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Dogomania

Why people need to pass a test to own a dog...


Seijun

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Tonight walking home with Shilo, I hear a woman nearby calling for her dog. Of course I had to stop because Shilo wanted to stare at the dog and drool. The dog is ignoring the owner's command so she kneels down and calls the dog in a happy high pitched voice and the dog immediately comes to her so I am thinking "good, finally someone who knows how to call a dog." Then she grabs the dog by the collar and starts smacking him yelling "bad dog!" several times. I couldn't believe it, how can anyone be so stupid!? Does she not realize that the only thing she is doing is teaching the dog it will get in trouble for coming?? If I wasn't so afraid of people and I didn't think it would freak the woman out to have someone pop out from nowhere in the middle of the night, I would have told her off for what she had done. Grrr.... Sorry, I needed to rant :x

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Guest Mutts4Me

My mom was like that with my lab, Bandit. He was boundary trained, and if he ventured out of bounds, she would yell at him to come back, and he'd come slinking back and get in trouble (not always hitting, often just scolding, but still). I was a kid, but one of the first things I learned about training dogs is that very thing. Don't scold for coming back.

So, when Sasha was being boundary trained, I tried to be there as much as possible so that if she went out and didn't come back when called, I could go get her and tell her she was bad for being in the wrong yard and not coming back. And if she did come back, I made sure to say "good girl for coming back" a LOT and rather loudly so my mom would get it - I never told her she did it wrong, I just tried to show her the right way as quietly as possible, and it totally caught on.

People should have to take a test before owning a dog though.

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Unfortunately this type of recall happens more often than we think. I have on occasion seen this type of recall, I think the owners are embarrassed their dog won't come and it escalates their anger. I have made a joke in passing of "gee, I don't think Id want to come over to you either...hee hee". An opening joke can decrease the tension the owner is feeling and allow them to seek your advice without feeling like a fool. Yelling at a novice owner can only embarrass them further and escalate the situation..
I have even seen some professional trainers who train other people and use these force-based recalls :roll: :-? These people have even gotten their CD and CDX obedience titles on their dogs. In the arena the dogs always seem to slink around the ring. With my dogs when I am doing a trail they are happy and people have actually left what they are doing to watch my Newf's do their joyous recalls :lol:

So, instead of feeling anger towards the owner try to educate them without making them feel like an idiot. :wink: these people don't realize that they are threatening their dog and the dog is learning to avoid them. The owner feels as though the dog is betraying them and "the dog should know better" you don't know how often I've heard that sentence. :roll:
So, lets educate those owners and show them the "proper" way to train. I have had many people come back to thank me after I have explained to them a proper recall. :wink:

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This maybe off topic but our neighbors (atleast the dad anyway) let their dog purposely run the neighborhood when their not home (we think) because 1 time the dad told my dad(i was in the area and heard) he was sick of the dog. My dad caught the dog 2 times. I don't think they expected him to get so big cuz he's a springer/husky mix so he's gonna be big and he's only not even a year old and is a beatiful beatiful looking guy and what gets me is that they can have him outside from like 8 am to 7pm and by 6:30 they're yelling at the poor guy cuz he wants to come in. As to the test I think 1st timers should have to take a test but if u hhad other dogs b4 or own 1 now and want to get another they should test on stuff like what to and what to do if the dogs start fighting or something like that. Sorry if it's off topic

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Unfortunately, that is a real common reaction for lots of dog owners: call your dog to come and then hit him when he comes to you. :evil:

Before I started cabling Maya in the back yard, every time she would jump the fence, I would get in my truck to go get her. She was just having WAY too much fun running around the neighborhood. I would call her, and when she FINALLY came to me, I praised her and told her what a good girl she was (even though I was mad at her). She's VERY good at coming when I call when she's on her harness (or when she was at the doggie picnic). But if she gets over the fence, she gets mommie-deaf.

With dogs as well as horses, temper NEVER works! Patience is the key! Many new dog owners think that discipline is the same as hitting, so some of them don't discipline at all, and others do it to extremes.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you had to take a test to get a dog? In a perfect world, everyone would know how to take care of dogs and there wouldn't be any unwanted pets out there!

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I have gotten into quite a few fights with people blatantly hitting their dogs,not just a tap or something,but physically hurting them.


I think out here where I live the males have to look tough in front of their mates.A whole macho cowboy mentality,and that means not taking any crap,from anybody or anything.So if their dogs disobey them they feel the only way to redeem themselves is to be tough,and hit them.I know they love their dogs,as the most of these boys take their dogs everywhere and openly admit to loving them more then their wives :wink: .But still they have to be big and tough in front of their mates :roll: .


Unfortunately I can't shut my big mouth :oops: ,I [i]always[/i] tell the boys it's not the right thing to do,it's only harming the animal blah blah blah.But more often then not it falls on deaf ears. :( They almost always laugh it off.

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