for it. I used to hate prong collars but two of my foster dogs are so strong and pull me every which way when I try to train them to walk properly on a leash so have resorted to using it only while training. I have a house full of fosters and am trying hard to teach them basic manners to make them more adoptable and am considering all options!
Lynne said…
Some days it is so difficult to learn . . . But once "I get it" I am GOLDEN.
I hope Annie is the same way . . .