A lesson in keeping the dogs we love safer and calmer

We all know that thousands of dogs and other pets are euthanized every day of the year in our country.

Sadly, many dogs who are euthanized are sentenced to this fate by people ill-equipped to identify and correct behaviors that arise out of fear, and NOT purely out of aggression.  The fact is that dogs are not naturally inclined to be aggressive, and we humans have bred them to be our family companions for as long —almost— as we’ve been on this planet.

So, don’t we owe it to our canine companions to do our best to see them for all that they are?  If we could find a better way of defining those traits we see in our dogs, and if we could come to understand what motivates them; what makes them act in different ways; we could begin to know them as deeply as they know us.

And how much more incredible would our lives be with our dogs if we could give them that?  We could certainly stop diagnosing dogs as “aggressive” when they are merely afraid, and, if we’ve caused the fear ourselves, we could then know to change our own approach in order to allay the fear in those dogs.

Imagine how many lives we could save if we were able to have that better skill and understanding to offer a fearful dog at a shelter another way of being evaluated.

Then, imagine how many dogs who live in our homes could be helped to they would be understood
and assisted to a calmer, adjusted place with their families, and never sent to the shelter with a label on their card reading “aggressive.”

We still do things in an outmoded way.  Thinking regarding “dog training” is a bit stagnant, and behavioral work with dogs and psychology-based reshaping of dogs’ responses is becoming more widely accepted and understood to better serve our canine friends, in the long term.

Take a look at a video clip from a behavioral based “Rescue for Rescues” workshop that was offered to help rescuers themselves better handle and support the dogs they encountered.  It’s a beautiful summation of this concept, dealing with one aspect, evaluating a dog as fearful rather than aggressive.

A day at the dog park

Leash pulling resolution - First Day

Hi there!  Sunny, my dog, has been a strong leash puller since I got her.  We worked at the DPC with other trainers and myself, and she came home a great deal calmer, and that is contributing to our leash training success today.  To get an idea of how we USED to be, I'll post a video from a previous pack walk, with one other STRONG puller (a German Shepard) and my other dog, who only pulls when she walks with Sunny.  That detail is a note about how one dog's energy influences another's.

I use a long line to walk her, and the idea is to let her pull on herself by stopping if she runs past me.  NOTE:  This is a simplification of the plan, but I'm summarizing for this post.

Watch in video 1 when we first start.  She has some excess energy, but she gets the idea fairly quickly.

After really only ten minutes, Sunny is really becoming aware of the expectations, and her energy remains calm.  She isn't perfect yet, but she will continue in the coming days as we work on this.  Check it out here in video 2.

This last video is the pack of three leaving the dog park after a 45 minute play date that included running, splashing in the water fall, and other free play elements.  Even so, these fairly tired dogs are all at the far end of their leashes, and as you can see, I have the leashes looped around the two larger girls too, to minimize the tug on me.  This is evidence of the wrong kind of excited energy, even after all the play time.  The result?  Leash pulling, and other owner concerns.

If you are interested in dog walking services, we work in Placer County, CA and are located in Auburn.  All agreements are by negotiation, based upon your needs and our availability.