Dog training is up close and personal. You can’t do it remotely. And you shouldn’t let someone else train your dog. There are gadgets that are supposed to work – but those are tools you can use. Not people replacements.
Dealing with a bad dog owner
We got a call this week from a person looking for a “thing” that would stop her dog from jumping over her fence. She had no idea what she wanted, she just wanted something that would do the “job” of keeping her dog in her yard. Her choice in dog training was not to do it.
She has two options:
- A taller fence (her current one is four feet)
- A leash, with her attached to the other end
She didn’t much like the options we offered. And highly resented the fact that tethering her dog in the yard is illegal. Not to mention highly dangerous for the dog, which is why it’s illegal. This person shouldn’t own a dog.
Teaching takes time
If you want your dog to understand the boundaries of your territory, you have to teach your dog where the boundaries are. If you want your dog to stop jumping over the fence, you have to teach your dog it’s not a good choice. And you have to offer your dog a more rewarding option.
That’s the key phrase, and one we can’t emphasize enough. Dogs always do what’s most rewarding. They will, absolutely dependably, choose to do what makes them happiest. It’s up to us to teach our dogs that doing what we want is the best, most rewarding, most fun option.
That’s dog training in a nutshell.
Pay your money, make your choice in dog training
Dog trainers often say that people get the dog they need, when they need it. If your dog has a behavior you don’t like, you have to decide whether you’ll become a better trainer or you live with the behavior.
If your dog is a counter-surfer; you’re either right there whenever your dog is in the kitchen teaching better choices, or you leave nothing on the counter, ever.
If your dog jumps the fence; you put a long line on your dog and go out with him every single time teaching boundaries, or you get a higher fence.
Dog’s aren’t convenient
We go outside with our dogs every time they leave the house. It’s not convenient. We’d rather stay on the nice cozy couch, trust them to “do their business,” and come home again.
But we don’t have robotic dogs. We have dogs that, without supervision; eat dirt, bark at the neighbors, bark at the neighbors’ dogs, bark at cars, and eat rabbit poop. To prevent all of those things, we’re right there. And when we see our dogs make good decisions, like glancing at the neighbor and looking back to us, we’re right there to reward that good choice to be quiet.
Choices in dog training include the “battles” you choose to fight, and those you’d rather just manage. If your dog goes digging in the bathroom wastebasket all the time, we completely understand moving the wastebasket rather than dealing with the issue. Some things just aren’t worth the effort to train. (Here’s another post about that choice: https://2-minute-trainer.com/2020/03/24/set-up-for-success-no-more-counter-surfing/)
Along with that choice comes the realization that your dog is going to do some stuff that aggravates you and you’ve chosen to live with it. If that’s your decision, it’s also up to you not to get angry or yell when your dog does it.
We have a saying for that: “Train, don’t complain.”
