He Likes Me, He Really Likes Me

One of the biggest problems we had when we first started training Frankie was trying to get his attention. He paid way more attention to his furry brothers because they were more fun. Mommy and Daddy were trying to keep order in the house (imagine that!) and Frankie just wanted to play. All day. All the time.

Recently my friend Lara was having the same troubles with her Boston Terrier Jack, so I thought I'd post here a few of the tips that worked for us.

The key word was: separation.

For the first year of Frankie's life, we limited his access to the other dogs. Not 100%, but enough so that Frankie had to look to Rick and I for playtime, affection, discipline, and had to learn the hierarchy of the pack from us. We still allowed occasional dog playtime, but we dictated when, where, how. It was used as a big reward.

We put a few gates up in our house, blocking off the kitchen area and our studios. This made the job much easier. It still was difficult to do, but worth it in the end. Now Frankie is a cling-on... perfect for a Service Dog!


Comments

Anonymous said…
Hey there WillaWoman, I posted this yesterday but decided to move it to todays comments (May 19).
Here's to a great day !!
Kat

Kathy lee said...

Ok I have a few questions.......
I know from seeing you at Betsys' house & at your home that your sdog is either in an "at work" mode or not.
I want to know how you keep people from distracting (petting, talking) your sdog when he is working ?
It must be natural for strangers as well as friends that do not know better to want to interact with that beautiful, talented dog they see. And.....how does the sdog respond to attention (human or otherwise) when working ?
Also, do female dogs do well as service dogs ? You may have already addressed that but I am new to this blog page.
I think the day will come when I may need a service dog of some sort. You know that I have hearing loss, vertigo, Fuchs Dystrophy (how do like that one? Look it up) and arthritis.
You also know I have 3 people/dogs living with me, THANK GOD.
I am never worried or afraid because of them. My hearing and eyesight sucks but with my people NOT to worry.
Cheers,
Kat

2:29 PM
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