Why the training is more for you than it is for your dog?
Many people believe dog training is just a bunch of techniques applied to change the behavior of their dogs, without much impact on how they see and relate to the animal at all. That concept or belief system is one of the main reasons why so many people waste tons of money on dog training without any real results.
Yes, dog training is focused on exercises and practices geared towards change in the dog’s behavior but that is just one piece of the puzzle. None of that matters if we, the humans living with that dog, don’t use everything the dog has learned to live a better life with them. We have to keep in mind that training is nothing more than practice for real life, and in real life our attitude, posture, habits and routine is where all that training will play out. Let me clarify.
In a decent training program every dog is going to learn how to be calm in the crate. That part of the training is done for the dog’s safety and comfort. We create that pattern so the dog knows that when we can’t supervise it, there’s a safe place for it to relax, wait and sleep. That’s the lesson for the dog and most of the time the dog has no problem with that. Now, our lesson is to keep that up and make it part of our lives, without ever breaking that rule. Most people fail right there because now the dog is so calm and collected that they think the rule no longer applies and freedom without supervision is deserved. The dog regresses, makes a mistake and now the “training didn’t work”. That’s a failure on our end not the dog’s and that is one of the main reasons some of these dogs end up on death row.
Another classic example is the use of the training tools. Again most decent training programs will have the dog learn how to be handled on a prong collar and on an e-collar. The dog goes back home, very well behaved and before we know it it’s running around without any tools on. Why? Because some people believe that now the dog knows what to do and the tools are no longer needed. One more time we fail the dog, it makes a mistake and off he goes for adoption or even worse.
I’m pointing out these simple examples to clarify why the understanding of rules and discipline is so crucial for humans specially when the expectations are so high. We all want the dogs to be tolerant, submissive, calm and well behaved in the most challenging scenarios but we fail to follow that same level of discipline when it comes to keeping up with what the dog has already learned. The tools are there to make sure the dog is safe. The tools are there to remind us to hold the dog accountable when it makes a mistake. The tools are part of the training that the dog went through and we paid for, so why just throw all that away? The answer is simple: it’s a lot of work and it only ends when the dog dies.
I know it sounds harsh but reality is the remedy for all fantasies. We have to be fair and hold ourselves accountable for our part of the deal when it comes to dog ownership. We can’t ask our dogs to be disciplined when we are simply not. We can’t just through all the training away because it’s easier to lay on the couch and let the dog loose in the backyard. We all want to be leaders and masters of our own lives but that position, in life and in dog training, requires a lot of responsibilities.
The journey through dog training is just the beginning. There is no end to that road. It’s a presentation of a new lifestyle with the dog, and one that has to be held throughout the life of the dog with you. That doesn’t mean you won’t get to share nice moments with your dog, on the contrary. Understanding that training is for life will open new doors for a life much more fulfilling for both parties and that’s the only way to enjoy lasting results.
