Thursday, May 14, 2015

YOUR DOG IS NOT YOUR CHILD

"Your dog is NOT your child. Your dog is not your baby."
I'm sure I have grabbed your attention. That was the point. To be clear, my purpose is not to offend any of you. It's not to call out any one particular person on their training methods. My purpose is very simple and genuine: to educate dog handlers and dog owners to treat your dog like a dog, and not like a child.
I believe in integrity. If you ask me for my opinion or my training advice, I have an obligation to you and your dog to give you the best advice I have to offer. It may not always be want the owner WANTS to hear, but, as a trainer, I have an obligation to tell you what they NEED to hear.
Without further delay, let’s get started on some of my key points. By the end of this article, I hope you have a greater understanding of setting boundaries within your pack.
PUPPIES:
Dogs are pack animals. It's in their genetics. It's who they are and how they function. When I buy a puppy, I do not take custody of the puppy before they are 8 weeks old. Now, having said that, are there circumstances where I have taken a puppy at 6 weeks? The answer is yes. But if it can be avoided, you should wait until the puppy is 8 weeks.
The reason for this is this is a very crucial time in the dog’s life. This is when they begin to learn boundaries. Wait? Did I just say as early as 8 weeks, the puppies learn boundaries? Their mother doesn't just let them get away with whatever they want because they are just so cute and cuddly? When a puppy steps out of line, such as plays too rough or goes where they should not go, their mother nips them, or shows displeasure in their behavior. The puppy begins to learn certain behaviors are not acceptable.
This is also when the puppies build their pack drive, and learn to coexist with other puppies. This is when they learn what is an acceptable way to behave around other dogs, and how to behave in a pack.
Knowing this, why in the world would we change that when we take them into our home? Why do we let these dogs get away with a lot of unacceptable behavior because "they are a puppy" or "they are just being cute?" Puppies need boundaries, not complete freedom. Having said that, are puppies going to behave just like puppies do? Yes. We have to be patient, but we have to enforce boundaries.
POSITION IN THE PACK:
Okay, here is where this gets a little tricky for some people. It's simple. Your puppy/dog is the LOWEST member of the pack/family, with very few exceptions. Basically, they are only higher if you are training the type of dogs I do, whose sole job is to answer to one person and one person only. My dogs are not family dogs. They are dogs who need to feel like they are the biggest, baddest things out there, with one exception: ME.
In a typical family, your dog is the OMEGA. The lowest member. They do not come before your actual children. They should move for everyone in the house. Your youngest child should be able to walk in a room and the dog should move out of their way and do whatever they are told by any other member.
They eat only when they are told they can. This is part of why "free feeding" is bad. This is not their food. It's your food. You captured it, you killed it, and you are going to ALLOW them to have some, but only when YOU are ready. You should allow your dogs to see you take their food away, when you say so. If you have multiple dogs, they should see you feed them both and take away from both, etc.
DOGS ARE DOGS, NOT CHILDREN:
Everytime I see a handler or dog owner pushing their dog in a stroller, or carrying them in a handbag, I want to scream. The don't need car seats, they don't need strollers and they don't need bags to ride in. They have legs and they can walk. Yes, even the little ones. Ironically, these owners are the same ones who call meor come to classes and wonder why their dog barks at everything, and why their dogs are afraid of every single living thing on this earth.
When you're walking your dog, specifically your small dogs or your puppy, and you are approaching another bigger dog, DO NOT PICK YOUR DOG UP. You are teaching your dog to avoid a problem. Your dog should be able to approach another dog and not fight, but be able to greet them appropriately.
If you see a dog who is foaming at the mouth and is going to hurt your dog or you, cross the street. Don't say anything to your dog. Just keep walking, but go in another direction, without giving your dog any cue as to whyyou changed course.
If you have a dog you allow to sleep on your bed, your couch or your chair, then do so, but only after you've allowed them to get to those places. There is no entitlement. You need to verbally signal the dog it's okay to come up. They get nothing just because they think it's owed to them.
Most of the time, owners are the reason for their dogs anxiety. You can not be a human batch of anxiety and expect your dog not to be the same. Treat them like dogs. It's okay if they get a little dirty. Give them a bath. It's okay if they eat their food off the cement. They are dogs. It's okay to make your dog go the bathroom outside. They are dogs. It's okay to make your dog be outside for the day. They are dogs, and they will love it.
CUTTING THE BRANCH, OR TAKING OUT THE ROOT:
Finally, to my last subject. I help rehabilitate dogs all the time. It's one of the highlights of my job. I love seeing a dog do better and seeing tears on the owner’s face when they get better.
I have seen a lot of posts about destructive behavior and giving your dogs "thunder shirts,"a pillow, or putting blankets in a crate with them. I've heard of oils and music and special massages for a dog??? (jury is still out on that one for me)
Okay. I'm not saying these things do not work, because they have some success. But all you're doing is cutting the branch. Once you cut a branch, another will grow in it's place somewhere and sometime. If you have a giant hole in your foot (like I've had) from your dogs, you don't put neosporin on it, with a Dora bandaid to try and fix it. All you've done is treated a symptom, which is bleeding. You haven't gotten to the root of the problem. As long as you don't have to see it or hear it, you assume it must be fixed. This is until you get a new problem, because you only put a bandaid on it and never got to the root of the problem to fix it.
Thunder shirts, oils, blankets, dolls, etc., simply treat a symptom. You need to fix the problem, get to the root. Then the dog begins to rehabilitate.
CONCLUSION:
Set boundaries for your dog. Do not allow them to push you around. When you give a correction, regardless of what type of correction is needed, MEAN IT. Don't simply say, "Hey hey hey, we don't do that." and then never do anything about it. Also, do not avoid the problem. Fix it. If your dog struggles with other dogs, bring them around other dogs. Don't reinforce the behavior simply by keeping the dog away.
I cherish all of you, and I think most people are very good dog owners and handlers. I hope this helps and I hope this gives you an idea of what I mean. I could go on for days, but quite frankly, no one would read a book I wrote, let’s be honest.
Thanks,
Russ Bishop
MALIGATOR KENNELS

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