This blog post is very, very near and dear to my heart - not only because of experiences Ive had with my own dogs over the years, but because of the countless times Ive tried to get clients to stop and consider the needs, likes, and dislikes of the living beings on the other end of the leashes when they come to BonaFide, insisting on training getting help to train their dogs to compete in a dog sport, become a therapy dog, etc., because the person, NOT the dog, wanted to do that particular activity. Or trying to empathize, yet educate, the owner who insists on trying to force a dog to become an exact clone of a dog they previously owned - an impossible task and very unpleasant for the poor new dog who never has a chance to be his own dog. Far too often, the dogs personality, needs, and abilities are being completely ignored in favor of the owners wants and needs. Yes, all dogs need to learn to do a few things, like basic importance obedience commands such as a recall, simply because that is a life-saving skill to know. Of course the dogs may prefer to continue playing outside or running away when you call, but they need to know to come when you call, and that doesnt need to be a traumatic thing to teach them to do each and every time you call them. In my opinion, that type of training is necessary for every dog. But what dog HAS to be trained to be a therapy dog? What dog HAS to be trained to be a competition dog in whatever sport the owner is interested in? What dog HAS (can?) to be trained to be a perfect clone of a former pet because the owner cant let go of the dead pet? Doesnt the dogs unique personality and abilities deserve to be considered when training for things that he doesnt really NEED to do? I have five dogs right now. I am very passionate about literacy, and love to work with children to improve their reading skills. Two of my Jack Russells are registered therapy dogs, with additional training as reading therapy dogs. My other three dogs are not therapy dogs. Not because I dont want them to be therapy dogs. Not because I cant train them to pass their registration tests. Not because I cant train the additional skills that are useful for reading dogs. Not because I dont want to be able to take them to school to work with children. Three of my dogs are not therapy dogs because THEY dont want to be therapy dogs. They are affectionate to me, but not all that interested in other people. My third terrier has the attention span of a flea - prolonged stays while a child read to her would drive her insane. My Dalmatian is not one to stay still for long either unless I make her do so. And my Border Collie has an active dislike of children and merely tolerates them because Ive worked to get him to that point. He would be happy in a world where no one was under the age of 18. So with all the other opportunities to occupy their bodies and minds, those three dogs are not, and never will be, therapy dogs. Forcing them to do that type of work just because I want them to would be very unkind to them. My third terrier is my clicker trick dog and an exceptional earthdog. My Dalmatian is my canicross companion and will eventually be my new obedience competition dog (something she likes). My Border Collie is my hiking buddy, and obedience and freestyle dog. Every one of my dogs has his/her own likes and dislikes and his/her own place. I take into account what they want when deciding what I will train them to do. Does your dog have his/her own place?
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 02:07:10 +0000
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