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Comment by REB on April 17, 2008 at 9:15pm

I am working this same issue with my 13 week old Corgi and have recently done research on this very topic - here is what I found. Use a 20 foot nylon leash when outside and do not let her off leash until she has learned the "come" command reliably. Each time she does not obey it only reinforces the misbehavior. Call her name and tell her to "come". Use the command only one time and if she doesn't - gently pull her to you. Puppies are prone to distractions - especially outside. They should not be off leash) for their safety until they are about 18 months old and can come on command.

Comment by NoClaws4Alarm on April 17, 2008 at 3:16pm

I found this...thought it might help. :)

http://www.doglogic.com/halter.htm

Comment by Kitty's Corner on April 17, 2008 at 2:55pm

Hi Shelby- I have a best friend who is a veterinarian and she was one who suggested the gentle leader for bad behaviour.That is what she always uses. I put Kitty on the long leash(about 40 ft.)for a few hours at a time. As she got better about minding, the time got shorter and now she is hardly ever on it. Because of where we live we can let dogs hang free,but, they also know the property boundaries. Yes she will pout,but, you will see a real change in attitude quickly, when it is off.>Bethany

Comment by Shelby Shirley on April 17, 2008 at 7:32am

Thanks for the gentle leader idea Bethany. I guess that's one I really hadn't thought of. I hate that when I have Sadie on my long flexi-leash she hits the end of it when she's running she gets choked and yanked on her neck. I try to soften the impact by slowly setting the brake on the leash when I know she's about to hit the end but she still gets hit pretty hard by it. I guess I always thought of the gentle leader for dogs who didn't lead or walk well on the leash and were always pulling - well duh! I guess that's me and I just didn't see it!. I KNOW she will pout about it like you mentioned your kitty does, but it's worth a try. Do you allow her off leash ever? That's really my problem. On the leash she's doing well but off leash she just can't wait to run as fast as she can - it's like new found freedom! Thank you for your helpful suggestion - Shelby

Comment by Kitty's Corner on April 17, 2008 at 3:02am

I had excellent results with a gentle leader and a extremely long,light leash. Kitty chased the cats, would not come when called, ate the cat food and this gentle leader really curbed the bad behaviour within two weeks. And the long leash, when cliped to it, allowed her to go a long way and then I could pull on it and tell her to COME! Every thing was 95% better after that. Let me tell you, she pouted and sulked with it on,but, it really worked. Now, only once in a blue moon,do I have to use it. And, she really knows why it goes on.>Bethany

Comment by Shelby Shirley on April 16, 2008 at 8:34pm

Thanks for your replies. She does respond very well to the word "treats". I think she learned that before her name or anything else. That's actually how I got her to start coming to me in the first place was to call her and then say "treats" and she'd coming running. Unfortunately, I was blessed with one of the corgis that really doesn't get her feelings hurt very easily. I can't recall ever seeing her pout and appear sad. Many times to get her to quit biting or other misbehavior I do have to put her in a submissive position on her side and hold her until she relaxes and stops with the lip curling thing or snarling. I have had blue heelers and aussies all my life so I am definitely familiar with the herding breeds and their inteligence and desire for dominance and the need to work and keep busy. Don't get me wrong - she is sweet and friendly but not cuddly. She will test me to see if I really mean it or not! We are starting a basic obedience class on May 8th and the first class is without dogs to teach us how to use the clicker. Maybe I'll get one at Petsmart this weekend and get a jump start! I didn't think about tethering her to me at chore time. That's a good idea. She absolutely loves to run and I mean RUN!! Huge circles round and round up and down the hills and all over. I guess I just thought I was being nice in letting her cut loose like that instead of being on a leash all the time where she can't really run. I've only really let her off the leash a few times playing in the yard with the big dogs and now today walking to the barn to let the goats out. Back to the leash! Thanks again, I knew this might be a controversial subject! Shelby

Comment by NoClaws4Alarm on April 16, 2008 at 7:55pm

I really like the "treat can"

Rolo responds really well to odd noises, I bet it will work really well on him.

Comment by Sam on April 16, 2008 at 7:51pm

She just doesnt have a solid "come" yet. This comes with practice, practice, practice. All of my dogs learned to do quite well with the horses. I always started having them tied to me while I did my chores. When they seemed to know the drill a bit I would let them drag a lead but they were never allowed to go farther then the length of the lead. I would call them frequently. If they did not immediately respond I simply grabbed the lead and brought them to me. When them became solid that way I tried off lead. If they refused to respond they went right back on lead. It is important to note that your dog is getting plenty of exercise prior to working on this. I think you would be doing yourself and your dog a serious disservice to use an electronic collar. The only problem here is not proofing your training. If you are consistant you will be amazed at how well your dog will do. It takes lots of time and practice.

Comment by Sam Tsang on April 16, 2008 at 6:37pm

Hey Shelby! It's okay to ask the question :) Like you, i have absolutely no experience in shock collars and I've always wondered how effective they work. I don't question your love for your pups at all. I think i've experienced similar situation like yours, Mocha love to run off to the neighbors yard or several houses down in the middle of winter nights just for the fun of it. He knows that I will get mad and as soon as he gave me that "look" I knew he was going to make a run for it. So what do I do? 2 things. You can practice the clicker, it is a super remote control that dispense treats (from the corgi's point of view) so to train him, you will always always give treats when he comes to you after the clicker is sound. option number 2 is keep a few treats in a can, shake it and teach him to recognize that sound to treats. I am happy to report that these 2 methods have not failed me once :)

Comment by NoClaws4Alarm on April 16, 2008 at 6:34pm

Corgi's ... being the sensitive breed they are... will respond better to positive reinforcement rather than negative.

Our Sadie reacts poorly to even being scolded and her feelings get hurt so easily that once she's in that frame of mind, it's impossible to tell her to do ANYTHING and expect anything other than total shut down. She sits down, ears back and gives what I call her "moon eyed" look.

I'm sure they do well for (and I hesitate to say this) stupider breeds that can't learn any other way... but Corgi's are so intelligent, it would be almost an insult added to injury to use a shock collar.

Because of their intelligence and being people pleasers almost by instinct... they will better enjoy their time with you if they are doing what you tell them because they *want* to...not out of fear of being reprimanded -- regardless of in what form the reprimand takes.

Now, constructive advice?

When a dog doesn't listen, it's because they have deemed whatever they are doing to be more interesting than you. You have to bring that attention back around to you.

Distraction works well. A favorite squeaky toy. Handful of treats. Something that says "Hey look at me, I'm more interesting than _________."

It sounds like you have a lot of room to run for her, which is wonderful... but you still walk her on lead, right? That's really important, too. It's not just the exercise they get from it. It's discipline. It shows who is really the pack leader and teaches them that they need to keep their eyes on you until you say otherwise... that way, they get used to following your lead...whether they are on one...or not.

I really hope this helps.