Posts Tagged ‘classes’
Dog Obedience Problems
August 23rd, 2009
Tasha graduating
Tasha has been through three obedience classes. However, she sometimes has the most appalling behavior. She acts out in ways that have been identified in dog literature as the big “no’s.” For example, she:
- Jumps on people.
- Doesn’t come when called.
- Pulls on the leash when walking.
- Raids trash cans.
- Drops a ball or stick before bringing it back (this is an enigma becasue she is, afterall, a golden retriever).
The first two classes I took her to were at PetSmart, where they taught her to sit, stay, and finally, to come when called. Okay, so she has conquered one of five: to sit before meals and biscuits. The other behavior problems are probably my fault, as I haven’t enforced them enough.
The last class I took Tasha to was an intense two-week program. Again, they taught her to sit, come, stay, to lie down, and to come when called. The problem with this class was that I didn’t go with her. I dropped her off in the morning and picked her up in the late afternoon. They didn’t show me what or how they were teaching her, so I couldn’t follow their lead. I just assumed that she had finally gone through enough behavior modification.
Not so! To this day, I live with the fact that Tasha doesn’t retrieve. This wasn’t part of her training, but I’ve lost a lot of tennis balls and good sticks this way. The jumping on people is always embarrassing, as it is when she runs the other way when I call her. I tend not to want to walk her because she pulls me all over the place. Going through the trash is treatable, and Tasha doesn’t always do this, but when she does, she knows she’s being bad. I guess that this is her form of retrieving!
It seems to be pointless, but I still try to train her. Tasha is only about three-years old. Maybe as she gets older, she’ll listen to me. Or, maybe she needs a graduate training class.
