17/08/2024
Most dogs aren't being trained at all. Not even a puppy class.
Most dog owners aren't interested one iota in dog training.
And they're certainly not going to pay anyone to give them training advice or take their dog to a class.
Can you imagine if one of these average dog owners stumbled across the current social media mess going on? Major divides and arguments, one group trying to unify everyone, another group saying those trying to unify don't care about dog welfare, the pettiness, the name calling, the drama? They would think we're all insane! And they would not be wrong!
My dog has no titles. None. She has no pedigree. I'm not a successful, well-known dog trainer, I'm not even a dog trainer at all, I'm a dog owner hobbyist trainer.
My dog spends 4 days a week helping me coach teenage runners in the sport of cross country. She enjoys chasing them, the runners enjoy being chased, and when I call, Penny comes back. When I say no, don't chase, she doesn't (sometimes with verbal protests, but she listens). She knows cute tricks and the kids enjoy getting her to do tricks for a treat. She jumps on their backs when they're doing stretches, they randomly pick her up which she tolerates, she seems to know which kids need extra attention.
Some of these kids will one day be dog owners.
I hope they will remember Penny and that I used treats to reward good behavior. I hope they will remember the body language cues I taught them when she's had enough or needs a break. I hope they remember that Penny also went to dog training classes. I really hope they remember that I always picked her p**p up! But most of all I hope they remember what a joy a trained dog is to be around and that they seek out classes and professional guidance for their own dogs.
And when that happens, I hope the dog training world is a little bit less of a drama fest and a lot more unified and supportive of each other.
At the end of the day more dogs need to be trained. They need an owner who cares enough to train - ANY training, any ethos. A dog who's owner takes the time and spends the money to attend a class or one-on-one sessions is a lucky dog.
Let's promote training dogs. However that makes sense to you, just train your dog and show the world how much fun a trained dog is to own.