08/08/2023
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**** 10 UNHELPFUL AND MISLEADING PHRASES IN THE DOG WORLD ****
1 - It's all in how you raise them. It's definitely not ALL in how you raise them. Nurture plays a huge part in your dog's behaviour, but another key part that influences your dog's behaviour just as much is their genetics. Huskies are not selected as dogs to help the blind for a reason, pit bulls aren't out there herding sheep, and toy poodles aren't tracking down criminals. Genetics really do matter. Choose a dog that would suit your lifestyle based on their genes, not their looks. And don't just use google as a means to do your research. Speak to legit professionals and get their take instead.
2 - There are no bad dogs. This is a bit of a weird thing we hear because 'bad' is subjective. For the sake of argument I'm going to use 'bad' as anything a dog might do that we deem dangerous or unacceptable in our society. For example, chasing and biting another dog. There are definitely dogs out there that are predisposed to show aggression and in my opinion enjoy combativeness. This is not to say we can't train these dogs to a high level. We can and lots of people have these dogs and keep them safe and everyone else safe, but the most important thing to remember is to trust them. Trust them to be a dog and get to know and accept what they are capable of.
3 - All dogs can be "go anywhere do anything dogs." Over the last few decades our society as gotten busier and more chaotic for us humans that live in it. On the rare occasion I leave our quiet little town and venture out to a city I come back exhausted. Cities are just not something I enjoy and I avoid them as much as I can. For some reason however, we expect that our dogs should be able to cope with all that we throw at them. A busy cafe can be the most scariest of places for some dogs. There's lots of people, lots of things whizzing past, lost of people touching them without their consent etc. This doesn't sound much fun for me so I can't imagine that many dogs really enjoy it. We have 4 dogs and only 1 is somewhat of a go anywhere and do anything dog. But even though we can do all these things with her I don't think she really enjoys just lying down at the pub when she could be lying down at home on her bed. Some dogs may love it, but if your dog doesn't, don't feel that you need to take them everywhere you go.
4 - You need to show them who's the top dog. I thought we'd gotten past this but over the last few months we've had people contacting us telling us they don't know what they've done wrong as they've shown the dog that they are the top dog. That's probably where they've gone wrong. The most important thing to focus on when training any dog, is the relationship you have with them. You don't need to behave like a dog or think like a dog. Instead, you need to behave like a human and think like a human. You don't need to eat before them, you don't need to take their food away, you don't need to keep them off the sofa, they don't need to leave the house after you and they don't need to always be behind you on a walk. They need an education. When they 'misbehave' they're not out for world domination, they're simply just trying to cope in our chaotic world.
5 - Adopt don't shop. Although I like the sentiment of this message I have come to the conclusion that it sometimes isn't the best course for lots of people. Rescue dogs can and do make great pets. We have 2 of them and we have also agreed moving forward to only take on dogs that are in need of a new home - but that's because we are in a position to do so and it sits well with us on our own moral compasses. Some rescue dogs come with a lot of challenging baggage. And sometimes your average family that wants to do the right thing just isn't ready for the challenge. And yes I know that getting a dog from a breeder may also bring unknown challenges too. However, if we go to a decent breeder (and yes I know how hard it can be to find these) we have more of a chance at setting both new owner and puppy up for success. By no means am I saying people shouldn't adopt rescues. We 'rescue' animals all the time but if you're very novice then getting a rescue dog that you know very little about, especially their history, may not be the best idea.
6 - Let them sort it out. There's a few reasons I don't like hearing this. Firstly, the majority of people I do hear saying it do not understand dog body language very well. Secondly, I've seen unnecessary injuries occur when this has been said (not just physical too). Thirdly, I do not want the dog that has to tell another dog off to make it a habit. And finally, I don't know how either dog might respond. One might really like combat and really fire back. One may be a thrill seeker and learn how much fun it is to get a reaction etc etc. In saying all this, there are times when we let things play out a little. But we are dog trainers. And dog trainers can generally tell what's okay and what's not. Letting them sort it out shouldn't be the default thing we always resort to. It can and does create some issues that can be very challenging to resolve.
7 - All dogs can be fixed. This is one of the things that grinds my gears the most. Behaviour cannot be fixed. It's fluid. There isn't an instruction manual. It's arbitrary. Behaviour is determined by many factors; Genetics, past experiences, nurture, reinforcement history, pain etc. When humans struggle with their behaviour, we don't think about 'fixing' anything. We think about helping them. We want to make them feel better or help them change their habits so their behaviour subsequently changes too. We don't go down the route of punishing the bad stuff to 'fix' things. There isn't anything to fix with behaviour. We need to figure out ways to change and modify behaviour, not just for our convenience but for the well being of the dogs too.
8 - It will only take a couple of sessions. There's a reason we call it dog training and not 'dog trained'. No athlete stops training. Why? Because if they do, they won't be able to compete and 'behave' in a way that keeps them winning or achieving their goals. Dog training is the same. You can't just stop the training otherwise the dog will resort back to whatever it is they would rather be doing instead. The reason we have to keep training them is because a lot of the things we want them to do, they don't actually want to do. A lot of dogs would much rather chase a rabbit than sit next to a human. A lot of dogs would much rather jump up at people than sit. On the day you stop training your dog expect the bad habits to slip back in.
9 - They just need to get used to/over it. Gradual exposure can be a great way to help dogs feel braver and cope better with certain things or in certain situations but forcing them in to situations and hoping they'll get used to it isn't the best course of action. Usually what happens here is they become more sensitive as opposed to less sensitive. Desensitisation is the process where an animal, through careful and gradual exposure becomes less sensitive or less concerned with something. Sensitisation is the opposite. This is where a dog gets more sensitive, more uncomfortable and more reactive when they are forced to deal with something that overwhelms them. If they suddenly 'submit', it's because all else has failed and they are simply shutting down. This doesn't mean they are over it. It means the opposite and you'll likely see a stronger response the next time they are exposed to the trigger.
10 - My dog needs training. Yes, dogs need training but the animal that really needs the training in this relationship is the human. We need to take the onus off the dog. If we want our dog's to change their behaviour we have to change ours first. If the dog isn't doing something we want them to do and we're their trainer, the dog's not the dumb one here. We need to adapt for them. There are many ways to train a dog. If something isn't working for them we can't keep repeating it. We need to modify the way we teach so they can learn more effectively.
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