Reverse Psychology for Newfs

Although Katie and Louie are both on the high energy end of the spectrum for a relatively low energy breed, they sometimes temporarily become couch potatoes. It's as if they decide that it is just impossible for them to peel their great mass away from where it appears to have melted into the floor. If I say their name during one of these moments the only acknowledgement I receive is maybe an eye blink. I used to struggle to find a way to move them when they were in their nearly comatose states until the day I discovered that reverse psychology works on dogs.

One evening upon returning from dog school Katie decided that she was perfectly comfortable in the car and she would just spend the night there. Since this was not acceptable to me I had to find a way to get her out. After discovering that my usually obedient dog was not going to listen to me I thought I might be able to trick her into getting out of the car. I needed Katie to want to get out so I decided to convince her that I didn't want her to get out of the car yet. Katie and Louie know the "wait" command extremely well, so I said "Waaaaaaait" in a very low and slow voice to make her anticipate the release word of a very upbeat "Ok". Sure enough when I said "waaaaaait" her head popped up, her eyes snapped to attention and her body became rigid with anticipation. I waited several seconds then said "OK". She practically flew out of the car.

When our Newfs aren't tired all that is needed is a command of "Katie move" or "Louie move" if they are blocking the fridge or backdoor, but when trying to budge a sleepy Newfoundland something extra is needed. This handy reverse psychology trick works like a charm every time.