I remember years ago, I was watching an episode of "The Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Millan. Cesar had brought his dog Daddy (by most accounts, a perfect dog) to a farm with horses where he was going to help a lady with her dog.
Daddy had been trained in Schutzhund (protection dog work) and there was a lady working a horse who kept raising her whip in the air, which triggered Daddy’s training. It caused Daddy to react in a way that was not conducive to the training Cesar was trying to do.
Every time she would raise that whip, Daddy would react and Cesar had to continually correct the outbursts. He could have easily edited this out. It made Daddy look less than perfect and chipped away at the superhero vibe that Cesar had cultivated during the early parts of his career.
Daddy had been trained in Schutzhund (protection dog work) and there was a lady working a horse who kept raising her whip in the air, which triggered Daddy’s training. It caused Daddy to react in a way that was not conducive to the training Cesar was trying to do.
Every time she would raise that whip, Daddy would react and Cesar had to continually correct the outbursts. He could have easily edited this out. It made Daddy look less than perfect and chipped away at the superhero vibe that Cesar had cultivated during the early parts of his career.
I’m glad he didn’t. It highlighted something that every dog owner or trainer should know – dogs aren’t perfect and they can make mistakes or have things that make them uncomfortable.
I had a similar moment myself this weekend when I was on a pack walk with friends, strangers and some clients. My own dog, Donovan, blew his lid when a kid zipped by on the skateboard. This was on our way out of the park in the parking lot, but man did he want to murder that skateboard. Normally Donovan sets an example that makes people want to work with me, but when people saw me with him near that skateboard, they probably thought it was my first dog and neither of us knew what we were doing.
A younger version of me would have been horribly embarrassed because as trainers we are expected to have dogs that don’t make mistakes (though they all do). But the older version of me has learned to take these things in stride and to take these moments to teach our dogs how to be a little bit better and a little bit more comfortable in a world that wasn’t necessarily designed for them.
Skateboards are particularly scary to dogs. They’re loud. They move fast. But I was a little surprised it threw him so much because of all the time we have spent rollerblading together (makes similar sounds and moves as well). But dogs don’t generalize information that well, so I pulled the skateboard out of the closet and took 10 or so minutes to help him overcome this fear. Watch here (note: the audio in the beginning is very low, but will level out a 45 seconds in):
I had a similar moment myself this weekend when I was on a pack walk with friends, strangers and some clients. My own dog, Donovan, blew his lid when a kid zipped by on the skateboard. This was on our way out of the park in the parking lot, but man did he want to murder that skateboard. Normally Donovan sets an example that makes people want to work with me, but when people saw me with him near that skateboard, they probably thought it was my first dog and neither of us knew what we were doing.
A younger version of me would have been horribly embarrassed because as trainers we are expected to have dogs that don’t make mistakes (though they all do). But the older version of me has learned to take these things in stride and to take these moments to teach our dogs how to be a little bit better and a little bit more comfortable in a world that wasn’t necessarily designed for them.
Skateboards are particularly scary to dogs. They’re loud. They move fast. But I was a little surprised it threw him so much because of all the time we have spent rollerblading together (makes similar sounds and moves as well). But dogs don’t generalize information that well, so I pulled the skateboard out of the closet and took 10 or so minutes to help him overcome this fear. Watch here (note: the audio in the beginning is very low, but will level out a 45 seconds in):
In just a few moments, he was able to let go of his desire to destroy the skateboard. He went from being out of control to in control. He learned to cope a little bit better in just minutes.
More often today I see people avoiding the things that scare their dogs. If their dog lashes out at other dogs, they just walk away when they see dogs. If their dog is afraid of people, they just stop having people over. If their dog is afraid of skateboards, they just avoid skateboards.
I would encourage you to set your embarrassment and frustration with your dog aside, and help your dog move forward. Though you might need help sometimes, you can always take steps forward on your journey with your dog. Your dog might never be perfect, but you should always be striving for perfection. The closer your dog gets to it, the happier and more comfortable they are in the world.
More often today I see people avoiding the things that scare their dogs. If their dog lashes out at other dogs, they just walk away when they see dogs. If their dog is afraid of people, they just stop having people over. If their dog is afraid of skateboards, they just avoid skateboards.
I would encourage you to set your embarrassment and frustration with your dog aside, and help your dog move forward. Though you might need help sometimes, you can always take steps forward on your journey with your dog. Your dog might never be perfect, but you should always be striving for perfection. The closer your dog gets to it, the happier and more comfortable they are in the world.
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