Lulu Learns to Listen to and Respect Her Owners

Lulu is a one-year-old Pug who misbehaves, especially when not getting the full attention of her owners.

When I arrived for the session I was surprised at how athletic Lulu was. I have worked with a number of Pugs before and usually they are only athletic in short spurts. Not Lulu, she sprinted around the room with an abundance of energy.

Her owner explained that when the had her fixed, they also worked on her nose which improved her breathing capabilities. If you are considering a pug, I would highly recommend this surgery.

Because Lulu had a history of misbehaving, I suggested that her owners incorporate a more structured lifestyle. Many of my clients mistake rules and boundaries as being somehow mean to the dog. When in fact, most dogs feel more comfortable when they know exactly what they are and are not allowed to do.

While Lulu is a lap dog, that doesn’t mean she has the right to jump into any lap she pleases. To help her understand this change, I suggested that her owner’s prohibit her from being on the furniture for a month. I showed them how Lulu asks if she can get on the couch and the proper way to say no. It took a few corrections, but after that, Lulu gave up on her attempts to get up on the furniture.

Next I suggested a few boundaries to help her remember that she can’t always do anything she wants. Because eating is such an important and primal activity for dogs, I recommended that Lulu was not allowed into the kitchen or dining room when the family was eating.

Because these rooms had a wood floor while the adjoining room was carpeted, it was pretty easy for Lulu to understand the edge of her allowed space. It only took a few corrections to keep Lulu from entering the dining room. By practicing this boundary for each meal over the next week, Lulu will learn to respect their owner’s wishes.

While these changes are minor to the humans in the home, they had a big impact on Lulu. By the end of the session, she was noticeably calmer and much more responsive to her owner’s commands and corrections. With a week or two of practice, these new behaviors will become her default behavior.