03/13/2022
This is shared from Rebecca Letson.
Every dog owner should read and understand what makes a grate relationship and happy dog. Last year the number of dogs, on medications, I was contacted to train was overwhelming because the owners wouldn’t or couldn’t correct inappropriate behavior. Ever dog returned home off medications and were happy well behaved dogs because rules and boundaries were implemented.
I know this will fall on many deaf ears but here it is. Dogs!! they need balance!
1) If you are getting a dog, be prepared to EDUCATE and TRAIN that animal. This will mean that you will be teaching it all things that are both acceptable and unacceptable. If you are not prepared to teach the NO, as much as the YES don't get a dog.
2) Do not get a breed of dog that is meant to be an active, thinking, and working, animal if you are going to just put in less than 10 minutes a day, or think that you can solve everything with 100% positive reinforcement.
3) Do not get sucked into animal rights movements that will only take away your dog in the future. Banning of husbandry practices, banning of training tools, banning of methods. Do you know there are programs that restrict trainers to positive reinforcement only??? Do you know there are dogs who become dangerous to their owners, and to society because people are brainwashed to thinking they can never punish ANY behavior?? Do you know that if someone is going to abuse a dog they will do it no matter what tools or methods you try and restrict.
4) Do you know that creating an animal that does not know boundaries is an anxious mess? Why are so many dogs on drugs?? Why are there so many dogs that cannot maintain a happy neutral response in public without the popular term reactivity, when instead it should be termed out of control.
5) Why do so many trainers sit back and ignore dangerous dogs in their sport programs and pretend its OK for a dog to actively put others at risk?
6) Why are owners so willing to accept dangerous behavior and even when seeking help refuse to acknowledge the dog in front of them?
7)Do you know that when you actually teach a dog or any animal rules of life and allow them to both experience what to avoid and what to engage in you create trust and bond? You create a dog that looks to you for guidance, that engages fully into work and play and can rest and relax when it is not needed. (ooooh that off switch that so many do not have).
😎 The methods that you choose to use to train your dog need to be fair. A dog should not fear you, nor should a dog control you. Rewards are for building behavior not babysitting poor behavior. Your affection, food rewards, cooperative play are all powerful things that are earned through relationship. Do not use these things to bribe and fake control.
9) A dog that lacks trust in your ability to take the lead will be unbalanced either shy and withdrawn , a brat, or all the way to aggressive and out of control. Leadership is part of every society. Leadership must be based on trust and fairness and consistency.
10) Genetics will provide you with a blueprint to work with when it comes to your dog. The rest of the nature vs nurture debate is up to you.
If you are having problems with a dog the first place to address is what you are doing and not doing. Find a trainer that will help you balance out your relationship and that has nothing to do with training tools chosen or not. That is always a case by case basis. The balance comes from helping to teach you how to communicate with the dog and educate that dog. There is so much more to dog training than just pushing a clicker or an e collar remote. Both can destroy a dog mentally. Start listening to a trainer that can tell you what is going on in front of you. Listen and stop making excuses or running to social media.
My first thread I read today was another out of control dog. This time a Doberman. The dogs prey drive is out of control, its getting food constantly as bribes and baby sitting , its over powering its handler, it's if I remember correctly on behavior drugs. The dog has never been taught to clear its head, to "obey" there is another politically incorrect term of today a cue to actually earn a reward, to use its genetics as an intelligent dog with high emotion the correct way in society.
Everyone who is around dogs. The proof in a dog is not how it performs on a sport field. The proof is how it responds in life and how well can it cope off the field. This doesnt mean it has to be romping at the dog park and allowing every stranger to grope it. NO WAY. It means that the dog has trust in its handler to not put it in situations it cannot handle AND that the handler understands how to keep the public safe.
If you have a dog with temperament faults it is not the end of the world. There are no perfect dogs out there. Train the dog in front of you and not the dog you wish you had. Build your relationship by communicating (YES DO THIS) and (NO DON'T DO THAT). Don't get caught up in a method or a program, you will have to adjust. Learn from those that have success with their dogs, all their dogs, not just the ones they did not wash.
This post is to encourage all dog owners to question where they can improve, not to judge, not to blame, not to make excuses. Open your mind to helping your dog and move beyond the hype of quadrants and worrying about tools, cookies for everything, and start by creating a happy balanced dog. Rewards are great, limitations are great. Relationship is not built on mechanics but on the trust and consistency you put in. Too many dogs are treated like a piece of equipment that get dragged out when you want to do something you enjoy. The dog is always communicating, please do listen to what it is telling you.
