Joule is a maniac and one of the things we have been working hard on is developing her self control. This was hard when she was younger but now she is beginning to grasps the concept. She learned long ago that she was not to rush out the door without being invited to do so. However, that still continues to be a problem when company arrives. She gets into such a frenzy she just rushes out and buzzes all around them as they enter the house. Obviously, we need more work on this. I want to work on her stay at the door but will wait until she is a little better at holding still so that there will be an opportunity to do the right thing (if even for a few seconds) and be rewarded.
One of the things we do to reinforce that good things come to those who wait are Joule's feeding time exercises. She is fed second. She must go to the mat in front of the sink and lay down, elbows, chest, belly and hocks flat on the floor. There she must stay until she is released. I have been gradually lengthening her waiting time although I won't make it too long. I don't want to punish her, just make her control herself a bit and not indulge in a frenzied pre-feeding frenzy. When she is released, she must go to where she gets fed and do a nice, straight obedience style sit and once she does that, dinner is served. Originally, we started with sitting on the mat rather than the down position but because I was working on her downs, I asked her to switch. She is well patterned and offers the down so now it's time to mix it up a bit and ask for something else. Again, I don't intend this to be a punishment even if it sounds strict. Joule is a very drivey, motivated, energetic dog and she needs to be worked and challenged to keep her from going off the rails and getting into trouble.
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