11/15/2023
Obedience is nothing if your dog can’t do it anytime, anywhere.
I have conversations with folks all the time about bad behaviors their dogs are displaying that require professional intervention. In the initial conversation the potential client will, without a doubt, list all the things they claim the dog DOES know. Simple obedience behaviors, sit, down, stay, sometimes recalls… Then immediately after list the things they cannot handle. Greeting guests politely, staying out of the way during dinner, walking past other dogs without losing their minds, walking well on a leash, etc. I can certainly help with those things but I’m going to teach them obedience.
“Oh their obedience is great they don’t need help with that. Just the things I listed.”
Here’s a little industry secret: Advanced training… is just really good basic obedience. It’s basic obedience that has been taught and practiced every day, in every situation. Somewhere in the process of raising up dogs, we seemed to forget *why* we teach obedience. It’s so we can use it to communicate our expectations to our dogs.
The solution to almost all behavior problems is better basic obedience and the sense to know how to use it.
Sheldon, the Border Collie in this clip, came to me with a good understanding of his basic obedience but the only missing link was applying it to real world scenarios. His obedience was taught really well which made my job easier for sure. I’m not always that lucky. I’m often rebuilding poorly taught obedience from scratch. He made a lot of progress in a short amount of time because the foundation was done well.
If you’re raising up a young dog and you want advanced obedience in two years, let’s talk now about the basics.
