I
think the best way to enjoy our pets is to be able to take
them with us and know they will behave. We also enjoy them
if they are good at home, too! I work with many dogs and most
are pretty good, but are not trained very well. They are usually
good hearted and want to behave and please their owners, they
just need to be pointed in the right direction.
Veterinarians
are not dog trainers. We only learn the basics in veterinary
school as the focus is on medicine, not behavior. There are
vets that specialize in behavior through ongoing education
after vet school, however most of us learn about behavior
through experience and the aid of experienced dog trainers.
I personally do not think you can train a cat, but I think
we would all agree that they will train us.
I
have two Doberman Pinschers. They are both good natured and
love to play and have fun. They have a lot of energy. Through
consistency in training, I am able to take them with me and
know that they will behave and get to keep going on the family
adventures.
I
have worked with a trainer from the get go with both dogs
which has been helpful to train us on what is really going
on in the dog world and inside their head.
I
get asked about training all the time from my patients' owners
and I always point them to an experienced dog trainer as training
should start the first day you adopt a pet. One major frustration
I have seen consistently is a puppy that has been separated
from the litter before eight weeks of age which poses challenges
to training. According to our trainer, the litter and the
mother teach the individual puppies proper dog communication.
If the puppy is separated too early, then it will not get
the needed corrections from the mother to help it deal with
every day dog life. I see it all the time and I have to ask
what the dog's age was when he was separated from the litter.
The answer is always too early.
Through
my experience and the education my dogs and my patients have
taught me, I try and stay consistent with a hierarchy of things
as I think dogs feel comfortable if they know where they stand
in the pecking order. It is their nature for the strongest
to survive, so they often strive to be the strongest and fittest.
My dogs know I am the dominant one in their world and the
top of their hierarchy by my subtle actions and their behavior
stems from there.
Some
of our daily activities reinforce the "training" my dogs get.
I exercise my dogs everyday - not just a walk, but active
playing, rooting and running around. They need this to burn
off extra energy, they love it and it is fun for me too. This
sort of activity tells them I care about them, enjoy them
and yet, I decide when we do this, so they know who is boss.
I
always eat first before they eat - even if it is a single
grape. The pack leader always eats first. They must sit or
lay down before I give them their food.
