Audio Article
Believe it or not, empowerment can happen while coaching our dogs. This can be done in the form of dog choices. In my opinion, our task as dog parents, is to create for them a feeling of being safe and loved. Many have believed, and still do, that we need to be the pack leader, and we need to be the ones who hold all the power. We decide when they eat, when they play, when they exercise, when they go out to the washroom, and even when they sleep. That’s a lot of control we have over their short lives.
Some like to manipulate those things to show the dog just how much power they have, and how important it is for dogs to behave and always obey the owner, or the master. Often, people who feel that they are the ones who should have the power, also believe in dominance, and intimidation tactics that they think will make a dog always listen to them. There are no dog choices here.
I and many dog trainers today, have a different belief. I believe that dogs are individuals, and deserve to have their personalities cherished, and loved regardless of any character defects that we might believe they have. There are dog behaviors that I might not like, however my dog and I will always work through them, using positive reinforcement. The way that our dogs behave and respond to stimuli is a natural response. Some feel that dogs act in spite of us, and that they intentionally behave badly because they are “getting back at us” By teaching our dogs how to align with our expectations, homeostasis can happen. In our training, we can promote dog choices on every opportunity, which is the empowerment piece
It is like coaching athletes. As coaches our basic fundamental objective, when dealing with children or adults in a sporting environment, is to do no harm. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t use the same principles when coaching our dogs. We can empower them by allowing them when the opportunity presents itself, to make their own dog choices, with our guidance and keeping safety at the forefront.
We often micro manage our dogs and make every decision for them. What if we can for example, let them determine which direction we’re going while on a walk. When we see them moving towards something on the ground as we’re walking what do we do. We usually pull the dog away from the object and say leave it. We don’t give them a chance to make a decision on their own to actually leave it. Allowing them to sniff along the walk is also an important activity for them which reduces stress and tells them everything about the surroundings.
Here are some ways we can empower our dogs:
Dog Choices While on Walks:
Let them decide the direction:
This can be done by moving with them if they begin heading in a specific direction. We can entice them to go in directions that will eventually end up back home so they do not take us for 3 miles in one direction then we need to get back. I let our flat coat retriever rescue do this and it was funny because for some reason he liked to go down alleys. We saw lots of different things that we would not normally see on our walks. I was sure though to get him choosing directions that headed back home though so he did not get too tired when he got older.
Give them a chance:
While out on walks, I like to let our dog sniff as much as she wants. As we approach objects that are not earth related, I now wait to see if she is going to leave it and if she does I say thank you. Sometimes she needs to check it out first and yes there are times when it is just too irresistible. For that reason, I do not give her too much leeway so that I can help her to leave it if I need to. Of course we can see sometimes when something is going to be too valuable and can also simply avoid the object. This is why we need to keep our eyes on what their eyes are seeing before they see it if we can.
Dog Choices While At Home:
Leaving it:
We cant always see what our dogs are doing. When they are puppies though, we need to have eyes on them always. While we are teaching them and allowing them to make dog choices, we can just see what they are going to do. If they are going towards something that we don’t want them to be near, see what they do with it. We can redirect them if it is inappropriate and the do not leave it. but give them a chance to do the right thing. This is an easy and early way to promote empowerment through dog choices.
Dog Choices in Exploration:
We don’t always have the ability but I believe that allowing them to explore under supervision creates their ability to gain confidence and independence.
At the end of the day, we want our dogs to be happy and feel like a part of the pack and not a submissive to the pack. We love our pups to think that they can be simply existing in some environments is just not nice.