Unrealistic Expectations
while my dogs are usually up for anything, as big gets older he prefers warm blankets. i adjust my expectations accordingly.
I have to be very careful about the dog training content I consume on the internet. First, if the trainer happens to be abusive in the name of training, then I do not want to stroke their ego by giving them more views. These are usually the trainers who are making the general well meaning public feel terrible about themselves because they do not have a dog who feels confident to go out in public. They offer answers to unrealistic expectations. Their “answer” is to put more and more pressure on the dog and make the poor dog feel like it has no control over their life or way to respond to their current situation. These dogs shut down and perform very little behavior because they know they will be punished if they try to leave or respond to their fear in a way they feel appropriate.
This brings me to the second reason I have to be careful about what I watch. Those dogs who these trainers are so proud to say they “fixed” are terrified. If you know anything about dog body language you can see in these videos of magic fixes these dogs are not happy at all. They are all panting, their ears are back, usually they are laying down with their feet tucked under their chest, trying to make themselves small. These are all body language signals that state the dog feels stressed in the situation.
“More Training”
These trainers with a production and marketing budget larger than my salary continue to harass the well intentioned public, screaming their dog needs More Training.
I could never and will never compromise a dog’s well being for public access. We will discuss the amount of training needed to make your dog ready to engage in those types of environments and then we will put a plan in place to help your dog feel confident and in control of what is happening around them. Depending on where we are starting, depends on how far you might want to go in training and rely on management for the rest. Many of my clients over the years have changed their goals for their dogs once they started training and realized how their dog did not enjoy going into public places or even leaving the house.
That. Is. Fine.
The Dog in front of you
Staying still is not one of her favorite activities so she tends to accompany me on more active outings.
If your dog is scared of other dogs or screaming children, sitting in the middle of a brewery might be a form of slow torture for your dog, not to mention dangerous. If your dog cannot take food and has a hard time listening to you, they are not ready for the environment that you have asked them to be in. You don’t get to determine where your dog feels safe. They get to determine that. Just because you think the situation will be fine, your dog may have other ideas. Forcing them to ‘deal with it” will absolutely create more problems down the line.
And for the love of all things holy there is no such thing as a “little bite” or putting your dog into situations where “they might bite.” This means your dog feels so scared that they feel that using their teeth has become their only option to stay safe.
If going places and being polite in public was a big part of your “ideal dog”, work with a qualified trainer when you get your dog to be sure that you are setting them up for success. This starts with a well run puppy class and continues on through adolescence. Many qualified trainers have programs that will carry you and your dog through all the changes that happen between being a baby puppy and an adult. Let them help guide you through those challenging years to create the dog you dreamed of, or give you realistic expectations of what life will look like while you respect your dogs boundaries.
If you are in the process of looking for a dog trainer, check out this video I recently recorded. Like and subscribe too!