Saturday, May 14, 2011. This picture was one of the very first of our big adventures out in to the world! Our first trip to the dog park, ever! She was the tiniest one there and just a little bit timid but she held her own. She met lots of dogs and was very polite. When things got a little intense she tended to come and hang by our feet but it didn't take her long to be curious again and venture a little farther away. It wasn't long before other dogs were putting her whole head in their mouth to taste her and she was getting cross checked by the other dogs running right through her because she was just so much smaller then them.
And this is where I go off on my own tangent! I also think that this is when Kevin and I realized that there are two very different types of dog owners you will meet. The ones with control over their dogs and the ones without. I'm probably going to get some flack from people who fall under at least one of these types of dog owners because they disagree with me, but oh well! It needs to be said.
Hate to be stereotypical and put anyone in the proverbial box but in our experiences those of us dog owners who are without control tend to be a little on the crazy/excited side. In our experiences, these people shower their with excessive affection affection by chattering at them in high-pitched baby-talk, or are constantly yelling commends at their dogs or just yelling their names. The dogs see this as excited energy and so they keep acting crazy and excited because you are. This is why many dogs don’t listen to their owners.
Perfect example, there is a woman at our dog park with a Pitbull Mix, who Kevin and I pretty much try to avoid at all costs. Her dog comes running down the hill like a maniac and runs right up to the nearest target (usually us) and barks and jumps and generally acts very impolitely. Rather then calmly following and handling it this woman runs after her dog down the hill yelling her name and shouting out commands. And when, naturally, the dog doesn't calm down she begins to yell, "Here have some treats!" and proceeds to throw treats at the dog. I think she intends to distract the dog but what she's really doing is rewarding the dog for being excited and the dog goes right back to tackling Dolce and trying to eat her 99% of the time. In their defense I suppose I understand their reactions. I think if I hadn't done alot of research on dogs and dog behaviour before getting a dog I too would get nervous or anxious and probably react this way out of sheer ignorance.
But I am not ignorant, and I really don't understand how people can blindly throw themselves into such a commitment and huge responsibility of raising a dog without educating themselves first. Which brings me to the other type of dog owner. Those whos dogs actually listen to them (toot toot!). For those of you that know me well, you know firstly, that if I don't know about something I am constantly looking it up and reading about it so I can be educated. Secondly, when it comes to my dog, I read alot of
Cesar Milan, he has sort of become my own personal dog trainer. He basically lives by the following philosophies, which I have also attempted to adopt (and I think for the most part they have worked fantastically with Dolce, if you disagree please let me know, my goal is to have a balanced dog, not be right!);
This (Calm-assertive) is the energy you project to show your dog you are the calm and assertive pack leader.
Many owners assume it’s their dog that is the problem. People should understand that their own behavior has a powerful affect on their dog. And they often need to “retrain” themselves so that they can be the pack leader.
A dog that is confused about who is in charge is actually concerned about the ability of the pack to survive, so it attempts to fill in the missing leadership elements, often erratically. This can cause aggression, anxiety, fear, obsessions, or phobias.
Dogs see the world differently from the way we do. We communicate using our ears first, then our eyes, and lastly our nose. Dogs begin with the nose, then the eyes, and lastly the ears. Allowing a dog to experience our scent before we engage it in eye contact or speak to it is one way to establish trust early on.
A balanced dog is in the state Mother Nature wants it to be in – as a calm-submissive pack follower, who is fulfilled physically with exercise; psychologically with rules, boundaries, and limitations; and emotionally with affection from its owner.
My final thought... Dogs are out in the world with us every day, they aren't like cats where if they act up you just leave them at home or lock them in a bedroom for a few hours and they'd be fine. Dogs need to be outside with other people and be able to peacefully coexist wit the rest of us on a daily basis. I have recognized the power and impact my dog can have physically on others before even getting her and as a result I made it my job to learn about dog behavior so that hopefully my dog would never be a danger or a burden to any other being, and honestly so their needs as a dog can be fulfilled. Because this woman from the park's dog cannot truly be happy like that. She's probably feeling the same anxiety and constant high energy her owner is and I bet she's just exhausted from it. We need to remember that our dogs are just that, dogs, and we need to stop interacting with them like they are humans and find out how they communicate on a species specific level, so we can all live balanced and gratifying lives together.
"If we don’t fulfill them as a species, our dogs won’t live a balanced, centered life." - Cesar Milan
Title credit to J.R.R. Tolkien
