" I wish my dog would act like this"
" My dog could NEVER do this"
If I had a nickle for every-time I heard that comment, I would be a rich girl.
As a volunteer puppy raiser, I get this question more often because I am in public with a dog that is, for the most part well behaved and under control. Something I didn't realize wasn't the norm, until I started working in the animal field, in dog daycare, shelters and etc..
So I'm going to say this, as clearly as I can.
NO. I cannot train your dog FOR YOU.
If you want a well behaved, well trained dog, than YOU are going to have to put in the WORK, and TIME, and COMMITMENT it takes to get YOUR dog this way. Do I believe training is vital to you and your dog's success? YES! ABSOLUTELY. And here's why:
Training is not about having a dog that performs a 'cute trick' on command, at your whim, but about communication, with a different species.
This may come as a shock to some of you, but dog's aren't humans, they don't speak English; It never fails to surprise me, though, when people feel their puppies should know inherently what they mean when they say "NO".
The fact is, if we want our dogs to "live peaceably with all men" shall we say, than we're going to have to buckle down, and not only teach our dogs how WE want them to behave, but to learn dog language ourselves.
My Challenge to you is this:
Do you know what your dog is telling you..without using terms such as: Stubborn,dominate, he just wants to be, he thinks he is, etc..?
I will not ask you to train Copper for me :-) but I think the information you have shared on how you have trained the puppies you are working with is very helpful. Who knows??? maybe one day you will have your own dog whisperer show :-)
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