Mutual respect

[Carolina]

Hi everyone,
I'll probably get some negative feedback but I thought i'd voice my opinion, so here goes.. Now I don't want to 'rub' people the wrong way but I get the feeling that some people here in the forum come across quite regimental (if that's how one spells it?). I mean, we give each other advise on training tips etc which is GREAT but I just feel that sometimes we may 'word' it incorrectly or have a different frame of mind. For example " 'Make' your dog sit". Why do people feel the NEED to MAKE their dog sit. Now don't get me wrong. Dogs do need rules/guidence/boundries and having a NILFF is important but wouldn't it be better to have a relationship with your dog where both parties respect each other? Instead of 'making' your dog sit, how about rewarding dogs for having ALL 4 feet on the ground to start off with? So many people find it hard to reward their dogs for simply doing 'nothing'. 'Nothing' like: not jumping up, not barking the house down and lying in their bed calmly for examples. Nobody likes a bully nor do we appreciate intimidation. Appreciate what they can do for you and 'teach' them what they would need to know to live with you. Dogs, JUST like us have bad days. There are days that I don't feel like doing a chore so I don't. Why can't we give a little leeway to our K9 friends?
This by no means let your dogs do WHATEVER, WHENEVER but understand that dogs do these 'annoying behaviours' that are mostly normal for 'them'. We are asking (hopefully) our dogs to 'fit' into our society/lifestyle. Owning a dog is not a right but a priviledge.
What are your thoughts?

[kuritsa18]

I totally understand what you are saying! I think we see this on the discussions because most posts are of behaviour problems or issues and people want advice on how to correct it. If you have a disobedient dog or are still training it is important to make your dog do what you want them to do so they will learn to do it and be obedient and respect your word as their leader. For examle, You have to show a dog how to sit and what sit means. So, you teach them how to sit and follow the command by making them do it and the rewarding them for doing it. You can make your dog more obedient by making them follow your command. This is how they do it in the wild in their packs. The leader shows the other dogs how to do things and if they don't they make them. By showing your leadership you build the bond and respect. A dog will not respect you if you are a door mat or push over; they will learn they don't have to listen to you if you do not correct them.

Possitive re-enforcement is the most effective. Reward for being obedient and listening. Also, reward for being good as you said is very important. If your dog always gets attention for being bad they will learn they have to be bad to get attention. Reward for sitting nicely and being quiet or playing nicely. This also creates a better and stronger bond and mutual respect. When my dog becomes all hyper and pushy I ignore her and then when she is calm I give attention. This renforces the good behaviour

[prolibertate]

Carolina, I completely agree with you. Too many 'owners' think they have a disobedient dog, when the dog is simply doing what's natural to him. If we reward for a dog doing something we want it to do, we have a better chance of the dog repeating that behavior. teaching a dog to sit is one of the easiest things to do; if you lure the dogs head up by bringing a treat above his head, the head goes up and the behind goes down...viola! a sit! After getting him to do this a few times, you can add in the word 'sit', then do some intermittent rewarding and eventually, slowly phase the treats out. This lure method also works well for teaching them down.

Anytime my dog does something good or funny, I reward him...he then repeats those behaviors. Ignoring the bad behaviors and not rewarding them, or getting over excited about them, diminishes them from occurring again. Just as we do better under praise, so do our dogs. Since we're the 'guardians' for our furry friends (I hate the term owner) we should do all we can to make their lives a positive, enriching experience, as it also enriches our lives as well.