Quote Originally Posted by Giselle View Post
What treats, specifically, have you tried?

Many dogs dislike biscuit/wheat-heavy treats like dog cookies. My Peke refuses to eat them. I don't blame him. He's a carnivore by nature. So, whenever people tell me their dog doesn't like treats, about 98% of the time, they're referring to cookies, biscuits, etc.

To this day, I've never really seen a healthy dog refuse a fresh piece of boiled chicken, liver, beef, lamb, duck, ham, etc. Have you tried real meat? If not, do it!

Also, re: potty training. Your plan sounds absolutely fine to me. That's how Giselle is potty trained, more or less. I release her into the yard every few hours and bring her back in about 20 minutes later. That's how she was raised at the race track, and that's how she understands potty training at home. No big deal

Re: general behavior: Okay, honestly, your dog sounds perfect. She doesn't wander, she doesn't chew, she isn't hyperactive. She sounds wonderful! However, if you want to engage her in something exciting, consider taking her for a jog or entering obedience/agility/flyball/herding classes. Shelties are awesome awesome dogs. You will go far with her once you understand what does and doesn't motivate her
I've tried soft treats, cheese, meat, random table scraps, chicken liver, all that stuff most dogs love. My other dogs will do ANYTHING for a piece of turkey. The only thing she's shown even a slight interest in are the little alphabet cookies you buy by the pound at Petco. She'll at least take one and put it in her mouth, chew it, but will then spit it out and just stare at it. She's also a picky eater with her regular food. It has to be the kind you get at costco, and I have to put it in a cup with some water, and nuke it in the microwave until its warm and stinky before she'll even TOUCH it. She's just picky.

Okay, good ^_^ Whenever people talk about house training a dog, they always mention how you should keep them on a leash, train them the word, all that stuff, and to never leave them unattended cause you won't know if they went or not. According to some people, my method of house training is very bad, but she's pretty impossible to train the traditional way.

I guess I'm just so used to dogs like my german shepherd and my other mutt who CONSTANTLY need to be amused and entertained. Really, Lyra is pretty low maintinence compared to those guys. xP

I do take her for a daily walk, but I would really like to teach her some minor agility(it would have to be light, because of her limp), though I have no clue how to teach it. I definately look into joining a class for it though, it would be great fun for both of us, I'm sure.