People often ask the question "Why do I need to take my dog to a training class? Years ago no one took their dog to a training class! I don't want a robot, I want a dog! Dogs are dogs!
Times have definitely changed but wanting a pet vs a dog is really the answer to all of the questions.
We integrate our pets into our lives; we take them to the store with us, for car rides, to the doggie park to play with other pets, to doggie day care. We feed them holistic and all natural foods to prevent allergies, etc.; we vaccinate them for every disease known; we surgically fix what is ailing them or broken; we spay and neuter; we groom them regularly and make them smell pretty; dress them in coats, boots, and costumes; we buy them Christmas and birthday presents and have their pictures taken with Santa. The list goes on - you get the picture. We truly make them an important part of our lives; they are our pets, an extension of our family.
Now think back years ago -- Dogs were fed whatever canned food was affordable and available (I remember those cans of Alpo and Strongheart!) or given table scraps (bones and all), left out on the farm or in the yard for hours (to dig, bark, chase and catch whatever ran around out there and usually eat it too!), not bathed very often because dogs are suppose to smell like dogs (not like lavender fields, vanilla, etc), rarely vaccinated (money was tight and some of the vaccines we have today weren't even around 'back in the day'), if they broke a bone it healed in time (technology did not exist to fix the luxating patella), their teeth weren't cleaned (they usually chewed enough outside to keep their teeth fairly clean and if they lost a tooth they survived just fine), they slept outside or on the floor near the heater or out on the porch (never in a human bed!), there were no doggie coats, hats, boots, etc (they had fur to keep them warm), if the dog got out of the yard they would eventually come home. Dogs used their breed instincts often; hunting; chasing cats, mice, possums, rabbits, etc.; guarding businesses and homes; herding cattle and sheep; just to name a few. If a dog bit someone the common thought was 'well they probably deserved it'. Most dogs had a job to do and did it well. They were mentally and physically stimulated and challenged by using their breed instincts daily. None of this meant that people did not love their dogs -- they did;.but in the end they were "just the dog'.
So, why do dogs need training classes, you ask. Our pets are now part of our social status, our activities, our daily lives. We expect certain behaviors out of them. They don't need their breed instincts to survive in our lifestyle. You can't take a smelly pet to see Santa or to someone else's house for a play date, you can't take an unsocialized pet to a doggie park, we monitor our pet's health like we monitor our own and we get veterinary care for them regularly (and they are not allowed to bite the vet), our pets get top of the line foods to prevent certain diseases and ailments; our pets don't live in our backyards (our neighbors would not be happy if the dog barked all day), we don't allow our pets to dig up our yards -- we have landscaping, etc.!; some of our pets sleep in human beds and are allowed on the furniture to watch TV with us; we hate when our pets jump on our guests and herd our children; we don't necessarily want them guarding and acting aggressively but want them to be social and accepting of humans and other pets (after all biting leads to lawsuits).
Everything above takes a certain amount of training so that our pets exhibit the acceptable behavior to do the things mentioned above. Dogs are born with their natural instincts, which unfortunately include some of the behaviors that just don't cut it in our social world. All of these things we do not want our pets to do require proper correction and teaching of a new acceptable behavior, along with the praise and reward that comes with it --- hence positive reinforcement training. Our pets are living in a human world and we need to teach them the behaviors that are acceptable for our lifestyle.
Our pets can be so much more than just creatures that survive on instinct; they can be agility champions, therapy workers, good mannered guests at events and other people's homes, and above all gentle, wonderful and affectionate companions. That does not mean we are making robots out of them or humanizing them; we are just redirecting some of their breed instincts, making them more social and offering them rewarding praise for a job well done --- and I have yet to meet a pet that says "Nope, I don't want to do any of those things". All a pet wants to do is please you and they are more than capable of doing so when we just teach them how and reward them for that job well done.
Training is just another part of loving and caring for our pets enough to want them to be more than "Just the Dog".
Next issue --- Part II How long is this 'training' going to take????
