Pixie's not allowed to have little dog syndrome. For me, it's as simple as that. When she sees another dog and gets over excited, she's corrected, because other dogs are known to try to correct bad behavior themselves, and especially when it's a big dog smacking down a little dog, you have an issue.
When she barks without being told to, she is corrected. She's not ALLOWED to bark, unless it's on command. She is learning if she barks and she's not told speak, she gets corrected, but when she barks when she's told speak she gets praised and a treat. So barking unless she is told to is not profitable, and no fun.
Same with growling. It's not allowed. If she is growling playing with her toys, that's fine, growling at something she's heard? No. I'm going to correct her.
Sure she is spoiled when it comes to things like food, toys, clothes, accessories (because what girl doesn't need accessories?), but 2 lbs or 200 lbs, a dog is a dog, and they're going to be treated and trained like a dog. I won't have a dog acting like a nutcase on the end of the leash, and I'm not going to worry about my dog challenging the wrong dog and ending up in ER.
Some people are finding these stories of little dogs acting tough and bad to be adorable. I am cringing inside, because to me, this is horrible bad behavior and if it wasn't a small dog, it wouldn't be cute, it would be dangerous.
And it still is dangerous. A member's relative had their yorkie mauled because he attacked a pit bull. It seems to me this wouldn't have happened if the yorkie had been properly socialized and trained.
I was watching a court TV show, and someone's little dog got out and ran down two or three doors to attack a big dog, and the judge blamed the big dog, even though that dog was mind his own business, and on leash.
How many nasty little yappy dogs have we all known? Why is it "cute" when a little dog is nasty? Why aren't there more people appalled about the bad behavior of their dogs and the bad light it puts not just this breed in, but all little dogs?
I don't know. I guess it goes back to what I said in my first post here, I'm a dog owner, Pixie is my dog, not my furkid, not my baby, even if I might call her that on occasion. And because I look at her as a dog not a little 4 legged hairy person, it's not an issue for me to correct bad behavior. Which leads to my last thought.
No one would allow their "skin kid" to behave that badly, why is it OK for your "fur kid" to behave so badly?
Again, I don't know. And while Pixie is far from an angel, I know I won't have a spoiled little terror on my hands when she is an adult, because I will have trained her better. |