I was shocked to hear from a client that was training his dog on a long line that other dog owners were bullying him to let his puppy off the leash! He responded that, “My dog is a puppy and won’t come when she is called!” The other dog owners continued to berate and bully my client saying that the dog should be allowed off leash.
We all remember that kid in school with a gang behind him that bullied someone who was a bookworm, or wore glasses, or even just didn’t have the cool clothes. The bully had to prove he or she was stronger, cooler, or just wanted a good laugh. We are all aware of the cyber bullying going on in schools now with the proliferation of cell phones resulting in the emotional devastation to the victims. Well, in the dog world things are not much different.
As our population grows, so does our love for our dogs. Many of us love being with our dogs so much we have multiples. Every place we go there are dogs. People are so in love with their dogs, they want to take their dogs everywhere. There are more dogs on our wilderness trails, bike paths, and even on our city streets than there were even five years ago. Every public event will find dogs along, even if dogs are not invited. Enormous emotional pressure goes on our dogs that most of us never stop to consider.
Our hearts go out to the dog that is shy or even fearful about life. We are drawn to the dog in the back of the kennel at the shelter that appears to have had a rough life and is afraid to even come visit you. We instinctually want to nurture this dog back to a happy dog. Or we are drawn to the puppy that crawls into your lap seeking shelter from the other puppies. As humans, we have big hearts and want nothing more than to help!
In this day of the purely positive training philosophies that insist dogs do not have to endure pressure of any kind, I am astounded that a wider consciousness has not been taken. I want my training to be humane, honest and fair. This article is not entirely about training philosophies, but more about everyday life that our dogs are exposed to and the expectations we dog owners have of our dogs. I have written before about how I believe aggression is more rampant than ever.
Over the years and years I have lived with and worked with dogs, I have seen so many bad things happen that most of us would never expect to cause a problem. I am going to try to list some of my top dangers here. All of these dangers are because I have either personally experienced it myself or have had a client experience it.
Understanding dog behavior is incredibly difficult and often time elusive for the average pet dog owner as well as many dog professionals. It takes years and years of observation and experience not just with dogs in general but with different breeds. Different breeds have many different characteristics.
Many people don’t even believe in dog “dominance.” It has now become an evil word if you are a modern dog training enthusiast. Merrium-Webster dictionary defines it as “more important, powerful, or successful than most or all others.” I watch dog behavior day after day and see one dog that pushes another around, or one that controls all the interactions. Social hierarchy is EXTREMELY important to dogs even though it might not be how we humans like to view our sweet, adorable companions.
Or let ‘em chew guitars and ride in old trucks. Make ‘em be doctors and lawyers and such! I admire cowboys enormously and have huge respect for the jobs they do. It’s a hard life. As Willy and Waylon sing, “make ‘em be doctors and lawyers and such” they reminisce about just how hard that life is and how hard it is to be close to a cowboy. Maybe it’s a long stretch of the imagination to relate dogs to cowboys, but I relate a “rogueness” about a cowboy.
Yesterday, it was 89 on my car thermometer outside! There was a teenager on a skate board with a dog following him on the bike path. The dog’s tongue was down to the ground and obviously struggling to keep up. The boy had a bottle of something drinking it himself, but paying no attention to the dog. I can only imagine that dog’s paws after running on that hot black pavement. I can only wonder how hot the dog was when it got home...if it got home!
AFTER AN EXTENDED MEDICAL LEAVE, I WILL BE RETURNING TO WORK MARCH 1st!
