Millie is starting to get a huge ego from getting to go to dog shows. She does fine at the shows (though there's only ever been one other bitch in our class, which we did beat--sorry Carra!), but when we come home, she has what appears to be an inflated sense of self, and imposes that on the others.
We hadn't been to a show since Maury County the end of March. I had my Lap-Band surgery in April, so showing that month was not an option. Our first show was in Jackson a few weekends ago. We just went for Saturday, so we spent the day hanging out with our friends. The week after Jackson, Millie got bold at initiating fights for no other reason than to establish her dominance. Yeah, I get to go out and do fun stuff and you don't. I win, I'm at the top of the totem pole! I believe I posted earlier about her being mean to Tuesday as an example of this behavior.
Millie and Map got to go to Harriman this past weekend for another show. We stayed in a motel, we had a great set up for grooming (like an apartment in our horse stall! Loved it!) and the girls were incredibly well behaved. Yeah, because we were out of the house and unless we're in The Den, they tend to not fight over pack order.
Today, I have not been able to let Millie out with anyone except Jack. When out, she makes a beeline for Map, hackles raised and puts her chin on her back. Yeah, Map. We were buddy buddy while out of town, but this house is MINE!
The picture above shows her antagonizing Tuesday and Map, while they were chilling out in their room. She jumped up on the couch so she could look down on them, growling. Tuesday was trembling (I don't think she was afraid, she just tends to be quivery by nature) and I went in their room to love on her. At that point, Millie launched herself from her perch and went after Tuesday.
For the love of Mike, give it a rest already.
Needless to say, she didn't get to stay out for long. Now she's in her Millie proof x-pen bedroom. I reinforced it today with brackets and then used a bungee to keep her from being able to move it. She's not happy, but at least she can't attack the others just for fun.
I'm excited, though: I'm waiting to schedule a one on one consultation with Kat from Dogs & Kat. She's a certified dog trainer and animal behaviorist. A guy from work has taken his dog there and that dog is amazing! Part of it is the intensity in which Tian works with his corgi, Jack. But Tian never owned a dog before and Jack's behavior is a testament to Kat's ability to train not only the dogs but their owners. She also focuses on positive reinforcement techniques. This is good because I'm at the point of wanting to strangle Millie a la Homer and Bart Simpson.
We're going to do a behavior consult, hopefully in the home, in the next few weeks. I can't wait! I don't have a problem keeping the girls separated (I have four zones set up in my open concept living area where they can be separated and unable to fight, but be in the same room with me), but would rather everyone get along.
I'm sure there will be lots of posts as we start training, documenting the trials and tribulations. And hopefully the successes, too!
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