Confession of a secret yeller

DianeP · Jul 23, 2020

Are you a secret yeller? I am normally very calm and collected and do not believe in yelling at or correcting my pets. BUT, tonight I shrieked at Mindy for going nuts while we were trying to get out with the garbage. Boy! Feeling guilty!! Of course, my little girl didn’t really react one way or the other so maybe I didn’t sound as crazy as I felt!! Can anyone relate??

From there we went outside and she had a good play session with a friend.

GlennR · Jul 23, 2020

I will confess to losing my temper on occasion when Willow decides to bark at something perfectly normal in the house. Yelling has zero effectiveness for correcting. Distracting with a command or game or kibble can sometimes work. Willow has no shame about extorting kibble. She will bark if I open the windows or blinds unless I ask her to sit and then dole out a little kibble for each part of opening the windows, one for opening the curtains or raising the blind, one for unlatching the windows and pushing them open and a final one for drawing the screens across. I now understand the saying "Silence is golden" or at least the bargain for it requires the equivalent of gold to buy kibble with.

DianeP · Jul 23, 2020

Glad I’m not alone, Glenn! I feel lucky. Blinds and windows are one thing that Mindy doesn’t go crazy over. She’s got a long list of other things, though!

SheepOfBlue · Jul 23, 2020

I have at Spitfire when he is on a supreme bender. I learned it upsets Angus and well as the saying is "Spitfire does as Spitfire does".

Piper's mom · Jul 23, 2020

There have been times when Piper and Finnie are going crazy (like when I'm rushing to answer the phone or the door) and I've had to yell at them. Doesn't phase them at all and of course I feel guilty afterwards!

Caro · Jul 23, 2020

Love the title!

Shh, don't tell anyone because I'm meant to be a positive only trainer. But sometimes it's just too darn hard to be heard over the barking (esp when it was Deska - poor boy). And my dogs never think me yelling is joining in the bark, they know it's serious business. I defy anyone with a barking Sheltie to say they haven't yelled! How would you ever be heard?

But my dogs know, even more serious business is the sucking in of the breath - that's when mum is really mad.

ghggp · Jul 24, 2020

Caro said:
Love the title!

Shh, don't tell anyone because I'm meant to be a positive only trainer. But sometimes it's just too darn hard to be heard over the barking (esp when it was Deska - poor boy). And my dogs never think me yelling is joining in the bark, they know it's serious business. I defy anyone with a barking Sheltie to say they haven't yelled! How would you ever be heard?

But my dogs know, even more serious business is the sucking in of the breath - that's when mum is really mad.

Yeppers! When all three of mine decide to bark at once again do YELL quiet to be heard over them! Usually one QUIET will get their attention and the will subdue their exuberant vocalization!

Piper's mom · Jul 24, 2020

Haha...just last night I was in the kitchen and silly me I said out loud "did I just see a fly" as I was about to close a kitchen blind. Well...Finnie seemed to remember me killing a fly last year and just the word was enough to get him started and Piper...sheesh, you'd think the fly was his bestest friend I wanted to kill! I didn't have a fly swatter handy so had a tee towel just in case and I showed it to Piper (to settle him maybe?) and he tried to bite it

while Finnie was barking his head off! After a loud SETTLE!!! I put them in a down so I could look for said fly and all the while Finnie was whining and making loud yips. A whole lot of noise for nothing as I couldn't see any fly afterwards lol.

Caro · Jul 24, 2020

Piper's mom said:
Haha...just last night I was in the kitchen and silly me I said out loud "did I just see a fly" as I was about to close a kitchen blind. Well...Finnie seemed to remember me killing a fly last year and just the word was enough to get him started and Piper...sheesh, you'd think the fly was his bestest friend I wanted to kill! I didn't have a fly swatter handy so had a tee towel just in case and I showed it to Piper (to settle him maybe?) and he tried to bite it while Finnie was barking his head off! After a loud SETTLE!!! I put them in a down so I could look for said fly and all the while Finnie was whining and making loud yips. A whole lot of noise for nothing as I couldn't see any fly afterwards lol.

Oh god, the evil fly swatter. Just seeing it was enough to set Deska off, I had to wait until he was asleep before I could hunt down any flies. I feel the pain!

Piper's mom · Jul 24, 2020

Caro said:
Oh god, the evil fly swatter. Just seeing it was enough to set Deska off, I had to wait until he was asleep before I could hunt down any flies. I feel the pain!

Yes...just seeing the swatter will set both mine off! Kinda hard to sneak up on a fly lol!