Saturday, November 24, 2007

Good dog.


Hiro has been living outdoors lately. By lately I mean, the last 6 months. But, when we brought her home we never intended for her to live outside and I’ve always felt guilty about it. We’ve just been a little overwhelmed with two kids and work and having our big lovable oafish puppy in the house just seemed like the least logical thing to do. But, as the nights have been getting colder we decided her move into the house was long overdue. The only problem? She has a few behavior issues. So, in desperation, we bought a buzzer collar (notice how I avoided the word “shock”?). Every time she indulges in her naughty behavior we make it sound off a little noise. If that doesn’t work, we then press the button to send a little buzzing nudge on her neck. Before you judge us as cruel and inhumane pet owners, try to imagine a 110 pound dog sneaking up and jumping on your back. It isn’t a pretty sight. Funny, yes. Pretty, no.

Much to our delight, she has responded wonderfully well to the collar. After a few little buzzes, she has basically learned not to do the things that cause the most damage. Chewing, jumping, rough-housing have all come to an end. As I type, she’s curled up at my feet snoring loudly. She’s loving the indoor life. And loves being part of the family again. Yeah, for Hiro. And, double yeah for super humane buzzer (shock) collars.

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