That Dog Ain’t Trained
To begin, I can’t tell you how many times people say to me, “my dog is trained but gets distracted”. Well, folks, I’ll be the bearer of a simple truth – That Dog Ain’t Trained. Let’s start here: performing a command or trick is not training. Yes, you trained the dog to perform it, but the Stars, the Moon, and the Sun all have to be in alignment for your dog to do it. And that’s only if there are no distractions.
A trained dog will perform a command regardless of any distractions. That’s the point of training: Getting your dog to work through the distractions and remain focused on the command. Pay attention now, because I’m dropping some serious nuggets. This (♠) represents a nugget.
Here we go: Don’t get distracted by your dogs’ distraction.♠
You Are The Pack
Humans have domesticated dogs over the course of thousands of years. However, if humans suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, dogs( generally speaking), would continue to survive. They do not need us! Dogs are pack animals, meaning they live, move and function in groups or packs. Within the pack, there is a structured hierarchy, rules and codes of conduct that are consistently maintained. It is the Leaders responsibility to maintain this structure. If for any reason (illness, injury, age, incompetence, whatever), the Leaders are not maintaining this structure, subordinate members of the pack will step up and take lead. This is instinctual and necessary for the health, well-being, and survival of the overall pack.♠
You Must Be The Leader
Your dog should keep one eye and one ear on you at all times. Period. As the Leader, you should not have to fight for your dogs’ attention. Repeating commands, raising your voice, yanking on the leash, snapping your fingers, saying the dogs’ name over and over again, bending over or adjusting your position to be sure the dog is seeing you are all examples of you fighting for the dogs’ attention. As the leader, it’s not your responsibility to make sure the dog is paying attention to what you’re doing! The dog needs to make sure it’s aware of what’s going on with you, regardless of any distractions.♠ Why? Because you’re the Leader!
From the tender age of just three to four weeks, momma dog has already taught her pups some life essential lessons.
- Self Restraint – It’s not play time.
- Impulse Control – Don’t do that, play nice.
- Boundaries – Stay in the den or near me.
- Respect for her leadership position – Follow my rules.
By eight weeks, the pups are ready to transition into a human pack. This is when most humans let all the foundational training that momma dog has taught, go out the window. We start communicating with the puppy on a human level.♠ Here’s the problem: Dog’s do not have the mental capacity to think in human terms. Humans, however, possess the unique ability to learn how to communicate in a way the dog inherently understands, on a canine level. It is incumbent upon us to learn how to effectively communicate with our dogs. Until you do, that dog ain’t trained.
Your Dog Is Your Family
In my family, I am the patriarch. I have two daughters, four grandchildren, two dogs, and a cat. Across the board, I am firm but fair. There is time for play, laugh, and giggles but when I need to hold an adult conversation with my daughters I speak to them as such. I don’t communicate to them as I do my grandbabies. Conversely, I don’t communicate with my grandbabies like I do my dogs. The cat just does whatever it wants. The point is that communication occurs based upon the intellectual capacity of the individuals understanding.
Our dogs are our family. Nonetheless, they do not have the mental acuity to process human reasoning.♠ So why do we hold protracted conversations with our dogs? Because it’s in our DNA to be nurturing and catering. We humanize our pets and interact with everything in our environment from a human perspective. (Start paying attention to commercials and marketing campaigns).
Dog Training For Humans
If you want to train your dog to be obedient and follow commands regardless of distractions, you must learn how to communicate in the language they inherently understand.♠ There is no shortage of people claiming to be dog trainers. When searching, be sure that your trainer is competent, capable and understands that the focus is training you, the human, how to speak a new language. Training the dog is easy, the human is the challenge.
