I often see dog training videos of dogs who are expected to be glued against their human, responding to big, exaggerated hand signals, or being corrected for doing the wrong thing, over and over and over again.
Honestly, I just don’t get it.
That’s not what I want for my dogs.
Personally, I don’t want my dogs to listen to me just because I told them to do something. I want them to understand what I’m asking, and choose to do it because they know it leads to good things. Because we’ve taken the time to build the trust and clarity together.When we teach our dogs how to think for themselves, how to make choices, and how their decisions can lead to rewards, life becomes easier for everyone.
They become more confident and fulfilled.
We don’t need to spend all of our time micromanaging them.
It’s more effective, more efficient, and honestly, it’s just a lot more fun for everyone.
They become more confident and fulfilled.
We don’t need to spend all of our time micromanaging them.
It’s more effective, more efficient, and honestly, it’s just a lot more fun for everyone.
For me, dog training is never about control.
It’s about communication and connection.
When we train our dogs in a way that helps them learn how to make good decisions on their own, it takes a lot more patience, consistency, and work in the beginning to set the foundation, but the results are more effective long-term, for the rest of their lives.
When we don’t need to rely on constant cues or commands, exaggerated hand signals, or direction or correction for every little thing we want our dogs to do, we can take a step back and trust that they’ve learned what works, because we taught them how to learn.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to manage my dogs every second of every day.
I want them to live fully and joyfully in their home, in their family, and in the world.
Dogs are smarter than we often give them credit for.
They want connection. They want to engagement with their people.
If we guide them gently, give them space, and be patient, they’ll offer behaviours on their own.
And when we reinforce those, they’ll choose them more often. It sticks, because it’s theirs. They have figured it out for themselves. They own it!
Not to anthropomorphize too much, but it’s kind of like us humans:
When we’re interested in something, we remember it better.
When we feel safe and confident, we learn more easily.
Our dogs are no different in that aspect.
They don’t need to be micromanaged.
They need be taught how to make good choices.
They need support, clear feedback, and trust.
What does “anthropomorphize” mean? It means to attribute human characteristics, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities.
We need to be careful not to assume dogs think exactly like humans, but we can acknowledge that their behaviours or emotions are very relatable.
For example, saying “My dog is being spiteful because I left her home alone” would be anthropomorphizing because “spite” is a complex human emotion. But saying “My dog seems excited when I grab the leash” is more grounded in observable behavior. It still touches on emotion, but it’s not necessarily anthropomorphizing.
When we control them, micromanage them, give them over the top instructions or hand signals to get them to do things all the time, it becomes so much work.
It is going to be exhausting for us and overwhelming for them.
That’s just stressful for everyone.
I’d rather take the time to teach them that they can make good choices and I will reward and reinforce those choices.
Then, we can enjoy sharing our lives together.
This can also be applied to the choices we make for them.
We often want our dogs to be able to go places with us, but we really need to think: is it an activity that they’ll enjoy?
Or are we taking them with us because we have social expectations that they should be able to go anywhere?
For example:
I do not take my dogs to the beach when it’s a hot, busy summer day and there are hundreds of people and dozens of dogs at the beach.
On those days where they have to be kept on a short leash in the hot sun, watching everyone around them and getting overstimulated, what would I be taking them for?
To make them happy or to make me happy?
Would they prefer to stay home where it’s cool and comfortable in the house?
Yes, yes they would.
So, instead, I take them to the beach when there is nobody else there.
I take them on days where it’s cool or rainy, and not full of people, and they have the space and time to dig in the sand and play in the water.
I’m going to allow them to run freely, while on a long line just in case they want to chase birds and their recall fails. I do this not because bulletproof recall can’t exist, but because I don’t expect them to have it as sentient beings. I am realistic.
I’m going to allow them to run freely, while on a long line just in case they want to chase birds and their recall fails. I do this not because bulletproof recall can’t exist, but because I don’t expect them to have it as sentient beings. I am realistic.
They will enjoy the beach so much more when they don’t need to be watching anyone else, and neither do I.
I’m not even sure if these thoughts line up and flow together, to be honest,
but they are my thoughts and I wanted to share them with you all.
but they are my thoughts and I wanted to share them with you all.