I don't know a lot of dog owners, at least not to talk to at length. I try to "spread the gospel" anyway, as it were. One library patron got a puppy a few months back, and lately has come in describing how the puppy is chewing everything up. Oh, we've dealt with that, haven't we? I recommended feeding her only out of Kongs, which would contain her regular meals but mixed with a bit of yogurt and freezing, to use up that mental energy. Apparently the puppy does well in other realms, with sitting nicely for her meals, and retrieving.
One of my friends, when visiting somebody else, taught the dog in that household "touch". Another friend's dog knows "roll over", which Elka does not, by the by. Any time Elka is on her back, it is on her own terms, and it's typically on a couch and on an object of her vigorous affection.
"Touch" and "roll over" might seem like silly tricks. "Touch", however, can lead to other things, like closing doors or cabinets, or send aways in agility and other dog sports."Roll over" might be pure fun, but you all know that I think trick training is valuable in and of itself. When you do trick training, you're still spending time with your dog and bonding, and working together. When Elka and I trick train, it's also typically when I bust the clicker out, and she's overjoyed to see that happens. The clicker means treats, and Elka loves treats. She also kind of likes getting something right, which is nice.
Elka's "drop it" is still quite nice. She had a piece of candy in her mouth that somebody had let fall on the floor, unnoticed (a Sour Patch Kid). My fiance said "drop it", and she did immediately. I'm so very proud of that in her.
Dogs that you spend time with aren't bored. Dogs that you train don't tend to get cast aside and end up in shelters. Rescue, maybe, because sometimes home situations occur that are unavoidable. I think it was in Playtraining Your Dog that Patricia Gail Burnham said something about how people will sell their conformation champions, but asking somebody to sell their titled Utility Dog? No way, José. Granted, there's also a degree of training that goes into conformation dogs, and I don't know that owners give them up that easily either, but every owner is different, and competitors may be in it for different things, to be sure.
Maybe a Utility Dog is not sold, but titled dogs are sold all of the time in field training. Some people want an already trained dog and/or sometimes the dog does not work for the venue they were purchased for. They are then sold to someone looking for that kind of dog with that kind of training. Organizations like Leader Dog wash out trained dogs all of the time and those are eventually re-homed (or sold) so I am not sure that saying Burnham holds true.
ReplyDeleteI do agree training your dog is important and I wish more people understood the value.
Interesting! Granted, Burham wrote that book in the 70's, though she does have the more recent "Treats, Play, Love" in which she doesn't bring up that particular topic.
DeleteI try not to be a weirdo and accost people on the street about training their dogs, though I do sometimes poach people at the library. I'm not a professional dog trainer (yet, anyway), but if somebody's getting a stack of books like "Before and After getting your puppy" and "how to train a difficult dog", I tactfully (I hope) ask "So what kind of dog do you have?"
Great point - training benefits both the pup and the person, in many ways. :)
ReplyDeleteIt works everybody's brains! Plus, it's good PR (I've used Elka's "testify" to have her "wave" at a little girl she startled.)
DeleteI love that you invite dialogue to convey the benefits of training at the library. Excellent reminder for all of us, really. Let's not let life get in the way of our doggy relationships. Besides, training is fun!
ReplyDeleteI finally taught my obstinate Newfy to shake this week. It's the one trick he's resisted for ages, in part because I've focused on more important asks. Still, I couldn't have been more proud, and he truly enjoyed every treat he earned! He still doesn't like his ticklish feet touched, but he'll do it for something meaty.
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DeleteSometimes, it's all about finding the proper motivation! I've always handled Elka's feet (puppy feet are so irresistible), but she doesn't really like showing her belly. A variant on "play dead" is something we're working on as well!
You are absolutely right, Jen, when you talk about the value of "silly tricks". It's not necessarily the trick that has value, but the time invested and the relationship developed between dog and owner during training that is the real benefit.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
Even silly tricks have their uses! I know people who say things like "I never teach my dog to do something like shake paws. It's demeaning!" I wonder, then, how they get nails clipped. I can set down a treat, ask Elka for her paw, and she'll just give it to me and let me clip, as long as I reward adequately.
DeleteGreat post about the benefits of training and spending time with your dog. No trick is silly if you are both having fun!!
ReplyDeleteFun is one of Elka's primary concerns! Fun and food!
DeleteTricks and basic behavior are such simple things we can do, even as excuses to spend time with our dogs. They love our attention, we love how they make us smile and feel proud. You are awesome for seeing to it that people learn all they can about training!
ReplyDeleteThe more tricks Elka knows, the more I can show off (shh, don't tell)! But really, trick training and "serious" training are remarkably similar. Doing the tricks helps me keep from getting too serious sometimes! Sure, some commands are safety related and can be of the utmost importance, but getting all wound up about something is a surefire way to make a dog nervous.
Deleteexcellent post! training of all varieties (for fun/for serious) is so important for a good dog-human relationship AND a happy doggie. thanks for spreading the word!
ReplyDeletei completely missed the boat on BTC4A this time around. oopsy.
Don't worry, there are still two more this year!
Delete(I confess, I'm unclear as to whether one is supposed to blog on each one, but I figure it can't hurt!)
I see so many instances around me where people HAVEN'T trained their dogs, that I really feel that almost ANY training is of benefit, be it "silly" or otherwise (and really, silly training is some of the most fun and relaxed!)