What is a Canine Partnership?
Developing a partnership with a dog is the key to a good relationship. Dogs are pack animals and look for leadership. They also constantly test the limits of leadership. Many times in a group of dogs, the number two dog in the pack will challenge the leader. As the contest begins, the number three dog will join in. After all, number three will become number two for the effort.
In the canine-human relationship, I want my dog a close second in the hierarchy. It’s important that he follows my direction, but he must also feel good about his relationship with me. My dog and I are out to take on the world. I want the dog to look to me for direction, but not to lead unless I say it’s OK. It’s like a continual dance and one of us has to lead. It’s no fun if the dog leads.
So how do you develop this partnership?
Often, I meet people that are working very hard to control their dog. This usually results in a relationship with lots of conflict. Either the dog is submissive, or he pushes the frustrated owner around. The other groups of people are trying to create a relationship from love. They constantly pet and feed the dog. You will often see the dog following a piece of food around. Don’t misunderstand this statement. I use food constantly, but I don’t want to teach the dog to follow food. I have to say that I’ve been guilty of this too. Those of us that love our dogs above all else, fall into this trap easily.
The answer is energy.
The more energy your dog has, the easier it is to develop a great partnership. The common complaint is “I wish that I had a calmer dog!” Nothing could be further from the truth. I want a friend that can enjoy things with me, go places, visit friends and be my companion in life.
The concept is simple. You ask the animal to channel his energy into a specific behavior to earn a reward. The more the dog enjoys the reward, the easier it will be for the dog to understand. It’s best to have a coach that understands this concept. In the beginning, the dogs have trouble understanding, but when they get the idea, they love the game and they’ll request to play all the time.
In the simplest form, you ask the dog to sit and instantly give a reward. Later, the behaviors can be very complex and take a long time to complete.
So how does this help the average dog?
Say you have friends visit and the out-of-control monster begins jumping and clawing everyone. You, being the pack leader who holds the key to fun, simply ask the dog to “Place.” He immediately swings his body around, runs to the dog bed, throws himself down and eagerly waits. The picture should be a creature with a wildy, wagging tail and up ears. In other words, he appears as a very happy and compliant creature. Later, you calmly walk over and present wonder dog with a chew bone. This should be the picture of a compliant creature with you as the pack leader.
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