Smooth Collies, Border Collies, Danish-Swedish Farmdog

How To Create A Brat

Tatum Mat

Tatum Mat

For some reason Tatum just touched my heart as soon as she came into our home and I couldn’t let her go.  That was just over a year now.

I’m a strong leader of my dog pack.  The dogs stay in line, listen to me, do as I say, and respect me as leader. Even the pit bull we fostered for a week respected me. She was a great dog and I didn’t let her get away with any crap. I treated her with love and respect too and got the same in return.

With my collies, though, I tend to spoil them. Levi used to be the worst, but now Tatum is.  And I just thought I would make a funny post of the things I have done with her that have caused her to think a bit too highly of herself!

So don’t do these things… because they are things I’ve done to create a spoiled girl!

  1. Whenever you are sitting on the couch, and your dog stares at you because she wants a spot, don’t make room for her! You will create a dog that will whine and carry on until she gets a spot on the couch! (Actually Levi does this but Tatum is getting closer.)
  2. Don’t give her a treat whenever you are eating or whenever she asks for it!
  3. Don’t take her everywhere with you or she’ll never learn how to be comfortable when she’s alone.
  4. Don’t dress her in pink sweaters and matching pink collars… ooo wait, Tatum has these!
  5. Don’t baby her when touching her feet and she hates it. Be firm, put her on a grooming table, and be firm with her feet. She’ll be fine!

So yes, Tatum is spoiled! But she’s a good girl and she is learning. And with her, it was necessary to raise her confidence. She was a very frightened girl when she came to live with us.  I had everyone give her treats so she reached the point where she wasn’t as afraid of people. I grab her collor and walk with her because she was so very collar shy.

Dogs are great to train, I am fascinated by each dog and how individual they are when they learn. It’s just a good thing that Tatum is not a pit bull or a large forceful breed. She’s a collie, and while she does have her overindulgences, I know her limits and mine and what I can let her get away with and what I cannot let her get away with.

She’s still my baby girl and I’ll spoil her for her whole life!

Cynthia
January 18, 2009
Tatum, Training
8 Comments
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  • http://featherfurfin.com Flo

    It is so funny to read that because I’m going through the same thing with my bird. I’ve had Sammy almost a year now. When we got him he was very scared and frightened of everything. Over the past months I’ve been kind of indulgent with him because I want him to gain more confidence. Well, he’s getting confident and now he’s getting demanding. Now comes the tricky part. I can’t abruptly change my behavior or he won’t trust me but I have to start introducing discipline. The next year is going to be interesting.

    Flos last blog post..Camera Critters

  • http://www.resqtails.com Marie

    Well, Zoe says that your list is incomplete. She says that a truly spoiled dog needs her own water cup to drink out of on road trips, and if you don’t remember that you should be prepared to share yours. LOL

    Maries last blog post..Walking in Winter

  • http://tangerinestudio.blogspot.com maggie

    see .. to late .. been there done that have the brats!!

  • http://www.loneblackspider.com/ Chris

    I think this works for Cats too. We found out that Chloe loves chicken! Now she can smell it when we cook it and is right there eating off our plate if we let her! Dogs and Cats are smarter than we know ! We are going to be a little more carefull w/the Porterhouse :)

    Chriss last blog post..Monday Already

  • http://SheltieTales.com SheltieJim

    Well, I fail miserably at your point 1. Until pretty recently, if “my” couch was occupied by several dogs, I’d just sit on the floor :) Even now, Alex gets extremely demanding (and vocal) when his path from the floor to the back of the couch isn’t clear enough for his taste. (And Chuy is barking his fool head off right now because I’m in the office and he’s out in the hallway. Sigh…)

    SheltieJims last blog post..Today’s Happenings

  • http://thethreedogblog.com the three dog blogger

    Our Dogs have been quite good since I implemented the “no Dogs on furniture” rule, but things have begun to slip a little.

    Time to do a bit more training I believe. And i’m still waking up to a sneaky puppy under the bed clothes in the morning!

    the three dog bloggers last blog post..Nine Ways You Can Kill A Dog

  • http://mattstratton.com Matt

    Thanks for the comment about Scout…I’ve definitely added your blog to my RSS reader, as we’re fascinated with agility and keep threatening to put Scout into agility classes so that he has an outlet for his energy.

    Matts last blog post..Tax, Title, and License

  • Donald

    My kids just brought home a brand new puppy the other day and now I am learning how to deal with aggressive dog behaviors I have been on your site for over an hour. Great information…