So You Want The Perfect Dog?
The perfect dog is not made by magic. Balance of respect and trust are what creates the perfect dog. “what ifs” become a thing of the past with unconditional trust and respect, such as “what if someone is bitten by my dog” or “what if the dog runs away”. All of which are based on a lack of trust between dog and human, made when the humans understands dogs and their way.
Foundations of attaining trust and respect entail: Walking your dog – this is a large aspect of how balanced the relationship is between you and your dog. Mutual trust and respect is earned from the walk.
The leader of the walk sets the position and the followers look to the leader for guidance on where to position themselves. So a simple technique is to start off by having your dog on a leash, and keeping him next to or behind you, and not pulling, that means no tension on the leash. This means that you are setting the position, and the dog will soon get the point that you are leading the walk, you earn respect as the dog looks to you for direction on position.
If stress occurs on the lead then two things perhaps are occurring. You may be on a time limit, in a rush, or annoyed at the dogs lack of obedience. You may also not be projecting confidence enough to make your dog feel safe. Are you holding yourself calmly with arms low and relaxed? Trusting that your dog will not misbehave will return trust and respect, and will increase the likeliness of the dog behaving.
Loving your dog is one thing, but if your dog misbehaves or acts up on the walk, maybe you should try and give another kind of love. Love to dogs means structure and work beforehand. Consistent rules such as when to leave for walking, when to awaken, when to play, the leader sets all of these rules and it results in a healthier relationship wherein the dog understands the love you are giving.
Some of this information was gathered from the site of dog behaviorist George Manning.
Tags: dog training
dog training | Billy Matts | 20 January 2010 |
