One of the most common things that dog owners want when seeking training advice is a well-mannered pet. Something that has struck me lately is that too many dog owners are expecting their four-legged friends to be a well-mannered pet and only a well-mannered pet. The problem is that he is a dog and should be treated as one. What I mean is that a dog should be allowed to play, bounce around, sniff and get into smelly things, splash around in a creek, etc. I know that sounds odd for me to say but think about it. It doesn't take that much time to clean him up afterwords! Imagine that you are babysitting a toddler. While you are busy preparing food, doing house chores, or watching your favorite T.V. show you might set a designated play area up with plenty of toys and things to keep the child busy where he is safe at the same time. Once you are not busy anymore you might go into the play area to interact with the toddler. Eventually the child will become bored and curious and want to explore. If you dare to keep him confined in the play area you might end up with a very cranky baby. But instead lets say you decide to let him crawl around the house and explore; or even better outside (where he might find things to dirty his little hands) under your supervision of course to make sure he stays out of trouble. It's important to let a toddler explore so that he can engage his brain and learn new things about the world. And even if he does get into a little dirt it only takes a few minutes to wipe him off. The same goes for dogs. Dogs are often said to be "as smart as a 2-yr-old baby." I am not sure how much I agree with that statement but for the sake of this article it makes for a good comparison.
Take a little bit of time out of your day to let your dog be a dog. Remember, while you were at work or shopping at the grocery store he was at home all alone and perhaps he was a little bored. Play fetch in the yard for twenty minutes, go on a short walk at the nearest nature park, go for a brief car ride, or take him to a local dog park to play with his furry friends. Your dog doesn't have to have an hour or two of your time. Even fifteen to thirty minutes can be enough to satisfy him! But remember, his opinion does matter! I have been taking my own dog, Dove, to a local nature park to go swimming lately. Today the creek was too high therefore, I kept her out of the water and we just went for a nice walk on a trail that we had never been on before. I really enjoyed myself but to my dismay, she was not thrilled about the walk and eventually became uninterested... So now that we are home I am letting her rest for a little bit while I write this blog and then this evening we will go out to play a little game of Frisbee (her favorite!). So next time we will do what she likes and I will not make her "suffer" through a short hike! Another thing to remember is that while letting your dog be a dog it is best to not ask for too much good behavior! Obviously you cannot have a dog who pulls you as hard as he can to get to where he wants to be. But most likely if you instill a tiny amount of rules and enforce them lightly he will behave well enough to allow him to enjoy himself while not upsetting you and others around him. Lately I have been walking a clients dog who is very good at leash pulling! For a while I have been expecting him to walk through the subdivision on his best behavior. Unfortunately that was not working out so well and I got tired of him pulling me everywhere. One day, I decided to take him to the woods across the street. He had so much fun! We went to the creek to stop for a drink and of course he had to lay in it... but he seemed so happy! It only took a minute to dry him off when we got back and the next day he walked through the subdivision with hardly any pulling at all! So if you are having some issues with your pet behaving, I would strongly suggest starting with remembering that dogs will be dogs and we need to let them be dogs.
Take a little bit of time out of your day to let your dog be a dog. Remember, while you were at work or shopping at the grocery store he was at home all alone and perhaps he was a little bored. Play fetch in the yard for twenty minutes, go on a short walk at the nearest nature park, go for a brief car ride, or take him to a local dog park to play with his furry friends. Your dog doesn't have to have an hour or two of your time. Even fifteen to thirty minutes can be enough to satisfy him! But remember, his opinion does matter! I have been taking my own dog, Dove, to a local nature park to go swimming lately. Today the creek was too high therefore, I kept her out of the water and we just went for a nice walk on a trail that we had never been on before. I really enjoyed myself but to my dismay, she was not thrilled about the walk and eventually became uninterested... So now that we are home I am letting her rest for a little bit while I write this blog and then this evening we will go out to play a little game of Frisbee (her favorite!). So next time we will do what she likes and I will not make her "suffer" through a short hike! Another thing to remember is that while letting your dog be a dog it is best to not ask for too much good behavior! Obviously you cannot have a dog who pulls you as hard as he can to get to where he wants to be. But most likely if you instill a tiny amount of rules and enforce them lightly he will behave well enough to allow him to enjoy himself while not upsetting you and others around him. Lately I have been walking a clients dog who is very good at leash pulling! For a while I have been expecting him to walk through the subdivision on his best behavior. Unfortunately that was not working out so well and I got tired of him pulling me everywhere. One day, I decided to take him to the woods across the street. He had so much fun! We went to the creek to stop for a drink and of course he had to lay in it... but he seemed so happy! It only took a minute to dry him off when we got back and the next day he walked through the subdivision with hardly any pulling at all! So if you are having some issues with your pet behaving, I would strongly suggest starting with remembering that dogs will be dogs and we need to let them be dogs.