Dog Training: Past and Present

"Lassie's son, Lassie, gets $100,000 a year" ('60's article)

   I read an interesting article the other day.  It was about how much the dog world has changed in the past two decades.  The writer describes many valid points, the last one telling how we as a society now humanize dogs.  I feel more can be said about this anthropomorphism, and how misleading it could be.

     I have heard it many times before- "Dogs are the new kids!"  We call them "furbabies" and always want to hug and kiss and cuddle with them.  But have we as owners, or "pet parents" considered what we ask of our beloved pups?  Such as: "Go make out with this stranger! I don't care if she startled you!"  We say we want companions that feel and think, but then we sometimes insist that they do things which are counter-intuitive.  For example, "Leave this tasty food on the counter alone!" instead of "I should put this food away, so the dog doesn't get tempted."

     There was a time in the past when things were drastically different.  There were more open spaces, and farm houses with acres of land for livestock to roam.  As more houses were built closer and closer, a dog's spaces were gradually limited.  Many dogs were no longer used as hunting partners, or guardians of livestock.  Now, very few dogs are used for the purposes they were originally bred for.

     When I was a child, like many others we had a family dog.  Jody was a Brittany Spaniel that my father took bird hunting.  I don't recall all of the details, but I do remember that there were very different expectations.  Certainly no one wants an animal that will harm their children.  However, the response to "Mommy! That dog bit at me!" or "Daddy, she growled at me!" were dramatically different than what I often hear today.  "Well honey, what did you do to the dog?" was what I heard.  We learned to control ourselves around the dog.  When I have my dogs out in public today, I have had children run up to kiss them, hug them, or even hit them (although I do my best to prevent it- thank goodness I have patient dogs!). One girl I used to work with had a child sit on the ground and give her male dog a very close inspection of his er- man part.  Talk about an awkward moment.....

     Of course there are many dogs who will tolerate a bit of rough-housing with children in their household, but I feel like there was also more opportunity made for the dog to be able to walk away, and distance themselves when they had all they could handle.  With so many awesome dog-friendly places springing up, some owners are confused as to why their dogs seem to have a harder time adjusting to the social scene.  More care needs to be taken to properly introduce the animal to new places and people, and it must be balanced with quiet time as well. Like humans, not all dogs have a desire to be social butterflies.

Another old advertisement I found, from 1960s also.

     I was raised to respect an animal's space, just like I would a human's personal space.  It was not considered "normal" or "okay" to run or walk up to a strange dog and pet, hug or kiss it.  Friendly dogs approached you and allowed themselves to be petted.  When the dog wanted to leave, it left.  If Mr. and Mrs. X had a mean dog, all of the neighborhood kids just knew to avoid it (has anyone else ever seen "Sandlot"?).  It seemed quite simple to me.

     I suppose my point is, I feel like there was a lot less pressure on dogs back then, and much less was expected of them socially.  If the animal was bonded to the family and gentle with those they knew, that was all that was necessary.  If it was sweet to others, it was just an added bonus.  If not, other people had the sense not to put themselves in harm's way.  In today's society, there is often not enough space to give anyone!

     With this background, maybe that is why I am so impressed with what dogs CAN do, and have accomplished.  One day the general public sees Lassie being hugged (1942 was the original Lassie Come Home), then 101 Dalmations stole our hearts and suddenly Fido must be cute, friendly and huggable to all while outwitting the criminals and saving Timmy every day!  Even breeds that are not bred for certain tasks are asked to perform and the overwhelming majority DO.

     Think about all we are asking our dogs to respond to! Be patient.  As a species, their record is stellar.  The name "Man's best friend" is well deserved.



*As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments! pawsthenplay@gmail.com 

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Protection Dog?

     A young woman was telling me a story about how wonderful her dog is to her.  She proudly stated that "[the dog] is so protective of me, he almost wouldn't let my husband in the house the other night!"  She went on to explain that her husband had gone out earlier that evening with some friends and the friends dropped him off later that night in a different vehicle.  Her dog started "...going crazy!" she explained.  "He was barking loud and running around the house.  I tried to tell him 'It's okay, Daddy's home!' but when I went to the door, he darted out and then looped around and jumped up on me to push me back into the house!"

     In working with dogs for years, I often come across people who are absurdly proud of a dog they view as "protective" who is actually displaying overt tendencies of possession, fear, or inverted dominance.  It makes me believe that there is an overall misconception of terms as they apply to canine behavior.  The reason this concerns me is that the behaviors encouraged and elicited as "protective" are often the cause for the dog to display tendencies that are unwanted or can even be dangerous to the owner or other people and animals present.

     Dogs who carry an actual title of "Protection Dog" have had years of training with experienced handlers.  In the right hands, these dogs are the least likely to "go crazy" and panic at the sight or sound of new stimuli.

     One way to distinguish if a dog is actually being "protective" is to determine if the owner was truly frightened or angry.  If so, then there was a huge chemical surge that the dog could detect, and would know was out of the ordinary.  Another point to examine is if the owner gave a command for the dog to vocalize and/or move forward towards the perceived threat.  If the dog was acting at the behest of the handler, the motions would not appear frenzied and panicked.  Obviously if the dog is physically causing any harm to the owner it is not a desirable behavior, and should not be labeled as "protective".

     I do agree that a dog can be a deterrent to a would-be burglar or robber, but there are other ways to achieve this without allowing the dog to reach a state of panic.  Teaching a dog to bark or growl on command can be useful for this.  Simply using basic obedience to send a dog several yards out (towards the threat) and sit/stay facing the stranger can be very intimidating also to a would-be aggressor.

     For more information about YOUR dog's behavior, please feel free to contact me!  pawsthenplay@gmail.com

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