For As Big of Ears As She Has...

Our one and a half year old Chloe recently has stopped listening to our calls of "come" when she's outside doing her business. We don't have a fenced in yard and used to always put her on a chain to go, but she had been pretty good at listening for awhile so we started letting her out off her chain and just watching her from the deck. We've done this for a number of months. However recently it seems like she just wants to hang out outside and sniff around and eat things she probably shouldn't...and NOT come when she's called. She has figured out that if we call her from the deck she can still do what she wants, but if we step off of the deck she's probably going to get grabbed by the collar and drug in the house.

She's normally such a well behaved girl but this is annoying. I also know that with winter coming up, neither me nor my hubby will want to step off the deck, trek through the snow to get her and bring her back in. If she doesn't start listening we're going to have to start using the chain again, which isn't a big deal, but I know it gives her less freedom while she is outside for those few minutes.

Any suggestions? Is she just being a stubborn teenager or is this the classic "your Corgi has you trained better than you have them trained" thing?

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Comment by Laura K. on October 9, 2009 at 11:26am: I know for a little while I started saying "Chloe, treat?" to her to get her to come, but I don't want to bribe her to come every time. I think she should learn to come on the "come" command. When she does come on command I do reward her with a treat. However now she thinks that every time she comes in from doing her business she gets a treat and will walk towards the refrigerator (where her treat jar sits)...whether she came when called or I had to go get her.

Comment by Bev Levy on October 8, 2009 at 7:09am: A long lead and treats will break that habit pretty quick. I have a fenced yard so I have been known to toss some walnuts (we have a tree) in their vicinity to get their attention away from the deer poop! The sound of me opening the treat jar brings them running too.

Comment by Bobbi & Penni on October 7, 2009 at 11:19pm: When my Penni started to do that, we started using hand signals when we said "come" just waving her over to us! She was interested enough she'd come to see what we were doing. Now I just have to say her name and do the "come here hand wave" and she runs right over! We live on an acreage in the country and Penni hasn't been chained in almost 3 years, and she is almost 5 years! I kept her on a chain because I was so paranoid about her running off, but she stays in our yard, only venturing out occasionally..
Now if only I could get her 1 year old "brother" Zeb to do that! He is a Saint Bernard and very adolescent!

Comment by Jane Christensen on October 7, 2009 at 5:06pm: Oh yes, those teen years! Bella would wonder for an hour or longer and we thought she was lost and Livvy comes close but will not come in the door! I don't remember my others being sooo stubborn BUT good news is that Bella reluctantly now comes (she started at about 2) and well Livvy is by far the most stubborn one but stays closer just a little out of reach and the "touch" does not work for her at least yet!

Comment by John Wolff on October 7, 2009 at 4:01pm: Al went through a phase of this as a teenager once he learned that he did not in fact have to come and I couldn't catch him -- oh boy, did he love THAT game. The behavior eventually stopped, reasons unknown.