A Dogs Six Words

When I first started training dogs in the Manners in Minutes system seven years ago, someone asked me “If a dog could talk what would he say first?” I did not have an answer then. I think I do now.

     If we could give a dog just six words, I think it would come up with two phrases.

     The first would be “It’s not fair.” A dog wants a good pack leader. And a good pack leader is firm, fair and consistent.   I believe a dog has a strong sense of what is fair and what is not.

      But I have also come to the conclusion that dogs are born con artists. Even the best behaved dog is always looking for an opportunity to turn any situation to their advantage. Personally I think the only reason my two Lakelands, and for that matter your dog, haven’t taken a car to go joyriding is that they don’t have thumbs to steer with.

     So if a dog could say “it’s not fair, it would use the phrase the way a four year old human does. Sometimes it would mean you aren’t being fair. But other times it would just mean “give me my way.”

     The next phrase would be “But you said.” Dogs, like children, are born lawyers. While their vocabulary may be limited they know what each word and each command means. And they take them very literally.

     I don’t teach the command “stay” but rather the command “wait.” Stay is usually used to keep the dog sitting in one place while you walk away. I want my dog to stop whenever and wherever I command at the moment I give the command. Wait is an X on the ground where the dog is not to move from until I release it. But unless I add something else it is up to the dog whether they stand, sit, or lay down while holding their wait.

     Sometimes someone else will tell their dog “sit” in here. The dog will sit then get back up. They will then tell the dog “I said sit.” And then I will tell the owner you said sit and the dog sat. You didn’t tell him to wait.

     And as I do the dog looks at them and thinks “But you said.”

Doug

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Dog behavior training

Welcome to Dog behavior training blog. You will be able to learn the Basics of Dog behavior training as we introduce you to the new tips and tricks of Dog behavior training.

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Dog training is both frustrating and rewarding. It kills you to torment your poor puppy for months on end, trying to get them to understand commands that to them probably seem irrelevant and arbitrary. However, when they finally learn it is best for all. You are happy because they no longer eat your furniture or run away from you in the park. I am also convinced the puppy is now happier because he has learned how to manipulate you. He has learned that when you are happy you give him treats and he has also learned the things that are most likely to make you happy.

This is of course a beneficial relationship for all concerned. You get what you want and the dog gets what he wants, making everyone more pleased. Some people say that the dog is actually happier because it craves rules and boundaries. Dogs will test you to see how far they can push you because they want you to define their limitations, to give them their place in the household. I am not sure how convincing I find this argument but it makes some sense, in the way it makes sense that children with rules and boundaries tend to be better adjusted as well. For this reason among others dog training is an important part of any household that has a dog. I have seen the houses where the poor dog is locked outside all day and night with no affection and love because he is “out of control”. However in my experience this is normally because no one tried to control the dog and he was allowed to push his boundaries to the max until there ceased to be any. Dog training needs to be done, and to be done well in order for the dog to truly flourish.
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