Q & A With Our Very Own Dog Trainer

This week, we have a question from a reader for our fantastic dog trainer, Inger Martens, about a stubborn rescued welsh corgi. Let’s see if Inger can help!

Question:

We recently adopted LeeLoo from a welsh corgi rescue. She came with the disclaimer of not getting along well with other dogs. That disclaimer has since proved to be true. We know it will take time and patience but our biggest problem is..

Stubbornness! She gets an idea stuck in her head and she doesn’t drop it! We can’t seem to shake her concentration once she is ‘on’ something. People/noises/food on the ground/other dogs-we can’t snap her out of it! She is very headstrong, as most corgis are, but we need new ideas! We’ve tried “hey”, “eh” and even a clicker. She wants nothing to do with any of them! We hope once we can find the way to get her attention, we can work better with her to solve her other problems, like not getting along with dogs.

*SRS*

“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

Hunter S. Thompson

Answer:

Hi “Corgi with attitude” owner’s!

The one thing I can say about the Welsh Corgi’s is they are super SMART. Therefore, with smart can come boredom, if not challenged. I see your Hunter S Thompson quote.. I think she’s turned pro. : )
So therefore… you need to too! I mean you need to see her not as stubborn or headstrong but rather creative. Give her a new game play called training. Here is a super quick tip. Training on a leash is the best way to get your dog to look at you. Walk her around for 10 minutes a day “on leash” in the house. This exercise will create eye contact. By the way, “hey” is for horses. “eh” is Canandian and the clicker? Well, that may be o.k. for trick training, I guess.. but in my book that method does not apply very well to daily life with your dog. Givie her a ton of exercise and baby gate her in a central part of your house for ” chew bone” time (for 20 minutes or so) will help teach her to chill out, over time.

Here’s a training treat for you! Play a game of “hide and seek” with her in the house. It’s not just a random game. It’s name recognition game and I have a few dog owner rules.
You need two people for this game. One person should put her on a leash and guide her to an area in your house. The other takes a dog treat and hides in another room crouched down. Please don’t hide in a closet your dog has to be able to find you. The person who is out of site begins calling the dogs name repeatedly in a happy voice. The person holding the dog ( should take the leash off but hold on to her collar) then on the fourth call of her name the person holding her, let’s her go! The person hiding should continue calling her name until she finds you. Then have her “sit” and give her the treat. This training game gets YOU out of chanting ” hey.” and it gives her a way of seeking you out (based on her name) and tunes her back in to you!

-Inger

We hope Inger’s advice comes through for Leeloo! Good luck with the rescued pup!

Have a question???? Email us at [email protected] or check out more tips from Inger on her website!

[Image via AP Images.]