When the boyfriend takes both dogs for a walk there is no problem. When I take the dogs for a walk there is no problem, except for a bit of pulling on the leash which is rectified by me kicking her in the head. No, not really. (See, you don’t know, do you?) But when we each take a dog and take a walk there are problems.
Tootie starts crabbing. And by crabbing I mean getting all down close to the ground and sort of crawling like a Viet Cong in the bush, her breath all heaving. She’s like a mad beast. The walk ends up taking forever because the boyfriend won’t tolerate any pulling, much less crabbing. So, it’s "sit" every time she gets all crabby. Last night I think she had to sit about 45 to 47 times on our walk. It was ridiculous. It shouldn’t even be called a walk, it was a start and stop.
Cooper on the other hand is the best walker in the world. If he even thinks about pulling you just tighten you grip and he falls back into line at my heels. He’s dumb, but submissive. I like that. The only time he ever takes off in his own direction is for peeing on the mailboxes. But that is not to be helped. I give him those without any grief. It’s his one big thrill.
Anyway, last night we were trotting along, waiting for the wild animal behind us when Cooper dove head first into a ditch full of crisp fall leaves. One second he was walking, the next second he flung himself up to his eyeballs in leaves. Then he did it some more. It was about the cutest thing I’d ever witnessed. He seemed to love it. I had to drag him out of the pile.
Wish I’d had my camera.
4 comments ↓
If I might offer a suggestion… and it will seem a bit cruel at first, but I bet it works… as soon as Tootie starts acting up, take her crabby ass home and leave her there while you, the boyfriend, and Cooper go for a nice walk. (Sure, you’ll have to take her out to do her business at some point, but keep her in the yard then straight back inside when she’s done.) When you get home from your walk, don’t scold, don’t treat Tootie any differently, behave exactly as you normally would, just make it clear that such behavior results in being left home alone while everyone else gets to go for a walk. It may take a few times, but I bet she catches on in a hurry. Then once you’ve broken her of this behavior, the first time she displays any sign of it again (and she will), take her home immediately for a swift reminder of the consequences of her actions. She’ll soon realize that her desire to go for a walk is greater than her desire to misbehave. You’ll soon be ready for children! ;-)
I do wish you’d gotten Cooper on camera doing that. Sounds precious.
The leaf frolic sounds adorable! But you shouldn’t tolerate that bratty behavior by the other dog. Scott’s suggestion above is a really good one. I’d take it.
and be sure to provide an update about how it works… :)
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