Frustrating New Phase
Wyatt turned a year old on the 18th of September. I understand that Corgi's don't really mature until 2 or 3 but lately, his behavior has been frustrating me to the point of tears. I don't know if it's adolescence or if he needs more mental stimulation, or if he's just totally spoiled...but he has been throwing these ridiculous tantrums as of late. Here's how it usually goes:
I'll be sitting on the couch reading or sipping coffee, and Wyatt will come lay next to me, which is fine. However, if I stop petting him or focusing all my energy on him...he barks at me, makes a small nip at me (not a bite, but a light "haha, you're it!" nip), and then he jumps off the couch and runs through the living room and kitchen barking his head off at me. The spray bottle no longer works to stop the behavior, and while he does respond to positive reinforcement (I tell him "lay down" and "quiet" and then if he's quiet for 10 or more seconds, he gets a treat) he manipulates me by acting bad, then listening to my commands, only to be rewarded with a treat. Hopefully that makes sense?
Other scenarios that'll induce his tantrums are if I'm washing dishes in the kitchen, cleaning, etc. Basically whenever he's not getting 100% of my or Dan's attention, he throws a tantrum like some spoiled child.
I'm at my wits end and need help and suggestions selecting one solid form of discipline that will curb this naughty behavior. Mind you, we've tried ignoring him and letting him have "extinction bursts" but that method has proven to be useless as well.
One thing that's comforting is that I know Wyatt's not the only bratty Corgi out there. For example:
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on
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The corgi in the video is being totally adorable! How could you resist such cuteness? When Snickers wants attention and gets feisty I make her do some commands and then give her attention. Play with her or feed her, whatever she needs. But she doesn't do it very often. I think if I were you i would teach him to go to his mat or place and stay for 5 minutes then release him, with no other attention or treats. If he doesn't know that command yet, I would put him in the crate. Then, play with him. (NILIF) He plays when you want, not when he demands. It will take time and consistency.
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Permalink Reply by Chelsea and Wyatt on
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Oh, I agree that the Corgi in the video is totally adorable! However, it is a nice example of funny bratty behavior. Thank you for the tips, I was really avid about following the NILIF method during his puppyhood, and admittedly, I've become a little lax as of late.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Google Nothing In Life Is Free and use the info to help you see where you are allowing your corgi to take charge of situations. As humans we see control a little differently than dogs do. Corgis often tend to be a little bossy but you do not want it to get out of hand. Whether they know it or not, our dogs do need us to be leaders.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I believe you have made the classic mistake that we ALL have made at one point or other in dog training: you have trained a chain of behaviors that includes an initial behavior that you do not want. In this case, you are rewarding Wyatt for coming and barking/nudging to get your attention and THEN being quiet. You can actually escalate barking in the same way if you only reward "shush" after barking has stopped. I have two suggestions.
1) Make absolutely sure you ignore Wyatt when he's coming up and barking at you. This will probably initially escalate the behavior, but it can help if you exaggerate your ignoring by turning your back, folding your arms across your chest, and looking at the ceiling.
And 2) (And this is MOST important and something I had to convince my husband to do). The second part of this is to initiate activity with him when he is lying around being a good boy. This teaches him that quiet dogs get attention and pushy dogs don't. Jack will actually line up his toys in front of his nose and lay down with his chin on the ground, looking pathetic and waiting to play. The important thing is I sometimes play with him when he does this. It did take a couple years to achieve this goal, though. I also taught him names of toys so if he's being pesty I'll tell him to go and get a bone/antler, etc.
Part of it is his age and you may need to find little ways to increase his activity. Things like giving him boxes to shred and empty water bottles to chase around can keep him busy when you need to do something else. You can also try giving him some commands before you start something like cleaning. Go through a few quick obedience commands and then go do your thing. If all else fails, crate or pen him when you need to clean til he grows up a little more.
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Permalink Reply by Keri&Merlin(Judy&Alan's Pups) on
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Our Keri girl rolls around on the floor after her meals,barks a little and rubs her face.Total joy with a full tummy :)!Never thought views like Your video were tantrums.Yes,We need to be Our pups leaders,but We also need to play and exercise with them so they don't get bored as well.Ah,parenthood,either kids or dogs!!
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