08/08/2020
When Your Dog Has a Less than Ideal Temperament Temperament is not a guarantee, only a tendency. Sometimes genetic qualities do not show themselves at seven weeks. Puppies who are quite sociable at that age can develop fearful behaviors over the first year of their life, even with the best raising and handling. Or, maybe you have an older dog whose temperament is not what you would have chosen. What then? First, remember that there are actually very few “easy to train” dogs out there. Almost every dog will offer you training challenges that you didn’t expect or haven’t encountered before, which means that ease of training is based both on the dog’s temperament and your experiences. Take some time to consider that the problem might actually be a challenge for you to move out of your comfort zone and learn new and innovative techniques. We often see this with people who decide to train their pet dog in agility. They often start out for fun, but begin to compete along the way. These dogs often don’t have a solid foundation, and are relatively slow and careful as a result, but the team manages to muddle along well enough to qualify now and then at trials. Inevitably, the person sees those fast, driven dogs who win week after week. These high level competitors are flashy and impressive – the Ferraris of the agility world! – and sometimes the person wishes they had one of those dogs instead. So their next dog is carefully researched and chosen to be one of those fast, flashy dogs. But if the trainer has only had experience with the slow and steady ones - the practical minivans - then what is likely to happen? If the trainer is naturally talented and is willing to rise to the challenge by finding good instruction and mentoring, things might go very well.
Often, however, the Ferrari-dog’s raw talent and desire for action is a total shock to the minivan driver. The steering is too responsive and the brakes don’t seem to work at all! The dog is a hot mess on the course, and the handler decides this is a problem with the dog. As frustrating as this is for the handler, the dog is just as frustrated. He ends up expressing himself with barking, spinning, and an overall lack of control. Surely this is not an “easy” dog for this handler?
The truth is, no dog is perfect, so there are going to be both strengths and weaknesses in every dog you partner with. It is really important to be accurate and objective about what your dog brings to the table. Practicing our strengths may be much more enjoyable, but it doesn’t improve behavior and performance. Neither does obsessing on weaknesses without developing a training plan to address them. Saying, “I know my dog will lag in heeling, he always does,” acknowledges the issue but doesn’t address it. We need to be realistic and honest about what our dogs need help with in training. Focusing your training efforts on strengthening weaknesses is more important than practicing things that are fun and easy for our dogs over and over. Start by celebrating your dog’s strengths, and work slowly over time to improve the areas that are weaker.
