Personality & Training
Even though she's very small (~6 lbs), Piper has the temperment of a watch dog, always on the alert for problems - it can make her barky around the home, and make her reluctant to leave it behind. She's also headstrong, and won't always follow commands that take her away from without a food reward.
She can be aggressive and provoke other dogs, and should be made to sit for treats to distract/refocus her mood while meeting them.
Vocabulary, Commands, Training
Some words make her react strongly, like "greenie", "hike", and "dog park", so use them only if you mean it so she doesn't lose trust.
Words she knows
| Word | Description |
|---|---|
| Piper | knows her name. She'll look at you and head tilt |
| STAY, NO | she'll hunker and tuck her tail. Doesn't last long |
| Ok | release word - breaks STAY, or "OK, Piper come" + point to ground) |
| In the bag | point inside her travel carrier to make her get in |
| Outside (and/or backdoor bell) | she'll ring her backdoor bell when she wants to go outside, or occasionally to distract someone from food. At night, ring the doorbell with "Piper, outside" to get her to potty before bed |
| Momma, daddy, grandma | she knows her family. eg. "where's daddy?", "Go see momma?" |
| what's momma/daddy got? | helps her to come for food (if she's not already following you) |
| walk | she knows it but won't always respond (see Walks) |
| treat, greenie | only if you mean it |
| sit | with "treat", very useful to distract her if she's being disobedient |
| over | make a circle while holding a treat to help this work. Soft floors only. |
| down | also put your hand (with treat) flat on the floor |
| shake, other shake | she'll tap your hand with a treat in it |
| hike, beach, dog park | usually gets her excited |
Play
She's not very playful, but will fetch for food or greenie. Say "Get Piggy/Ball/Frisbee", will take a throw or two for her to get the gist. She should fetch 3x times for greenie.
Fears
Loud noises mostyl.