Every day, Pretzel is both a sweetheart and the terror of the neighborhood.
Pretzel is a Cockapoo with two owners.
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One of Pretzel’s owners – let’s call her Debbie – loves Pretzel. The dog is on her lap every time she sits. Pretzel follows her around the house, even when she is in the bathroom. Debbie swears that she and Pretzel have a really good relationship. special linkthat they communicate with each other without words, that they are soulmates.
Pretzel’s other owner – Dave – treats Pretzel like the little brother he never had. Dave gets on the ground with Pretzel and struggle with him, have him”all irritated” as Debbie says. Besides an occasional walk, Dave entrusts the feeding and care of the pretzel to Debbie.
That’s why Debbie doesn’t understand the way Pretzel acts towards her. Despite all the time she spends with him, he runs in the opposite direction when she calls for him to come. He barks at her when she’s on the phone. When she takes him for a walk, he strains so hard against the collar that he leans to the side, panting and choking. If he sees something – a car, a jogger, a child, another dog – he stands on his hind legs, howling and continuing on his way while Debbie frantically tries to push him away.
And of course, much to Debbie’s humiliation and frustration, Dave can walk Pretzel just fine, thank you. Also, Pretzel usually listens to him, especially when Dave is very loud. Since Dave doesn’t spend much time with Pretzel, Dave insists that the problem is with Debbie, not the dog.. So Debbie secretly and quietly calls the coaches, and when she hires me, she insists on paying me in advance (hey, no problem!) using his own credit card so Dave doesn’t know the cost.
I meet the two owners but get important details from Pretzel. Here is the list of house rules from Pretzel’s point of view:
Debbie’s Rules Dave’s Rules
Do what you want, do what you want unless I yell at you
Take care of me; I need you, take care of yourself unless I yell at you
Let me caress you and kiss you. Let me pretend you’re not a frou Frou dog
Be my constant companion Leave me alone unless I call you
Pretzel is not sure of any other rules – sometimes he has to hold his leash, sometimes not. Sometimes it’s okay to bark, sometimes it’s not. So Pretzel doesn’t sit on a leash and he barks all the time, because 9 times out of 10, no one seems to care anyway.
If this sounds a bit like parenting, it is. The pretzel gets mixed messages of its owners and acts accordingly.
Training can be effective with any dog – even those who seem to have split personalities – as long as both owners are a good listener. same page.