Questions for Carrie

[Pam]

Well Carrie I have been listening to your sage advice for months and months on end and I thought I would just pick your brain a little on a behavior of Bella's that could use some improving. She simply has to unroll the bathroom tissue off the roll any time she goes in there! In her frenzy to get to the end of the roll, so she can start pulling it to her heart's content, she often bites through a few layers before she gets it started. I am sure the makers of Cottonelle are quite pleased and see no problem here, because we go through quite a bit of it, but we do. What we have started doing is keeping the bathroom doors closed. We have told her 1,000 times not to do this but to no avail. It almost seems to be a compulsion at this point. I know what you are probably going to say and I already agree with you "Stop letting that dog control the bathroom door! It is your door and it should be able to stay open!" Am I close? haha! That said, (and I know you would be totally correct to say that) how do I get her to stop this? So far "no" is not getting the point across. I am sure she looks at it as a game now even though we are on opposing teams with her on this one! Anyway, I am joining so many others who have benefitted from your advice and training tips.

[ September 03, 2001: Message edited by: Pam ]

[carrie]

Pam, you don't need advice at all!!
That was like talking to myself! That is what I would say.

If you want her to stop this you have to make it less fun for her.
You can do this several ways. Put her on a lead and take her to the bathroom. As soon as she starts on th loo roll you choose which method is most likely to get her attention.
1 - Water spray
2 - Can of pennies or stones
3 - Lead correction

Use your voice as well. "No, leave it!"
As soon as she leaves the loo roll, "Good girl."
When she is safe on the lead leave a can of pennies or stones by the bathroom door so you can give it a good shake if she returns to this behaviour when off the lead.

Or...you could shut the bathroom door!

[Pam]

Carrie thank you! I don't know why I didn't think of the water spray and penny can. I know you have mentioned them before for correcting other behaviors. No reason to think they wouldn't work in the bathroom just as well! We will certainly give them a try. I know the water spray worked really well when the kitties were small and needed to learn a thing or two!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Dad's gonna get a Super-Soaker when they go on sale .

[ownerof3dogs]

Originally posted by Cinder & Smoke:
<STRONG>Dad's gonna get a Super-Soaker when they go on sale .</STRONG>

yea, could you get me one too?

[karen israel]

Pam....don't you know???? It's a PAPER DEFICIENCY! Toilet paper, kleenex, yum, yum! Pammy..just keep the door closed!!! LOL! Too funny! Sorry!
Phred..after all the swimming your pair has done, they'll probably LOVE the super soaker and be nawty dawgs just to get wet!!!

[carrie]

Cinder and Smokey....don't let Dad see this and don't spread it around too much....but you CAN have some really great fun with the water guns. It is really funny to see us humans react when we think we are telling you off and you have a ball with it! Try it with Dad and just watch his face!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Aw, Nutz! Dad peeked an saw Carrie's note.
Now he sez we're jest gonna get a liddel pistol sqwerter an try it out. We were plannin on swimmin inna house.

[Pam]

Carrie I let hubby read your suggestions and he reminded me that Bella loves to run through the sprinkler on the lawn. She would probably be thrilled to get a good squirt! He's probably got a point there! I better start collecting my pennies.

Cinder & Smoke...my son has a super soaker and the cats have great respect for that thing! He has never used it on them but they know what comes out of it!! They even run when they see the Windex bottle being used!

[RachelJ]

Fortunately for me that spray bottle works wonders with Hannah. I hide it behind my back as I approach for the element of surprise (i.e. if she knew I had it she would take off before I could get her with it), but now she sees me with a hand behind my back and puts two and two together. It is hard to stay one step ahead of "the poodle in her".

[Edwina's Secretary]

Carrie, if a cat companion is allowed to participate on this board....

This morning at 3:30 am when unable to sleep I got to thinking about you advice that dogs not sleep on your bed (unless they have thier own pillow, right?) I assume that doesn't go for cats or else my Edwina (COTD, May 2, 2001) will be most unhappy.

Anyway, where she sleep seems to depend on the temperature. We were a bit warm last night so she was next to me but not right on me. When it is cooler she snuggles the crook of my legs and when it is downright cold she gets close to my heart for more warmth. That got me to thinking about the expression - or rock group -- Three Dog Night. (remember it WAS 3:30 am.) I recall that to refer to some olden custom of the colder the night, the more dogs you had in bed with you.

So how does that square with not letting dogs sleep on the bed?

[carrie]

I like that one, a three dog night.

Mmmmm, I guess that if you had no central heating, few blankets and no quilt on a cold night and you had spent the day working the three dogs to the strictist of order then I would say it wouldn't matter too much. They have been treated as dogs all day and are very much aware of and secure in their position in relation to the owner (status wise - not pillow wise!).
Cats? - Mmmmmm....well, I love them, I don't pretend to know anything very much about them!!