When our 1st
son was preschool age we lived out on an acreage. There are very few outdoor
lights and when it got dark we always told him to come in. He would've played
outside 24/7 if he could. Then one night I forgot go get it and it was after dark. Dan, our 1st son, ran over and grabbed my
leg and said emphatically "don't go out there it's dark". I realized
then that we had taught him that it was dangerous to go out after dark. We
laughed and told him why we asked him to come in at dark.
Now we are
watching Atlas and have watched him since he was a puppy and Tom brought him home. When he was here he would always bark at anything that pulled into
our driveway no matter who it was except he wouldn't ever bark at his owner Tom. To
combat this we would emphatically tell him "it's Tommy, Tommy's
home"! Somehow we got the idea that whenever I said the word Tommy he was
supposed to bark. He still barks whenever I try to say that. Sometimes is funny
and sometimes I feel silly that I taught him the wrong thing.
Now he is here for a year while Tom is deployed.
We are home together during the day and I noticed he rarely barks at much
anymore. I started praising him went somebody would come by like the mail
person. I would tell him he was a good boy and would say it multiple times. Then
yesterday I thought I should tell him he's a good boy even if no one's going
by. When I said it to him he immediately jumped up on high alert and looked out
the windows to see who was walking by that he was missing. I guess I've taught him that when he's a good boy it's because somebody's going by and he is missing
them to bark at. I would say silly dog and silly Phil!
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