Unless you are a cruel human being or a psychopath most people are kind to animals. Its the respect that most people are lacking. Cesar MIlan has the 3-exercise, discipline, and affection. Most people easily understand affection and exercise. Its pretty straightforward.
The problem is discipline. Some people take it too far and hold their dog accountable for something they don’t understand. I never punish a dog for potty accidents for 2 reasons.
The first one is because i cant be sure the dog understands where to relieve themselves.
The second reason is because it can cause a dog to hide its feces. Big problem!!!!
Discipline is doing something whether you feel like it or not.
I try my best to detach my emotions during discipline. The mindset that I have is that:
”these are the rules, and they must be followed or there are consequences”.
This is a thought i encourage owners to have. Its tough but as your dog’s leader you must show love and enforce the rules. Now this all sounds good in theory but how do we do this in a practical way? Im about to tell you how to do it.
Its called the learn to earn method. Before your dog has access to any privilege that they want they have to perform a command. Most people get the dog to sit, but i prefer to get the dog to down. The down position is much more relaxing than the sit position.
Depending how much respect I want to gain, the stricter I will be.
My dogs sleep in a crate and are in a crate when Im not around. It doesn’t matter if they are the best behaved dog or the worst.
My dog is not allowed in the dining room. I teach them to go to their place bed instead.
My dog is not allowed to pull me. I teach them how to give in to the leash.
On a structured walk my dog is not allowed to constantly sniff. I will let them know what areas they can sniff
My dog is not allowed on furniture. I personally only do this because i dont like fur on my couch when guest come over. It has nothing to do with dominance.
My dog doesn’t walk through a threshold without checking in with me. I teach them that before we go for a walk you have to wait until i give the okay for them to come outside through the door.
My dog is not allowed to be aggressive with people or other dogs. I teach them by socializing them and working through environmental stressors. If I have to rehab then thats another issue I will address.
My dog has to lay down on command before they eat
Notice that I didnt say anything about hitting my dog to get them to comply or yelling at them to get them to comply. This is an emotional reaction to what the dog is doing. You are being reactive and telling the dog that you are not in control. I will apply corrections to a dog as needed but my main concern is to be fair to the dog.
Now this is not an all out list. Any preference you have can be a rule. But remember that this is only one side of the equation. If you want your dog to be motivated and pay attention to you the right way stay tuned for my next blog post where I will discuss motivation.