Audio Article
One thing that we often have a hard time with as we’re working with our new dog or puppy, is getting caught up in comparisons. With many of our friends having dogs as well, we’re constantly coming home after a visit, and discussing how our dog is different from theirs. What we don’t realize is, that every dog has their own strengths and weaknesses, and their own personalities. There are many factors that make up their behavior characteristics, of which some may have nothing to do with us. When we consider their genetics, the history of our dogs, and their previous or current environment, there’s no way that all dogs can be the same. The age of our dog, and when they came into our care, also has a big influence, because there are so many behaviors that they could have been rehearsing for months, or even years before they got to their final forever home, which can take a few months to adjust to.
We see Facebook posts and articles online, or just in talking with people in our neighborhood, can give us lots to compare our dogs to. The number of situations that rescues, and dogs from unethical breeding situations come from is high, and so is the number of characteristics they might have. We need to remember this as we help our dogs navigate through to their adult and senior years. All that’s important, is that they feel safe, loved, and that they can trust us. We need to keep our comparisons to what we have control over, which is how we spend time and work with our dogs, from the first day that they become a part of our family.
Behavior Comparisons
Some of us can be hyper vigilant with our dogs as a result of comparisons to others or even our previous dogs, it’s hard not to always watch their behavior as we walk through our neighborhood, while at the park, or at a friends home. In these comparisons, we can easily forget that they are their own dog, and have their own temperament and personalities. They also have their own history from the breeder or as a rescue, which has an impact on their disposition. With this information in mind, and even if our dogs aren’t rescue pups, they are individuals. We also need to remember that our environment is not the same as the environment of others, so there’s no way we can expect the same behaviors from our dog as we see in theirs.
As mentioned, we often compare our dogs to our previous ones, however they’re not going to be as aloof as our flat coat retriever rescue, or our first rescue dog that was “perfect”. They might not be as affectionate, or attentive to us as our golden retriever. With most of our dogs, they likely had their own idiosyncrasies or their own issues. We have a habit though of choosing to only think of the good things about our past dogs, while focusing on the things that our current dogs need to work on. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that our dogs are their own dog, with their own qualities. And if there are any qualities that need more work than others, it’s because they are different dogs than our previous ones, and we need to spend quality time coaching and educating them on those behaviors.
Training Comparisons
With coaching our dogs, there are almost as many training theories and philosophies for dog training, as there are dog breeds. As a positive dog coach, I stick with the current science. Proven theories that align with my Canine Centered Coaching philosophy,. are the foundation of my methodology. While I am committed to using science based methods, it’s not, and never will be my place to dictate or judge how others train their dogs.
Science has shown, that the way dogs respond best in training, is reward based and doesn’t involve intimidation or punishment as we know it. This might not be what others do, and we need to accept that. It’s not the only way to do things though, and not everyone is going to think it is. I feel confident in my philosophy, even if I ‘m judged by someone who doesn’t believe in it. Comparisons in training don’t need to cloud our own process with our dogs. It’s easy to think “well, maybe another way will be quicker and easier”. That’s not healthy for us, because it might work towards us beginning to doubt our methods, and nothing is quick and easy if we want long term success.
The only thing that I’m adamant about, is that positive punishment training is not, and never will be something that I endorse. It’s just not me. Even though we might get frustrated, and our emotions might get the better of us, domination and intimidation tactics are not a way to create success for any dog. Dogs don’t deserve to be punished for something that they haven’t been properly trained for. How can we expect our dogs to automatically know what we want from them without teaching them. It’s not good for our dogs, or for us in the long run, if they act out of fear. It can be dangerous, and just not fun for anyone, at any time. We also don’t want our dogs to develop learned helplessness. That is not a happy existence for any dog. They are individual, sentient beings, and believe it or not, they do have emotions and are not “just dogs”.
