Many dog owners think they want a well trained dog, then they meet my dog Monty. He’s always calm and easy going, that’s what I wanted from him, nothing more. When I first got him, he was nuts – reactive, aggressive to moving targets etc. I simply focused on calm – showed Monty that being calm opens up his world.
People often ask why I don’t use treats when working with dogs? The answer is quite simple – I want the dog to want to work “with” me, to cooperate with me, to trust me – don’t want them working for what I have in my hand. I simply don’t want a food relationship, and I’ll be darned if I’m going to be a treat dispenser. Owners need to be the highest value treat in their dogs life.
We are all greedy in ways, we all have wants and needs. When we get something, whether you earn it, or work for it, whatever – it’s a positive experience when we achieve it. Self gratification is a reward all its’ own, getting what you want is a reward. Why aren’t we asking “what does the dog want – and how do we get them what they want”? How do we get the dog to earn the reward – a reward that is not food?
Say I have a dog on a leash that’s barking at another dog. What does that dog want – and how does it achieve getting what it wants? Many trainers are going to drag the dog away and start rewarding it for ignoring that dog, or simply following or paying attention to what the trainer wants. The key here is “what the trainer wants”. Does it matter what the dog wants? Likely not, that’s a part of the problem today.
I’ll safely assume that the dog simply wants to meet that dog, and this is where cooperation should come in. I know what you want – you have to give me something in order to get what you want – earn it. What is it the dog has to give? Calm, give me calm and you can meet the dog. If you give excitement, you get nothing. Give me calm at all times, and the world becomes your oyster – you can have whatever you want as long as you’re calm – within reason.
Many trainers carry the ideology that dogs don’t need dogs, they are fine not meeting dogs, and only having the owner(s) in their life. They believe that socialization doesn’t need to include meeting every dog. And while I partly agree with that sentiment – if I’m in a dog park, I’m there for him. It’s his time, not mine – if I didn’t have a dog, I wouldn’t be in a park. I wouldn’t be in a pet store either if I didn’t have a dog. We go to pet stores, it’s his time to do what he wants to do. If he wants to meet every dog, so be it as long as other owners are fine with it.
People believe they want a well trained dog, when in reality, then want a calm dog. A dog that can be calm everywhere. A calm dog is a thinking dog, the brain is engaged. Much easier to work with a completely calm dog that is thinking.
But if you’re creating all this excitement and rewarding that excitement with food – then you’re working against what you want. You’re creating a hyper dog.
Robert Hynes Dog Training
Serving Edmonton, Alberta and surrounding areas.
admin@roberthynesdogtraining.com