Insert photo caption or credit here
Everyone knows someone with a dog that is so well behaved it’s hard not to be envious. We also know someone who has a dog that is so unruly Marly looks like he’s practically Lassie. Most dog owners fall somewhere in the middle with the their own dog’s behavior.
How do you get your dog to be the super cool well behaved dog that you wish you had? It’s a matter of management versus training. Management is a very easy habit to fall into and leads to dog behavior that turns out to be on the disappointing side of life.
The difference between management and training is simply a matter of practice. In other words, what you practice with your dog every day is the behavior you are going to keep encouraging. Let’s take barking as an example.
Management: Your dog dog runs to the front window of your home and starts barking every time someone with another dog walks past on their exercise route through the neighborhood. You raise your voice to a decibel you think out does your dogs barking to get his attention, “QUIET”, then go grab the dog’s collar, drag him towards the back door, put him in the yard and away from the distraction of the front window. Awwwhhh, peace and quiet again. Of course until the next time your dog is in the house and runs to the front window starting the process again.
Training: Your dog runs towards the front window. You know the barking is about to begin. You are prepared to call your dog away from the window using a long line, a treat, or a training collar, among other training techniques you could use. You ask your dog to sit. Give a reward. Everyone is happy. *Big tip here; dogs aren’t able to multi-task. Sitting and barking at the same time isn’t in the skill set.
Ok, so I know the argument here. No time to do that every time. It’s much easier to manage. Yet when one really thinks about it the time you take every day to manage this behavior really works out to be the same as if you spent the time to train. Once the training part is done the time factor actually goes down and you will end up with more time, as well as enjoy your dog much more.
The difficulty in training versus managing in many cases is not really knowing how to train for success. Dogs do learn differently than humans and when we fail at trying to get them to logic its much easier to go the management route.
It really comes down to a matter of what you decide to spend your time practicing.
San Diego offers a variety of dog training camps, private lessons and online training for those who live in urban areas and want to have a well behaved dog. With the great dog friendly places and year round access to the outdoor climate training your dog versus managing your dog will always bring that feeling of content that we all need in our lives. A happy, well behaved wag goes a long way.
Folow Twitter/GoTrainYourDog for cool San Diego dog photos, training tips and tricks, and dogs in the news. Just one idea practiced can make a huge difference in your life and your dog’s life.
Comments