Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?
When my grandmother became too ill to take care of her dog dog, Sandra, we took her in. The dog was 15 years old and had spent her entire life on table scraps.
Grandmother fed her directly from the table, and did not even require that the dog eat out of her own dish. As a result, Sandra had developed an absolutely horrible yoddel whenever somebody was sitting at the table.
Sandra also made a beeline out of the gate the minute it was opened. Many of our neighbors blamed the fact that she was a rescued dog (Terrier-Chihuahua mix), and thought it was an incurable dob problem that we would just have to live with.
Not so.
For her first meal at our house, Sandra was served dog food ... in her own dish ... just like our other dog. She ate it.
After only two escape stunts, she quickly learned that "come" meant "come" in this house!
Sandra did receive table scraps as an occasional treat when she was quiet and behaving properly ... placed in her own bowl ... and the yoddeling was no more!
Grandmother fed her directly from the table, and did not even require that the dog eat out of her own dish. As a result, Sandra had developed an absolutely horrible yoddel whenever somebody was sitting at the table.
Sandra also made a beeline out of the gate the minute it was opened. Many of our neighbors blamed the fact that she was a rescued dog (Terrier-Chihuahua mix), and thought it was an incurable dob problem that we would just have to live with.
Not so.
For her first meal at our house, Sandra was served dog food ... in her own dish ... just like our other dog. She ate it.
After only two escape stunts, she quickly learned that "come" meant "come" in this house!
Sandra did receive table scraps as an occasional treat when she was quiet and behaving properly ... placed in her own bowl ... and the yoddeling was no more!
Labels: American Pit Bull Terrier, Chihuahua, correcting dog problems, dog problem, rescued dog, teach an old dog new tricks
posted by Rena Murray at 3:21 PM
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