Dog-Park Adventures 3: Obedience School

Harley is going to Obedience School on the double.

He might not look it, but he is a Holy Terror.

He escaped numerous times this weekend AND terrorized all the other dogs, even the big ones. He is so bad, and he always does what he wants.

Why is it that I can manage 30-100 teens at any given time but I can't manage a seven pound dog?

Even our secret talks don't make a difference. This is where I put him on his side and tell him "Mama is very upset with you and you are a bad dog. Now stop it." Plus I add in death threats if he has been really bad.

He doesn't care. He's the James Dean of Maltese dogs. He would smoke, ride a Harley and wear chaps, if he could.

No wonder other dogs won't come into the Little Dog Park when we are there - they can sense his evil nature.

Yesterday, the park was freezing but that was no deterrent to the Bad Boy. He ran up and down the fence, peeing, smelling everything and chasing all the dogs on the other side. By the way, they are instigators, I might add - they are running with him, so it may not totally be all his fault.

BUT, he is the one who starts the barking - he gets so excited, he just starts barking and howling. Then I have to get involved and tell him off. So then come our secret talks.

Harley doesn't even listen. He thinks he is the size of a Rottweiler or Great Dane. He is more like Scrappy Doo.

At the park today, Harley decided he was going to squish out through the gate. He is quite good at that. Then I started to have a heart attack because the park is right by a busy road and Harley just bolts. And he. does. not. listen. to. me. at. all.

So I yelled at him but that taste of freedom was just too much. I am VERY lucky he didn't run onto the road but that little leg came up and the pee went all over the flower pot. I don't even care about the flower pot, really, but I could strangle the dog.

This was after being at my friend's house, in the backyard, when the gate swung open and Houdini bolted out and ran across the lawn and all around the front yard. Of course, I thought he was a dead duck but luckily, he stopped to pee on the electrical box.

At Gregoire Lake, he barked at and tried to chase all the dogs on the beach and on the trails. It's not that he hates them or wants to hurt them, he wants them to notice him. When he is off leash, he just smells the dogs and doesn't necessarily even want to play with them. If they want to chase him, great, but if not, that's ok, too. It's as if he wants to talk, but the barking and lunging is unacceptable. It doesn't matter that he is small.

I have worked with him on the 'Come' and 'Stay' commands but he absolutely refuses to do them, even for treats. Obviously, I don't know what I am doing.

So, Obedience School it is. Or no more Doggie Playworld for him if other dogs are there - it's turning into Harley's Stomping Grounds of Terror for everyone except him, because he is having the time of his life terrorizing everyone and everything.

Harley - alone at the park except for the bugs and the wind. This is how it will always be until he can behave himself.