In my opinion, being a Pet dog is one of the hardest
jobs. If I had a £1 for every time
someone told me that their dog ‘is only a pet’ I would be a wealthy
woman but if you begin to understand what a difficult job it is to be ‘only
a pet’ you might show a little more compassion and understanding for
your pooch.
Working dogs have a career path to follow and their owners
know exactly what they want of their dogs.
For these dogs, it makes their life simple and clear, their training
path is set and they will learn required skills to achieve these goals. In any given situation a working dog is
taught what is expected of them and these behaviours are reinforced. For pet dogs however there is rarely a set
path and training can become erratic and inconsistent. This causes confusion, behaviour issues and
makes life stressful all round.
Now-a-days, many pet dogs are a breed, no longer the
mongrels of old but Labradors, spaniels, collies and such, with high drive and
energy levels. These dogs are taken in
to homes and yes, there may have been research done in to the breed before they
chose them but the important points have been brushed over like the high energy
of the spaniel or the herding drive of the collie.
Taking your high energy dog to a park and letting them run
around is not using that energy, they may tire physically but mentally they are
screaming at how bored they are and as time goes on they may start running off or
chewing the house or getting in to fights with other dogs or herding the kids
in the park.
So I want you to sit and think exactly what it is you want
of your dog in each situation. At home,
out on a walk, in the park, at the pub, wherever you and your dog end up. Be clear about what you want from them. A vague answer like behave themselves, not
show me up won't cut it, what do you want them to do?
The majority of behaviour cases I visit, the dogs have one
thing in common no matter what the issue is that I am there to deal with. That one thing is lack of training &
mental stimulation. Even basic commands
such as sit and come are often lacking and a lack of house rules and not
knowing what is right and what is wrong leads to a life of confusion and often
boredom.
Once you have decided what you want of your dog then think about
how you are going to teach them to do this.
Just because they are a pet dog doesn't mean they don't need to learn
certain tasks and behaviours. Once they
have learnt these skills then how are you going to expand on them and continue
to exercise your dogs brain?
Learning for your pet dog should be a life time commitment,
the old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is rubbish, they
deserve to be mentally challenged every single day and rewarded handsomely for
their efforts. Keeping your dogs mind
active as well as their body will ensure they live happy, fulfilled lives.
You don’t need to rush out and join classes (although I
would welcome you back with open arms and a shameless plug here, remember our
follow on classes involve a bit of everything – agility, tricks, nosework) just
sit and work out what your dog knows already, what else you could teach them to
make life easier and clearer for you all and what other things they could learn
to keep them occupied.
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| I am only a pet. |
So next time I see you, don’t tell me that your dog ‘is
only a pet’ tell me how content they are and show me how skilled and
talented they are in their role.
Jo Crosby-Deakin
MIACE ACFBA (MT)GoDT RCH
07776 334481
