The first thing you need to know about Wheaten Terriers is they are stubborn. The second thing you need to know is these   dogs will chase anything. This means they are hard to train, but they absolutely need to be trained!!

Marlow was no different! At our first session, she barely moved away from the AC vent. Not for treats, and not for toys, not for her mommy! Her pet parent is currently giving away all the treats she had for Marlow because she’s just not interested in them.

Stubborn puppies are just too smart! Look at it from their perspective – there’s no real need to ‘sit’, ‘paw’ and comply with seemingly crazy human demands. They get food, water, shelter and all the love anyway! But don’t give up! Rewarding you pup for good behavior is a necessity to encourage this behaviour. Don’t rest until you find (at least) one thing that makes your dog go crazy! Try plain boiled meats, carrots, eggs, cheese and some fruits. If you bought your dog from a breeder, ask them what diet the mother was given and try that with your pup.* Yes, we eventually want to wean them off food/toy rewards, but we definitely need them initially!

At our second session, she responded to her regular dog food. But wait, she wasn’t motivated by a few pieces of kibble, she wanted her food bowl! We ended up rewarding her with a 4-5 pieces of kibble in her food bowl. We tried cheese with moderate success. But then we found chicken! Plain boiled chicken really got Marlow excited about training!

There’s still a lot of ‘I’m going to just sit here and ignore you’ moments, but we’ve made tremendous improvement already! Keep it up, Marlow 😀

*Please check with the vet to rule out medical reasons and before making any dietary changes