Yes Connie. It really pisses me off that they do not respect what I'm doing at all. I don't want to start a fight with them. My wife knew I was pretty upset. I mad it clear that my next dog the rules will be followed 110% of the time. I'm sick of fixing all the mess ups with my current female. I do work a lot and cant control the whole thing while I'm not home.
I'm making a big investment and giving many hours of my time for this. They need to respect that, and my wife does. I wouldn't ever go to someones house and give their dogs commands. My next dog will be crated when I'm at work, I work 12 hour days, but I'm trying to come up with a plan for the wife. As in letting it outside to run some, potty, etc, but it goes back in the crate after that so it's not running around the house and stuff all day. I will always have it on a 20-30ft line when its outside and in the house for awhile.
I just have to make sure everyone is on the same page before I get this pup and that we follow the rules all the time. All it takes is a " well it will be okay to let him do this one time". It's stuff like that I will have to be firm on.

I was seriously to the point where I was going to give up on Meeka and just start fresh with my next pup. Maybe It was because so many things have gone wrong with Meeka, as in, we will be doing great, following all the rules, then things slack off and i start finding toys laying around, come home to Meeka in our bed, feeding table scraps, the list could go on.
Meeka does get really excited when we have visitors but is getting a lot better. I mean a lot. When my father in law comes over, he gets her SO excited that I can't even control her. I will tell her to down, then he starts playing with her again. Very frustrating. I dont want to be a total ass and get on bad terms with them. But I think I'm going to have to talk to them. Especially when before I get my next dog.

We have had problems with my parents as well.

With Eddie I have had to put my foot down, I've yelled at them, and made it really clear that they can't do certain things with him...but they still "forget".
I'm almost 40, and they still treat me like since they are the parent the know better in all things.

A lesson in how not to treat my children when they are adults.

Study up on operant conditioning....to use on your inlaws.
It works great.

Jeremy,
Why in the world do you think that anything will be any different for the new pup then it has been/or is working out with your present dog?

It doesn't matter if the father inlaw is your sugar daddy, you've got to step up and tell him, leave the g*d damn dog alone for crying out loud! Damn it, get your own dog if you want to have a play mate.
Doesn't matter how you put it, just step up. Be a man or woman, whatever......
Unbelievable.



Got a good story of operant conditioning on people if you want to hear it.

 Quote: randy allen

Got a good story of operant conditioning on people if you want to hear it.

NOOOOOOO!!!!!

Just kidding. I'm all ears.

Sure...Lets hear it. I will step up to the plate. We have only been married for almost 2 years. So I'm still figuring them out. Crates in my spare room is where the dogs will be when I have company.

If you don't get this boundary worked out with the dog..think about what will happen with the kids......get it worked out now.....your dog, your rules.....

Okay guys I'll play along, where's my story.

My other half has a son that's married to a woman that you only read about. She talks incessantly. I'm mean on and on and on. It doesn't matter about what, it's on and on and on and on. She just never stops.
It was when I was in the middle of Karen Pryor's book when they stop in for a visit one Sunday afternoon. I listened for a while, (believe it or not very politely) and then I got this idea......
I quietly got up off the couch and brought out my shotgun. Ahem pause.
I started breaking it down, the babble resumed.
I calmly cleaned and oil the gun all the while this valley girl idiot is wasting air on something or another.
I reassemble the gun and leaving the gun behind, calmly get up and walk back in with a box of shells.
Eh eh, pause. I ask if any body needs anything, blah blah blah. Nope everyones happy.
Idiot box starts in again. I take a shell out of the box and lovingly slide it into the chamber.
Aah, heavenly silent again! I pull it back out and lay it down.
A couple of minutes later shes back at again.
This time I watch her with intent when I pick the shell....Slight puase. Starts talking again.
Watching her all the while I slide the #4 goose load slowly into the chumber.....pause....I pull it back out....she starts talking again....staring glazy eyed I slide it back in.

Gee before you know it she wasn't saying anything inless she had something to say!
Imagine that.

Karen Pryor would be proud.

Thats pretty good Randy