just venting

[leechlake]

Is it just me? I'm glad my wife never reads anything on this site so here goes. Every puppy we have (5 months old now) I get the pup going on the basic obedience stuff and am making progress and then things get derailed by a well meaning, but terrible dog training wife. Frankly, I've unsuccessfully trained my wife.

For example, pup has been trained to come to the whistle. Let her out to do her business. Wait a bit, trill on the whistle pup comes bolting back looking for a treat or praise. It's a thing of beauty. Wife can't find whistle, or frankly won't take the time to find one of the 8 laying around the house. Let's pup out and then calls her in, "Belle, get in here" dog stares at her. "Belle, don't run away." Dog stares at her. So wife goes and gets a box of dog biscuits and shakes the box. Now the dog is trained to come to shaking dog treats. I can see myself carrying around a box of milk bones the next twelve years in the field.

We've always had retrievers, 18 years, 5 different dogs. So the question is is training a wife harder than training a puppy?

[highlife4me]

Training a wife, I mean spouse is nothing like training a dog. You either get a good one or a bad one, some of them develope bad habits but I learned a long time ago it is easier to put up with it than try to change her. Maybe you should try shaking a box of chocolates every time she takes the pup out correctly!

[pikestabber]

So the question is is training a wife harder than training a puppy?

Training a puppy is possible. End quote.

[monstermoose78]

Should have got a pointing Chihuahua Leech!!

[ncesi]

LOL! I have had similar issues but eventually we all got on the same program. The shaking milk bone box made me laugh. My mom is the biggest issue as they live right next door to us and she has absolutely no idea of what training a dog is about. Our English Setter is now 15 and I gave up a few years ago. My mom is 76 so we will let them both live out their life the way they want to. The old dog used to chase the Grouse, rabbits and squirrels in the yard along with frogs for hours, Now he just sleeps on the couch. Possibly next time I will reach perfection or close in training my dog, but you still gotta love them both!! Good Luck. Next time you need something from the wife just pick up a box an shake at her and see how that works out for you. I know how it would work out for me and do not want to be seen in public with a black eye.

[ESSGuy]

I have found that as the dog gets older, as long as you don't let them get away with bad things, they learn to do as you want when your there. I ran 2 springers in field trials, steady to wing and shot, retrieve only when called with a wife who let them get away with being unsteady to retrieve. Stay patient.

[nofishfisherman]

Fortunately my wife and I are on the same page as far as training goes. For me the issue is both of our mothers. They are both at our house a lot and they have taught the dog so many bad habits. The dog now destroys every water bottle he can find because one of the mothers allowed him to play with one once while I was gone.

[Bobby Bass]

Having been married for thirty-seven years I feel that I got lucky. Just like a pup you are much better off if your wife like your dog selects you. As for dog training I have one really basic rule and that is before any commands given I say the dogs name like "Duncan come". I also train the dogs with group commands. Then I say "Boys come" or Boys Sit or Boys get away from that skunk.. The wife on the other hand does not address each dog by name and then wonders why they don't do what she wants them to do. Dogs are a lot like two year old boys, if you don't call them by name they think you are talking to someone else not them. The best or worse thing my wife does is whistle for the dogs to come to her. It is not a good strong whistle but it is some lame little whistle in the dark thing she does. Both the dogs and I look at her when she does it and all three of us shake our heads at her.

[leechlake]

Belle this Fall before learning "shake the box" training.

[jmd1]

My dogs go out and do what they want, run, bark, sleep, everything. My wife has trained me to chase after them to get them back in the house. Not sure who won in the deal but i think she and the dogs both did.

[BLACKJACK]

I've been married for 25 years and she's still a work in progress. One of my pet peeves is her running her car low on fuel. Driving it to work yesterday, its -9 out, the gauge is well below 1/4. What the heck, do you want to get stalled out here with a low tank of gas?? Or even in the summer, do you want to run out of gas and who knows what kind of creep will stop by to 'help'!! Is it really that hard and time-consuming to fill up the gas tank??

Back to the dog training, the pup will learn that you are the boss, being spoiled by the wife isn't the worst thing - at least she let you get a pup!!!