The battle with Reyka

[KentuckyGSDLover]

I won! After almost four weeks, we had a showdown tonight and she finally laid down in my office for almost two hours! I know this sounds stupid, but it brought a tear to my eye. My Little German Shepherd That Could passed another milestone.

First, she tried to unstuff her pillow and got in trouble




Then she tried to eat my chair



Then she tried to chew the pad the chair sits on



Then she tried to chew on my sneaker



Buddy just ignored the whole thing



And TADA - she finally GETS IT!!!

[JanaeUlva]

She is so cute and SMART!
Only 6 pictures and she gets it!
Clever girl

[Kaity]

Showed these pictures to my boyfriend and he believed me when I said it was Vida. Pretty pretty dog you have there!

[JakodaCD OA]

LOL LOVE the last pic))

[KentuckyGSDLover]

Ah, yes, the last pic was her laying down with her head on her pillow. haha Geeze, until I saw those pics, I didn't realize how much that aloe plant stain showed on my office carpet.

Only 6 pictures? I wish. Those were the ones that turned out. I just kept pushing her down over and over saying "lay" and "no bites" until she got that I meant business, she was supposed to stay that way and not chew chairs, shoes, papers, etc. Geeze. Then she relaxed and for the first time since I've had her, she put her head down and sighed. She's getting comfy now, actively wants to be out more with me and Buddy, and I am more than glad to let her if she behaves. And I'm making her behave. Adjustment period is over, time to be part of the household. Walking constantly every break, meal break and my time before work to keep her from being in the crate too long is wearing me and my washing machine out (from soggy socks). Since she's still on-leash, I let it go and we play Kong down the hall at midnight when I'm done working. Maybe not a good thing in the house, but I have to keep her mentally stimulated right now. She took out the large water bowl and a small Christmas tree at the end of the hall last night in a running skid. That's okay, Buddy used to do the same thing when he was young. She brings it back to me and "drops it" when I ask her to, and waits in a sit for the next throw/roll. Not bad.

I chose her trainer yesterday and told him we'll be there as soon as she learns to ride in the car without someone holding on to her (which she did surprisingly well first time yesterday). I've talked extensively to multiple trainers and I really like this one best. He's worked with all kinds of dogs, including a lot of GSD. He's an hour away in Louisville but that's fine, too. He offers both boarding training and hands-on with owner training. I chose the latter and told him I need to be trained. He's patient, wants to evaluate each dog's personality and doesn't have a "one method fits all dogs" mentality. One of his own dogs is an 8-year-old Dobie that's high strung and he explained how working within their perceived safety zone was important. I kind of like what he said about reactivity, and if you were afraid of spiders how you'd react if suddenly someone dropped a bunch of them on you.

Oh, I know I ramble on, but I bit off a little more than I can chew and I'm committed to making it work! I'm sure glad this forum is here or I'd have pulled out every hair I have by now.

[HeyJude]

Good job! It takes time, but it will be worth the effort. Just think how much love she will give you when she is trained!

[KentuckyGSDLover]

Originally Posted by Kaity

Showed these pictures to my boyfriend and he believed me when I said it was Vida. Pretty pretty dog you have there!

Is Vida that obnoxious, too?

[Kaity]

Oh she is VERY!!

[Daisy&Lucky's Mom]

The power of perseverance! Love the picture story. Wishing continued sucesses in training which you dont need b/c you and Reyka will do it.

[KentuckyGSDLover]

Thanks for the happy encouragement. There have been a few times this past month that I've had serious doubts and wondered what I got myself into. I doubled her time today to four hours total (in two hour increments) in my home office, on top of her usual outside walking time. It's amazing, it's like a lightbulb turned on in her head, and she's figured out gnawing on me for her every need isn't an effective communication tool. The battle was very short today, just a few "no's" and she wanted to be with me more than chew on me and my things.

Oh, and instead of frantically chewing on me when she needed to be taken out to pooh, tonight for the first time she simply dropped her Kong and stood staring at the door (ok, she made a few circles in front of it, too)! I couldn't believe it. She finally found a positive way to tell me she had to go out that I could easily understand.