NILIF help please!

LaOsaLinda said:
oh that is the best.. when the man thinks oh I can be tough. I wont back down and then you see them cave in like the rest of us.. my hubby backed down so badly once I was like what happened and he goes nothing and walks away.. when he comes back, he came back with a treat for the baby. I was like wow your such a manly man. hahaha:biggrin2::lol:
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Oh yeah! Ain't that the truth! When Bacca goes into "You WILL play with me" mode and starts driving me crazy with his persistent pushing, nudging, toys on lap, David will step in with: Let me handle this. The dog just needs to be tired out!

Then I watch the two of them chasing around the backyward....not sure who's having more fun! Him or Bacca!

Then David will come back with: He should be fine now! :rolleyes2:
 
Oh you guys, those are the best stories!!! I admit, I'm a sucker. Layla doesn't push in. She just runs over to Blue Bunny and looks up at me so hopefully: "Can we play? Please? You're home; can we play? Just a little? Please?" I keep thinking, "14 years...15 or 16 if we're really lucky." Come on, gang, we're not caving. We're embracing life and love while we have it! :yes:

Than again, after Boodle drops the ball on my foot and nips my knee for the 25th time n 10 minutes...:rolleyes2:
 
sheltiemom said:
I admit I give in to her all the time...she has me wrapped around her adorable little paw.
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The Mrs is such a pushover! Such a thing would never happen to ME, of course. OK, there's Shanny ... and Brandy ... and "Barely Hairy" Holly Berry ... and
 
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More than athletic dogs, Shelties are intelligent. As such, their minds need to be exercised as much (if not more) than their bodies. Walks and playing in the back yard are often not enough.

Provide her with some mental games, something that she has to think about to figure out. There are various toys on the market that are designed for that. Google "dog puzzle toys" for some examples. A favorite around here is the Buster Cube. You can also make games like this at home, play hide-and-seek with toys or treats.

Better yet, give her a job! Shelties are working dogs, and sometimes that drive and intelligence will be quelled by nothing less than a regular job. It doesn't need to be a 24/7 thing, or a 9 hours a day thing, it can easily be a once or twice a week thing. Look into agility, flyball, obedience, rally-o, herding, tracking, therapy dog, freestyle, disc, dock diving ... the list goes on and on. Pick something that works for both of you and get involved. Giving the dog a regular scheduled job a couple times a week will often satisfy them. If they know that they will get to work twice a week, the in between times they are happy to just chill out and relax.

As for immediate training, in order to prevent an action you need to train a counter-action that will prevent them from doing the undesired action. For example, if you don't want a dog to jump up, you teach them to sit at the times that they would normally jump. Likewise, if you want your dog to quit pestering you, you can't just say "Stop bugging me". Rather, tell them what TO do, not what NOT to do. So train a "go to your mat", or "find your Kong". Give them something that you would rather have her doing instead of telling her not to do something that you don't want her doing.

Of course, that training will only solve the result of the problem, not the problem itself. It's just a bandage until you are able to provide her with the mental outlet that she is asking for.
 
Well, first off I'm glad to know that I am not the only person here that can go to sleep in the chair in front of the TV with a toy in one hand and a chew stick in the other!:lol: You're right- sometimes it's just too hard to argue with such cuteness!

But now that I think about it the times I do have the most problems with CeCe are the days that I don't get out and work with her on training, the days when she doesn't get a chance to interact with other people or dogs and the days when she can't go outside so much, like when it's raining.:(

And I should have figured out myself that a "to do" command is better than a "don't" command. That's why I love this forum!

AND, I had no idea there were doggy puzzle toys out there. Now I'm on a mission. I think I can make some with stuff I have around here too. Thanks Dayna for the good advice.:yes:
 
Shelties With Watches

You guys are a riot! It's good to know we're all in the same boat. :lol: Every night after dinner, my three get chew treats. The second our chiming clock strikes 8 they start. They tag team me, first with the stares, then one at a time they'll jump up on the couch and paw me, and when they finally lose patience we'll get the whines that are so high pitched it could break glass. :eek2: Heaven help me if I move so much as a toe during this time...they begin twirling like dervishes and the barking starts. It takes me until about 8:06 to cave and get their Kongs out. Clearly, I am NOT the alpha in this pack! :no:
 
The world of being owned by a Sheltie !!

You see we are not the alpha dogs they are thats why I say we are owned by them.:lol:
 
I have been really lucky with my Cali. She does try to push one over on my GF and I with her toys when we are watching the news or trying to wind down at the end of the night but all I have to do is give her the "stare" and she goes over to her bed with her toy and plays by herself. I usually feel horrible afterwards because of her adorable little puppy face and end up on the floor rolling around with her but I am just glad that she listens when I need her to!
 
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