Animals

Reform School for Annie

Our Annie has left the puppy stage

and made the transition to adolescence.

And (if you have had dogs then you know this all too well) with adolescence

comes a whole new set of "problems".

Our Annie has been causing a few problems around the neighborhood,

as well as going on several-hours hunting trips.

Of course, Oakley goes along to make sure she is safe.

It has gotten so that Sammy is now the "good" dog of the house.

And when Sammy becomes the "good" dog, you know something is really wrong!

So, as with Sammy in the past, we have had to get the "good girl collar" out for Annie.

We are working really hard at coming when called

and not pestering the barn kitties.

And on Sunday, when the newlyweds, Andy and Ashley, brought the newest member

of their household, Sam #2 (who looks an awful lot like Oakley)

for his first farm visit....

we had to use the good girl collar to reinforce to Annie that we don't show

aggression towards our cousins.

What Annie learned from that encounter was that Sam #2 has a rather "electric" personality.

(She got a bit of a "shock" from the collar when she became too aggressive.)

She spent the rest of the day giving Sam#2 wide berth.

By the end of the day, all of the dogs had worked out their issues with each other,

and there was peace in the pavilion.

This training collar works wonders with discipline issues.

Annie now comes right back to me as soon as I call her name.

This particular model has a 3 options....beep, tiny nick of a shock, and a sustained shock.

It also has a control for how intense the "shock" is...we have it turned down very low.

We prefaced the use of a "nick" with the beep,

and now, if Annie is not listening...

the beep is all that is needed to get her attention.

It really only takes a tiny shock once or twice for a dog to learn their lesson.

It may seem a bit harsh, but I assure you, it is not.

(Not when you compare that to this... or worse....)

Oakley, after porcupine attack. Annie tangled with a porcupine twice this summer.

And, after a summer of dealing with porcupine quills and skunk sprays...

this is what is needed to keep Annie from running off into the woods

or getting into mischief.

I must say, since we placed the "good girl" collar on her,

Annie has been a model citizen...

staying within sight of me at all times.

I only hope that the good behavior transcends the collar.

And when the collar comes off, I hope that the lessons stick!

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Animals