06/05/2024
This 100% very well said.
I'm seeing more and more reactive dogs and hearing more and more "they just won't........."
Be honest with yourself. How much are you training? It shouldn't be a chore, it should be fun, and every dog deserves fun.
If you're struggling I'd highly recommend getting in touch with a positive reinforcement trainer like Lothlorien Dog Services or there's also a wealth of information from MK9Plus_Dogs
Your dog deserves it 🐾💕
Is training really a bad thing?
The simple answer is no. Actually the only answer is no!
I work with dogs and their people every single day. I’m an experienced trainer with my boots at ground zero.
The single biggest factor I see in dogs coming to me beyond puppy stage is a lack of training.
We are in an era where we want a more “positive” approach in teaching our children & dogs.
Here is my however. We can’t give a dog choices if we haven’t spent time teaching them what good choices are. We can’t give most dogs free choice as they will inevitably make bad ones. Some will be dangerous to either them or others.
We also can’t shrug our shoulders and say “it’s ok today” but then move the needle further down the line as that will add frustration into the mix. Feeling frustrated is an awful way to go.
Here’s a couple of examples of what I mean.
Walk how you want. I don’t mind a bit of pulling. That will get taken literally until you’re fed up being dragged about or your dog wants to go to something it quite simply can’t. So we teach solid leash work. We teach that consistently to avoid frustration- on both ends of the leash.
We teach a sit so we can achieve sit and greet people politely. If not there is a strong possibility your dog will jump on people.
I can stick up my hands and say the more you teach your dog simple behaviour the greater access they have to an arsenal of behaviour. You teach these behaviours using positive reinforcement and you use them, when they are ready and reliable, in situations where you see your dog struggling to find an answer.
When out daily I’m seeing more & more reactive dogs. Why? Now there will be a portion of them who need assistance but how can we assist them if they’ve got no skills? Not all of them have medical reasons for this behaviour. Yes some suffer with anxiety issues but with people we give them coping mechanisms, we don’t just feed them in the hope they cope for a 10 second period, we give strategies that help long term. We don’t just medicate - or we shouldn’t!
Regarding medication, I’m not saying the use of pharmaceuticals should be off the table but it should not be a go to!
I recently was involved in a lovely wee dog that was put on this path and her world was shrinking, unable to go for a walk! Going out for the toilet involved a car trip to a quiet area as she wouldn’t use the garden either.
We worked together on a program that went at the dog’s pace, the human and dog worked together on a ton of training - sit stays, hand targets, contact work, tricks. You name it they do it.
In 6 weeks we saw real progress, in four months the dog is now “normal”, going walks on the beach, doing her last night p*e in the garden, lost a good amount of weight, generally much happier and off all drugs!
After a year of medication! So think carefully and if your behaviour modification program doesn’t involve any training ask why not!
On the note of training. You don’t need hours a day. Just 5 minutes everyday at a time that suits you is more than sufficient.
Having a dog is an honour and a chore in equal measure. This is a working animal. Regardless of breed. They need exercise, they need to get most of their enrichment from a natural environment, they need your time as a social species!