When good dogs go down the wrong path...

Now, lest anyone think Ranger is an angel... Oh, he's not.  He's a good dog - dont get me wrong.  95% of the time he's a really good dog; 3% of the time he's got some work to do - and that last 2%?  Oh, watch out, cause he has a mind and will of his own!

Enter... last Saturday. 

Last Saturday we got a call to go help with the last day of an Eagle Scout project.  Now, I would've done it anyway because we like to support the scouts - but this was special because its one of Baby Brother's best friends, and I love him to death, so of course I'm going to go across the street to help.  Of course, being 1 day out of the hospital, Ranger is going with me. 

Of course, THIS is one of those 2% days!

Ranger is off-lead but I have a hold of his collar and have his leash attached to me because I'm not sure WHO is at the scout cabin - but if its all people he's really comfortable with well then, he's fine and I dont have to worry.  Even have his little mat and his antler.  Sounds perfect, right?

The scout cabin is across the street, behind the library.  As we're walking, he sees a pre-teeny-bopper at the library and, amazingly, makes no motion towards her.  I'm really glad because I have a hold of his collar and that would've been *bad*.  We get to the cabin - we walk inside - its all people he knows really well - I let go of the collar - he takes off out the door.

Now, my *GOOD* Ranger knows not to go out doors without me.  He knows *I* go out first.   My *GOOD* Ranger knows that he is supposed to stay right next to me...  demon Ranger is a WHOLE other entity.

Ok so I try to page-recall him on his ecollar (with a vibrate) while I'm walking to the door.  My GOOD Ranger would come haulin' butt back.  THIS Ranger, ignores me.  I get to the door, pull out the 'Ranger Come.' and wait as he thinks about it.  - This earns him a quick nick shock on his ecollar.  Whe momma says 'come' - you dont stop and THINK about it.  That doesnt work for me.  So, yeah he comes back.  Great.  He gets TO the door - and turns around and takes off back down the block - again - me standing there muttering about him and glue factories... Again, a page to the eCollar as I'm giving him a recall - because this time, I'm past "not playing around."   And still, he thinks about it.  Another nick and he's coming back to me.  Repeat once more and I'm out of patients and too tired and weak to care.  FOURTH time I JUST about get my hand on his collar and he walks in the door way 2 steps turns around and waltzes RIGHT PAST ME and out the door.   Luckily, for me I was ready this time and as he stepped through the doorway, he got a 10-second continuous zap.  Now, its not at ALL common for me to use the 'cont' function on our ecollars.  I almost never do.  Why did I this time?  Because running out the door is dangerous - for him and for me.  Running down the block, equally as dangerous.  It is unacceptable.  Not coming back on a recall, again, dangerous and unacceptable. 

So back he comes, of course I tell him he's a good boy for coming back - through gritted teeth - but that leash is snapped on *so* fast even the others in the room were shocked! 

For 2 days Ranger sat in the hospital room with me and was pretty good, all things considered.  By the end of day one he'd staked his claim on the room and started to alert to the door opening and people coming and going.  I wasnt thrilled, but its his job - he was doing what he's supposed to do - alert and shut up.  I can live with that.  I was more upset by it and about the possibility of bothering the other patients/nurses/etc.  But, really, he didnt have to WORK for anything.   Two days with no work and no real exercise... I should've known better and realized he was going to be pushing his limits, but I didnt think about it honestly. 

SO, he's on puppy probation.  He's reminded through my actions that he's NOT the pack leader, all things come from me, and he MUST pay attention and listen to me.  First order of business, he's been kicked off the bed and relegated back to the floor.  Why?  Because in dog world, being on the bed is being equivolent or higher than I am in the pack order - Nuh uh.  He has to stay on the floor.   He's tethered to me.  Why?  Because he needs to be reminded to *watch* me, *stay* with me - he goes where *I* go and *I* go first.   He's sleeping in his crate - because he needs to re-earn the privilege of sleeping out of the crate.   He can slowly earn these things back - he wont be on probation for ever.  But right now, he's got to learn he's not in charge and he doesnt call the shots. 

Around here we employ a training philosophy called 'Nothing In Life Is Free' or NILIF.  He has to work for food, praise, treats, playtime... he has to give me something.  Sometimes its a sit/wait or sit/down and stay.  Sometimes its a set of puppy pushups (down, sit, stand, down, stand, etc).   In the wild, he'd have to hunt his food and work for it.  His brain is wired that way.  He needs to keep it busy.

He's starting (slowly) to fall back in line.  Its one of those things with this kind of dog - you have to stay on top and hold your place.  You have to keep them busy - mentaly and physically - or the "inmates" will be running the show!