25/06/2024
Daisy and Wally enjoying the morning hours during the heat this week!
I have been loving working with Daisy. She is true to her breed, which is fascinating for me as a trainer to work with. I say this to almost every single person that meets me… genetics are WILD! 🧬
Daisy isn’t a dog that I will be doing flashy, fancy obedience with. She isn’t a dog that I will be teaching place to. Could I? Probably. But why? There is a very important difference between can and should.
Her temperament is FABULOUS, especially for a Pyrenees. She’s friendly, open to doing things with me, and has really taken wonderfully to the freedom she’s gotten around here. But at the end of the day, she isn’t bred to be the fastest, “engaged” dog on the planet.
She’s bred to guard, to herd, to work independently. Respecting that makes training a bazillion times easier for myself and for her. Shoving her into a mold that doesn’t fit would not only frustrate myself and her owner, but would drastically change her relationship with us. I can use all of those things to teach and guide her, and give her owner a shot at an incredibly cooperative relationship that benefits both of them.
The day that I started taking genetics into consideration in working with the dog in front of me changed my training. It changed my relationship with the dogs I was training. It helped owners see their dog for who they really are, not who we want them to be.
And often times who they really are is exactly what they are designed to be. Working WITH their genetics instead of trying to change them or suppress them.. that is where the real training is. 🙌
