Bad Shoe!

Puppies love shoes, and Poppy is no exception. I don't really care much about puppy tooth marks in the yard shoes, but we do try to gently discourage her because we don't want it to turn into a shoe-chewing habit. But, like I said, I don't get too worked up about it because she's a puppy and I'm more focused on prevention and distraction than correction. Except last night, when we were getting ready for our evening walk and she went for lovely lady's leather choir shoes. Time to pull out the big guns, and try a technique I'd read about in our puppy book.

When Poppy approached the shoe, I tugged her leash sideways. Then I picked up the shoe.

"Bad shoe!" I shouted. At the shoe. I tried not to imagine what I must look like, scolding a shoe. "Bad, bad shoe! No!"

Then I put the shoe back down. Poppy approached the shoe again, a little more slowly with a sideways look. She decided that she still might like to know what a bad shoe tasted like. Another tug on the leash.

"Bad bad shoe! Naughty shoe! No, you bad shoe!" I yelled at the shoe. I must be crazy, I thought to myself. This is never going to work.

I put the shoe back down next to Poppy. She backed away. Started to approach the shoe. Backed up and sat down, looking at the shoe with her head cocked. Backed up again. And decided that she really wasn't all that interested in the shoe after all.

Even when we got back from our walk she carefully skirted that naughty shoe.