So smart, but SO stubborn!

I need any help/advice/or acknowledgment that this is normal behavior! I have a beautiful and smart seven month old corgi named Austin and I love her more than words, but boy can she frusterate me! She knows when I am about to leave or go to bed and jets under the couch and refused to come out for hours! I put her in her pen when I'm not home or asleep because I've found that she pulls up the carpet if she isn't watched! I've used apple bitter and all that, but nothing works! I don't understand why she doesn't respond to the "come" command if she doesn't want to. She won't even look at me if I look under the couch at her! She does what she wants! How do I stop this? Has anyone else found this to be a problem? Any advice is appreciated!!
-jennifer

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Permalink Reply by Denise on January 7, 2009 at 8:16pm

I don't have any advice for you, because I share the same situation with Sophie. She is so, so smart, but so, so stubborn, especially where "Come" is concerned. She will come, when she is good and ready. Other times though, she will come immediately. I can't count how many times I have had to go and get her when she refuses to come to me. Sometimes what will work is when I start to walk toward her and say her name, she will come or at times even run toward me as if playing a game, but at other times she'll just give me one of her defiant little looks and won't move!

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer on January 7, 2009 at 8:19pm

Hahahaha she sounds just like my puppy!!! Sometimes I think she knows she's cute and can get away with it!

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Permalink Reply by Laura Jones on January 8, 2009 at 2:26pm

Lol, I have certainly wondered about this concept myself, although I totally understand the basis of it. But it seems ecspecially with the "smarter" breeds that they quickly catch on that once they do it for awhile the treats stop coming, this is where we started having the problem with KC, once she was consistently coming the treats got fewer and fewer and she stopped. Now if I dig out the treats 9 times out of 10 she will still just sit and look at me or will come within like 5 feet of me and won't get any closer or let me get any closer to her, even with treats she loves. This reminds of the concept of giving the kids a treat for going potty and then evenutally the treats stop and if you have stubborn kids like mine they go "hey".

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on January 15, 2009 at 7:03pm

You just need to sometimes give treats. When I first started training Ein, he would get treats for everything. Then I gradually cut down on giving treats. Now it is random that he gets a treat. Make sure you praise too, not just give treats. Ein is happy enough with just a "good boy!"

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Permalink Reply by Sondra on January 8, 2009 at 3:27pm

Yep, I have the same problem with the 'come' command or lack there of..
Corie is 19 mo old, and she only comes when she wants to (fortuately she is very food motivated)
so I use lots of treats!
She is such a character, she makes us laugh and we love her so much in spite of all her 'quirks'.

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Permalink Reply by Julie on January 10, 2009 at 11:08pm

I'm glad to hear that Boomer is not the only one that refuses to listen to the "come" command. As mentioned earlier in the thread we keep her on a leash in the house most of the time simply because she refuses to listen and will run from us if we try to get her. We have a fenced in back yard and I never leave her out there alone, but when I take her out to run around I have to leave her leash on her as well because if I don't I CANNOT catch her when it's time to go in and she will not listen. Tonight I had her on her long leash in the house and had it attached to the bottom of a chair so she couldn't chase the cats and she chewed the handle of the leash off and freed herself (she's done this twice already). lol So we are all in this together I guess. :)