Comments on: What do you think is the most important misunderstanding in dog training?

By: GOODD

GOODD — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:09:37 +0000

That dogs respond to the same psychology that human children do when that is not the case.

By: philospher77

philospher77 — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:48:56 +0000

Thinking that a well-trained dog is going to respond correctly and immediately 100% of the time. As someone put it, if your spouse or child asks you to come over to where they are, you don’t always immediately jump to your feet and go rushing over. Sometimes you want to finish doing X first. But for some reason we expect that from a dog.

This one isn’t strictly a training issue, but a general one about dog owners: That a dog loves you unconditionally and constantly. If a dog really wants to do something and you won’t let it, it’s not necessarily going to like you at that point, and that’s ok.

And this one is my particular hobgoblin: That all dogs need to know how to Sit. My dog doesn’t sit. She stands, she lies down. She’s a greyhound, she doesn’t sit voluntarily, so why do I need to force her to do something that is physically uncomfortable and doesn’t do anything training-wise that a Down doesn’t? And yet every trainer I work with seems to want to try and make her do Sit.

By: VoskiMoscow

VoskiMoscow — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:18:39 +0000

Incorrect interpretations of wolves social structures and how they apply to domestic dogs. A few things are the same, but for the most part dogs and wolves are very different animals living in very different environments

For example, the dominance myth. Alpha rolling your puppy, scruffing him, rubbing their nose in poo, any use of physical force. Physical force is not dominance, it is not what dogs need. It is not a method wolves use to discipline their young. It has been misinterpreted from when a weaker wolf, who will lie and submit willingly, while the assertive wolf will stand over him, asserting his status.

Scruffing usually only takes place between wolves of different packs, with the intention of causing severe damage.

Adult wolves are surprisingly tolerant and rarely discipline their young. When they do, it is with an inhibited bite over the muzzle.

So, a dog sees the above as AGGRESSION, not dominance. It shows your dog that you resort to force because you are not a competent leader and resource manager. The best way for humans to assert their dominance and leadership is to manage resources effectively. Provide adequate food, water, shelter, entertainment (toys) affection etc.

This gets screwed up all the time, there are so many poor dogs out there that are confused, and that become fearful and aggressive themselves. Aggression breeds aggression.

EDIT/ADD Dogs will try and avoid this perceived aggression from their owners by being appeasing (showing deference, for example by looking away, holding their tail between their legs, hiding behind the couch, urinating). This then leads back to they never ending cycle of a pissed off owner, trying to discipline the dog, and sending more mixed messages causing more fear and aggression and submission from a very confused pooch.

By: jules annie

jules annie — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 04:02:08 +0000

a huge annoyance for me is when pet owners attribute human thoughts/actions to their pets. “he knew he was bad…just look at him.” guilt for something a dog did hours ago is just impossible! I’ll stay on this topic for another sec. say for instance your dog pissed on the floor while you were out… you come home and discover it. Now imagine how different your body language/posture has become since you saw the unexpected puddle. the poor dog reacts to your tone and body language not your imaginary guilty reaction of his. if a dog can be guilty for ****** wouldn’t it also be natural for it to be angry at you for being gone when it had to go? dogs’ ability to react to the sometimes subtle nonverbal cues is highly understated.
one other misunderstanding is the NEED for positive reinforcement. you can never tell a dog that it is doing right by you – it builds confidence!! if you say a command, then please follow obediance with a happy toned “GOOD DOG!!” I always do this for everything long after they have learned whatever they do is what you want. a dog can never be told enough that it is good!! seriously.
I also highly recommend obediance classes for EVERY dog and owner.
ok I’m done for now! good luck to all dog owners – own your responsibility!!!

By: Somebody

Somebody — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:09:06 +0000

What really bothers me are the owners who refuse to see and admit that they are the primary problem and have done/not done things that caused or encouraged their dog to behave in such a way. They ask for advice but they want you to tell them that it’s the dog’s fault when they haven’t seriously tried to fix the problems or try new things. It is hard to change so it’s not surprising when people are defensive and refuse to look at themselves.