Shitzu personality

Question
Hi,

I have added a second Shitzu to the family, I have had her since she was 8 weeks old...she is very different than our first dog...which is fine but I am having trouble communicating with her...when she misbehaves...she seems oblivious to displeasure, tone of voice seems to be lost on her...she is very happy...always wagging her tail...she DOES come right away when you call her...other than that she seems spacey, I have read that this breed is stubborn, our first was unique in that he is VERY obedient and has never had an issue except he was hard to housebreak...but has not even required a leash...anyway...any suggestions on effective discipline for our girl?

Answer
The first thing I would recommend, Sherry, is to begin the "Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF)" technique, with >>both<< dogs. NILIF is a non-confrontational way to achieve and maintain alpha status over the dogs, by requiring that they perform some sort of command to earn petting, treats, food, having the leash put on for a walk, going out the door, being let up on the furniture, etc. You can find lots of information about NILIF if you do a search for it at http://www.yahoo.com

I recommend NILIF to all dog owners, but especially so in cases where it seems the dog does not recognize that the owner is the leader of the pack. That's what it seems like with your girl.

I would also recommend that you consider enrolling with her in a beginner's obedience course, so that she can bond with you and again, learn that you are in charge and that she should respect you. You did not say what sort of things you were wanting to correct, but if verbal tone does not get the message across, you're going to have to start using a physical aversive as well as the harsh tone of voice. By physical aversive, I mean a correction using a quick snap of the leash, being squirted with a stream of water/white vinegar solution, or other such things that your dog does not particularly like. Pairing a verbal correction with a physical one teaches the dog respect for the verbal correction. Soon, that will be all you need to use, because she will figure out that if she doesn't respond to the verbal, the physical is going to follow.