Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Peanut's Wednesday Weekly - Tell me what?!

Last week I mentioned I have a problem with barking a lot. Mom yells occasionally because I drive her crazy. I'm just being a good watch-dog and she thinks the things I bark at are silly.
I beg to differ...
  • Blowing leaves? or tiny burglar?
  • Wind and rain? or sneaky squirrel attack?
  • Branch falling on roof? or someone pretending to be an early santa claus?
  • Innocent wildlife searching for food outside my window? or devious little creatures of nature looking for a way into the house to wreak havoc?
  • Beeping appliance? or alien invasion via kitchen products? - hey we live near the hot spot of Pine Bush NY UFO sightings so you never know.
While my diligence and skills are not appreciated by my human parents, I still keep up my hard work.
Now this past week has been different. My mom sat me down on Friday and explained that we needed to have a talk. She said she loves me very much and that I am a valuable and irreplaceable part of the family... but that I need to tone down on the barking.
To accomplish this they are going to try and teach me to speak on command, using a hint from mycorgi.com. Instead of the word "Speak" ( so overdone in my opinion) they are going to use "Tell me".
Every time I bark I will hear them say "tell me!" and I get a small treat. OK , I'm willing to humor them. However don't you think its a bit redundant? After all I'm TRYING to tell them something when I bark, they just aren't listening. Ehhhh... it's extra treats for me, so who am I to complain.
Now for a bigger laugh get a load of part 2 of this 'master plan'. Once I've associated "Tell me!" with positive reinforcement and treats.. then I'll be taught the opposite using the command (eh hem... 'request' is more polite) of "Quiet" or "Hush".
I see this working immediately ....don't you?

What? I don't look innocent and believable? Why you silly people, OF COURSE I'm being sincere... how could you NOT think that I am being 100% agreeable and a loving and well mannered Corgi.
I'll let you know how this goes in future posts.
For this weeks fun corgi note.. check out the Happy Birthday Cogi Chorus.

2 comments:

ncp said...

Your mom is being too demanding!! My mommy thinks I am cute when I bark, but my dad on the other hand, doesn't seem to understand that I only bark when I sense impending danger!!!!

Lets work on training your mom.
Remember, tilt your head alittle when you bark and give her that sweet, innocent look, works everytime. Before you know it, she will be giving you treats everytime you bark!! Good luck, let me know how it goes.

Pandi, the poodle that can do no wrong!!!

Dani said...

Comet is our barker. I swear sometimes he just barks to hear his voice. At least Corki only barks at living things.

Cassidy LOVED the Corgis barking happy birthday, she made me play it over and over. Of course the first couple times I played it, Comet and Corki were barking and looking around for a dog. LOL