Saturday, October 20, 2007

who trained who?

My dog definately has me well trained. I know this is not a surprise for most of you......I just don't like admitting it! I am a sucker for puppy eyes. Emmy is really a sweet dog. She is a lovey, she is obedient, she is just a great dog. She also has completely figured out how to get exactly what she wants and how to get me out of my seat, or up from the laundry room, in split seconds. What started out as a way for us to know when she had to go out, has turned into a way she can manipulate me!
We have put jingle bells on our back door, and left them there while she was a puppy and being trained. Everytime she needed to go outside to pee, and we opened the door, and the bells would ring. Soon she was ringing the bells with her nose to tell us when she wanted to go outside. Worked great.
NOW--the stinker just rings the bells on the back door to get me to notice her. She'll ring the bells, sit there looking pathetic, and when I come near her to let her out, she gets up, and walks to her other designated areas to let me know what she wants. It really is quite smart. I have to give her props. BUT, it is also annoying! There is no way of distinguishing whether she is really desperate to pee, or if she is just bored and feels like having a bone. At least she is clear about those things, too---and she doesn't just stare at me expecting me to figure her out. She is very purposeful. Ring the bells, mom comes in, go walk to the bone cabinet and sit. Or go to the kitchen sink and sit for water. Or go to the food dishes and sit for food. Or go to the refridgerator, and HOPE it is time for her medicine (which gets put into hotdog pieces, thus the fridge clue). Sometimes I get so annoyed with her....especially if I was in the middle of something and she keeps ringing the bells over and over again (like it is really urgent).....and then she just saunters over to the bones. Then I just walk away and say NO! But most times, I just end up getting her what she wants. No wonder she keeps it up! It is working for her!

YES-I admit it. I am well trained. How embarrassing.

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