Something I Should Have Done Years Ago
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:37 pm
For some reason, I never taught Thor to stay out of the kitchen when I'm prepping or cooking. It's dangerous and I have a small-ish kitchen. All I ever did was say "other room," but that left him without a cue of when it was okay to enter the kitchen..............so maybe he'd piggy-back in with his father, or maybe if I acted like I was done he'd saunter in....
Sunday I did what I should have done years ago. I chose an object (a ruler) to use as a cue and in five minutes he was trained. Ruler down = don't cross threshold. No ruler = come and go as you please.
This morning I noticed he took it one step further. Thor knew his father was going to get his morning carrot from the 'frig and Thor stopped at the threshold and sat. No ruler. Same thing when his father went for ice cubes for his thermos (he always gives Thor one--who always stands next to his Dad to get the cube)--except this morning, Thor left the kitchen and with toes behind the line, sat and waited. No ruler. I hadn't intended on this, but take his interpretation as a benefit.
Can I tell you how much I love my dog?
Sunday I did what I should have done years ago. I chose an object (a ruler) to use as a cue and in five minutes he was trained. Ruler down = don't cross threshold. No ruler = come and go as you please.
This morning I noticed he took it one step further. Thor knew his father was going to get his morning carrot from the 'frig and Thor stopped at the threshold and sat. No ruler. Same thing when his father went for ice cubes for his thermos (he always gives Thor one--who always stands next to his Dad to get the cube)--except this morning, Thor left the kitchen and with toes behind the line, sat and waited. No ruler. I hadn't intended on this, but take his interpretation as a benefit.
Can I tell you how much I love my dog?