I’m fed up with micromanaging. I’m learning that at some point, you just have to let things go and hope for the best. I can’t get caught up in every little thing the dogs do that might not be “appropriate” or correct. It’s exhausted me and brought me to this point.
I’m Done Babysitting
For the first 10 months we had Clark, our confident and active (usually obnoxious) Corgi puppy, I managed him like crazy. He was either crated, in a pen, on a leash or behind a gate – all simply to keep him out of Loker’s face. Well, 10 months later and I found myself still micromanaging Clark. Loker still rarely stands up for himself and his space and Clark plays with him non-stop or takes whatever toys he wants from Loker.
Now, Clark minds his business around other dogs. He backs off if he’s told no and he doesn’t go bombarding every dog’s face like he does to Loker. He does this with Loker because Loker tolerates it, or might even enjoy it for all I know. After all, Loker has told other dogs to back off when he didn’t want to play.
So, I’m done baby sitting Loker and doing the dirty work for him. If he doesn’t want Clark in his face, he will have to say so himself. The 2-3 times he’s said so, Clark has respected his wishes and backed off.
The Lesson
The lesson here is that sometimes, you just have to let dogs be dogs and hope for the best. There are millions of people out there that don’t have a clue about how to train a dog and yet their dogs turn out pretty cool most of the time. And I’m not saying ignore aggression. I’m saying ignore the little things that are likely to get a rise out of you or bug you. It is such a relief for me to finally be able to let things go. I am enjoying watching my dogs be dogs and I can do other things while they are out together – like write this post! Oh the joys of raising a crazy Corgi puppy!…
