Patience

A trend I've noticed in the world of dog ownership, lately, is the inability to be patient. Whether it's teaching a new behavior or wanting to extinguish a behavior, owners want it NOW! It's all about quick fixes and fast learning, yet no one really seems to understand the underlying issue. No one seems to want to take the time to actually find a solution and change their dogs' way of thinking or how they view the world. Instead, people want the easy way out and their questions all have to have an answer. Unfortunately, I hate to break it to many, but that's just not how dog training works.

Often than not, quick fixes are applied but what really happens is that the behavior is not changed, simply hidden. By suppressing our dogs' natural instincts or the behaviors they have learned (whether we like them or not), we are not teaching them how to react in a different but to just not react at all. Learned helplessness and other issues could fall under these categories. Instead of "fixing" the problem by telling our dogs they cannot act, why not give them an alternative behavior to perform? Don't want your dog to creep at the startline at an agility trial? Teach the dog an alternative behavior. Don't want your dog barking at the door bell? Teach the dog to run and grab a toy any time the door bell is rung. (It's hard to bark when something is in your mouth!) A variety of behaviors can be solved by teaching the dog something else. A basic way to start is to realize that if you have a puppy and that puppy is chewing on something inappropriate, don't just tell the puppy he cannot chew. Instead, hand him a toy or a chew and occupy him with something good. I consider this a "this not that" kind of behavior. If you stop doing what you're not supposed to, I will show you how to do something else that's much more fun and better, too!

Not only do quick fixes only mask a behavior, but often than not, the behavior returns in full force. Many dogs learn that if they are reprimanded for doing something in front of their owners, they'll just go do it somewhere else. Dogs don't always understand why we want or do not want them to do something. It's about letting them make the choice and teaching them to see that what we want them to do is fun. That is how behaviors are built and perfected. Same goes for learning a trick. Sure, you can teach any aged dog any trick, but if you never practice it the behavior will disintegrate. A very smart trainer once mentioned that behaviors are always doing one of two things. They are either building up or breaking down. It's up to YOU which one you'll let happen.

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the end though, it all boils down to patience. Patience in teaching a new behavior or working on one that your dog once knew and is starting to forget. As an owner, you are your dogs' teacher. Teachers work very hard and needless to say need to do their best in order to make sure their students are learning in a way that makes sense to them. It takes not only support but also a large amount of encouragement. Dogs are no different in this aspect, in my opinion. They deserve our time, dedication, encouragement and patience. We cannot expect dogs to do something we couldn't do in a day. Learning takes time and practice. I am a firm believer in treating dogs the way we would like to be treated. Such is the golden rule and I do believe it applies to our animals.

Give your dog your patience and I guarantee, the rewards are enormous!