I think our sweet pup is transforming into a rebellious asshole. Alan and I operate under the teachings of Cesar Milan. Which means we prioritize exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order. We also have house rules. It seems that we’re losing our grip on effective discipline lately.
Our rules have been consistent with when we first got him in September of 2011. The kitchen (and the trashcan in the kitchen), master bedroom, and the bed in the guest room are off limits. Recently, if we don’t have an eye on him, he’s either in the kitchen, digging in the trashcan in the kitchen, sniffing in the master bedroom, or jumping on the bed in the guest room. It’s been over a year of us generally being successful with having an obedient dog, so I’m not understanding the shift. “No” means nothing. Timeouts only serve as a pause button because upon his release he’s back to breaking rules.
The other day he grabbed the chicken bones I had in the trash right in front of me and I actually had to forcefully remove the bones from his mouth. Chicken bones are dangerous for dogs!
I’m at a lost. Currently, I am creating even more boundaries. For instance, he’s no longer allowed on the couch. I realize it seems a little counterintuitive to create more boundaries when we’re struggling with the existing ones.
And as if he knows I’m talking badly about him, he just flipped over his water dish.
Anyone want a Bob? He knows a lot of tricks and looks cute.