What's Your Relationship "Account" With Your Dog/s?
Updated 5/28/03
This post appeared 7/17/02 on the SCBR private e-group.
As Obedience Coordinator for SCBR, I'm often asked in all of the many e-mails related to
obedience training, tell me more about training dogs. What's in it for me? What's in it for my
dog? Exactly what is reward based motivational dog training? What does it look like? What does
it feel like? How do I get the results I want for my dog?
Before I can ever attempt to define the difference, let me take you back many years ago before
I became involved with SCBR.
I too, for lack of information and education of today, purchased my first boxers, right out of the
backyard breeders stock within my state. Paid a lot of money, but I had those AKC registration
papers gript in hand. Not that anyone in all of my years ever even asked me to show them. They
sat in a file along with the bill of sales. Big deal, right!
That sweet little untrained puppies, soon became a handful. You know they come with no
directions, just like kids. Clueless again, I enrolled in a local AKC Kennel Club obedience
training program. Makes a whole lot of sense to me seeing how the dog were AKC registered
too. The course was complete with choke, now called "training" collar and soon we had to switch
over to the "prong" or "pinch", all tools of the trade, I'm told. At least I thought I was heading in
the right direction, right?
Little did we know, we were on the road to show dog training, when all I ever wanted was a family
pet, a dog who would respond to me. About the third class and flunking in the eyes of the show
trainer, we were told we'd be kick out of the show rink for such fruitless performances of an
unruly dog. We turned our heads down, tails between our legs, left and never returned. If the dog
doesn't sit on a dime, you're a done deal. As a former obedience school failure, yes I admit this
to you, me!
What I ended up owning during the lives' of these two dogs, were what I'd now call "closet"
dogs. Dogs, who ran my life and made demands of me and my time, only on their time, always.
Dogs, I could only bring out at night onto the streets, because their behaviors were so, well
perhaps you have seen us before. I was completely shamed to even say I owned them. Dogs who
wanted to eat every other dog they saw and pulled me down the street in tow.
Yes, you get the picture and the nightmare effects. We all suffered for this. Perhaps you too will
admit to owning a dog in your past like these?
Lost was the dream of ever owning a "family" pet. Lost by this uneducated experience, well not
yet!
More often then not, since seeing the numbers of boxers coming to SCBR, the number one
reason for them being surrender was for lack of a communication system between family
members. With this good cause in mind, today one can better understand why the contract
requires obedience training as part of the adoption agreement. A trained dog is less likily to be
returned.
Then the word motivation came to play on my doorsteps of this new learning. If I'm motivated
about working with my dog, my dog will be motivated to work with me. Ah, you see, there is a
connection to "family" pet! We can always work at having fun, be in the public and continue to
learn about each other. Then cames all the rewards for all we do together. The more time I
invest the bigger the gains for all.
Regardless of what you walk away from here with, know the difference between a trained dog
and the life they live and that of one who has not been trained. Look at the deposits you're
making with your own dog and watch that invest interest rate grow with a higher return for every
minute you put in as time.
How many times do we hear, but the dog went to 5 one hour classes and he or she still doesn't
know how to behave. Dog training classes should be designed for the owner/handler of the dog.
This is a place where you go to develop the attitude, skills and know how of training the dog.
What you do daily and forever after from those lessons and classes will make the difference for
both of you. Training is not a one time event as mentioned above, but forever and ever.
So, what's your relationship "account" with your dog? It's never to late to make small changes
for the better either! You'll find some good reading and articles here - Education for You and
Your Dog!
Enjoy!
Janice, Bubba, Mr. Seamus and Braille
obedience training, tell me more about training dogs. What's in it for me? What's in it for my
dog? Exactly what is reward based motivational dog training? What does it look like? What does
it feel like? How do I get the results I want for my dog?
Before I can ever attempt to define the difference, let me take you back many years ago before
I became involved with SCBR.
I too, for lack of information and education of today, purchased my first boxers, right out of the
backyard breeders stock within my state. Paid a lot of money, but I had those AKC registration
papers gript in hand. Not that anyone in all of my years ever even asked me to show them. They
sat in a file along with the bill of sales. Big deal, right!
That sweet little untrained puppies, soon became a handful. You know they come with no
directions, just like kids. Clueless again, I enrolled in a local AKC Kennel Club obedience
training program. Makes a whole lot of sense to me seeing how the dog were AKC registered
too. The course was complete with choke, now called "training" collar and soon we had to switch
over to the "prong" or "pinch", all tools of the trade, I'm told. At least I thought I was heading in
the right direction, right?
Little did we know, we were on the road to show dog training, when all I ever wanted was a family
pet, a dog who would respond to me. About the third class and flunking in the eyes of the show
trainer, we were told we'd be kick out of the show rink for such fruitless performances of an
unruly dog. We turned our heads down, tails between our legs, left and never returned. If the dog
doesn't sit on a dime, you're a done deal. As a former obedience school failure, yes I admit this
to you, me!
What I ended up owning during the lives' of these two dogs, were what I'd now call "closet"
dogs. Dogs, who ran my life and made demands of me and my time, only on their time, always.
Dogs, I could only bring out at night onto the streets, because their behaviors were so, well
perhaps you have seen us before. I was completely shamed to even say I owned them. Dogs who
wanted to eat every other dog they saw and pulled me down the street in tow.
Yes, you get the picture and the nightmare effects. We all suffered for this. Perhaps you too will
admit to owning a dog in your past like these?
Lost was the dream of ever owning a "family" pet. Lost by this uneducated experience, well not
yet!
More often then not, since seeing the numbers of boxers coming to SCBR, the number one
reason for them being surrender was for lack of a communication system between family
members. With this good cause in mind, today one can better understand why the contract
requires obedience training as part of the adoption agreement. A trained dog is less likily to be
returned.
Then the word motivation came to play on my doorsteps of this new learning. If I'm motivated
about working with my dog, my dog will be motivated to work with me. Ah, you see, there is a
connection to "family" pet! We can always work at having fun, be in the public and continue to
learn about each other. Then cames all the rewards for all we do together. The more time I
invest the bigger the gains for all.
Regardless of what you walk away from here with, know the difference between a trained dog
and the life they live and that of one who has not been trained. Look at the deposits you're
making with your own dog and watch that invest interest rate grow with a higher return for every
minute you put in as time.
How many times do we hear, but the dog went to 5 one hour classes and he or she still doesn't
know how to behave. Dog training classes should be designed for the owner/handler of the dog.
This is a place where you go to develop the attitude, skills and know how of training the dog.
What you do daily and forever after from those lessons and classes will make the difference for
both of you. Training is not a one time event as mentioned above, but forever and ever.
So, what's your relationship "account" with your dog? It's never to late to make small changes
for the better either! You'll find some good reading and articles here - Education for You and
Your Dog!
Enjoy!
Janice, Bubba, Mr. Seamus and Braille