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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

dog

Just Who Is Training Whom?
Training is a two-way street: Buddy is just as involved in training you as you

are in trying to train him. The trouble is that Buddy is already a genius at

training you, a skill with which he was born. Put another way, a dog comes

into the world knowing what is to his advantage and what isn’t, and he’ll do

whatever he can to get what he wants. You, on the other hand, have to discover

the skills of training him, just as we had to.
 

One of these skills is figuring out how to recognize when you’re inadvertently

rewarding behaviors you may not want to reinforce. Begging at the dinner

table is a good example. When Buddy begs at the table and you slip him some

food, he is training you to feed him from the table. You need to ask yourself,

“Is this a behavior I want to encourage?” If the answer is no, then stop doing

it, no matter what.
 

Most dogs eventually ignore commands that don’t lead to tangible consequences.

When he responds to a command, reward him by praising him. If

he chooses not to respond to a command he has been taught, correct him.

Now look at another situation: Buddy has taken himself for an unauthorized

walk through the neighborhood. You’re late for an appointment but don’t

want to leave with Buddy out on the streets. You frantically call and call.

Finally, Buddy makes an appearance, happily sauntering up to you. You, on

the other hand, are fit to be tied, and you let him know your displeasure in

no uncertain terms by giving him a thorough scolding. You now need to ask

yourself, “Is this the kind of greeting that will make Buddy want to come to

me?” If the answer is no, then stop doing it, no matter what..*
What is an untrained dog?

The untrained dog has few privileges. When

guests come, he is locked away because he is

too unruly. When the family sits down to eat,

he’s locked up or put outside because he begs

at the table. He’s never allowed off leash

because he runs away and stays out for hours

at a time. Nobody wants to take him for a walk

because he pulls, and he never gets to go on

family outings because he’s a nuisance.

Dogs are social animals, and one of the cruelest

forms of punishment is to deprive them of the

opportunity to interact with family members on

a regular basis. Isolating a dog from contact

with humans is inhumane. Spending quality time

with your dog by training him will make him the

beloved pet he deserves to be.
Here are two examples of how your dog is training you:

  • Buddy drops his ball in your lap while you’re watching television andyou throw it for him.
  • Buddy nudges or paws your elbow when you’re sitting on the couch and
    you pet him.
Buddy has trained you well. Is there anything wrong with that? Not at all, provided

you can tell him to go lie down when you don’t feel like throwing the

ball or petting him.