The Dog Blog

Last night we watched Super Nanny on tv. It is one of my kids favorite shows. I am sure I am not the only trainer that has recognised that the principles Jo the nanny teaches the parents, are exactly the same we use in dog training. Positive reinforcement, communication, and setting boundries or rules. (and staying calm) Anyone who has read Karen Pryors book "Don't shoot the dog" can see the principles in action on the show as well.

When clients have children that are very unruly I used to worry that it was not going to go well for the dog. If they couldn't control the kids, who speak and understand english, how were they going to add a being of another species to the mix with good results? I have learned over time that my teaching them the principals of positive reinforcment helps everyone, not just the dog. The show Super Nanny is a great example I can bring up of positive reinforcement with real world applications as well.

I'm sure many of you have read the stories about the 800 small dogs seized from a mobile home in Arizona. If you've seen the pictures, you might have had the same reaction to them that I did, "Wow, they look really good!"

However, I'm confused by the way this story has been told in the media. There seems to be a lot of sympathy for the elderly couple who were breeding these dogs. The stories have mentioned a hoarding problem and that the couple "meant well but became overwhelmed".

While I do have great sympathy for those who suffer from the condition of hoarding, I don't believe that it applies to this case. Hoarders usually have an underlying belief that no one else can care for the animals they have and that they have no choice but to hold on to them. Hoarding is all about holding on, sometimes even after the animal has died.

So, I finally found a volunteer opportunity that fits my busy life and I am so excited about it! I’m giving a little bit of time each month to Project POOCH at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Center in Woodburn, OR.

Project POOCH pairs homeless pets with incarcerated youth who care for and train the dogs before sending them off to a forever home. Before the dogs are released to their new homes, the dog and handler must pass all ten items on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test. This is where I come in. As a certified CGC Evaluator, I will be going out to the facility to administer the test at least once per month.

I found it strange that so many people asked me last week if I was nervous about my first visit to MacLaren. My answer was, “No, I’ve given the test many times and I’ve been around plenty of shelter dogs.” Apparently they thought I was supposed to be nervous about the handlers. I wasn’t.

Since 2000 I have been working with dogs professionally. I am sometimes given the answer or solution to a troublesome canine scenario with the following statement “It’s just a dog”. Meaning it is not worthy of any further consideration.

This mindset of a dog as lesser than or unequal to humans is sad. In my own experience nothing that I have ever been involved with has brought as much joy to others as my dog Mojo, notice I said to others, not just myself. The smiles and the joy Mojo conjures up in people is quite a site to see. He is one of only millions of dogs who bring untold happiness to millions of people, other than their owners, simply by existing.

This “it’s just a dog” mindset comes up in discussions about the use of pain or force when training and maintaining dogs. The dog; who some so callously toss aside like dead leaves during yard work has the ability through nothing more than existing, to cause joy.