Tango made progress today by getting within 30 yards of another dog without overreacting. When he did overreact he was quick to regain his focus when his owners told him to leave it. Yay!
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“So what is the fallout for dogs of the Lassie myth? As soon as you bestow intelligence and morality, you bestow the responsibility that goes along with them. In other words, if the dog knows it’s wrong to destroy furniture yet deliberately and maliciously does it, remembers the wrong he did and feels guilt, it feels like he merits a punishment, doesn’t it? That’s just what dogs have been getting - a lot of punishment. We set them up for all kinds of punishment by overestimating their ability to think. Interestingly, it’s the “cold” behaviorist model that ends up giving dogs a much better crack at meeting the demands we make of them. The myth gives problems to dogs they cannot solve and then punishes them for failing. And the saddest thing is that the main association most dogs have with that punishment is the presence of their owner. This puts a pretty twisted spin on loving dogs ‘cause they’re so smart, doesn’t it?” ― Jean Donaldson, The Culture Clash Tonight was Maslow's last session for his basic obedience program, learning Wait and Stay. While we were teaching him Wait he was so confused that he started offering behaviors like roll over and paw to try and get his reward, but he finally figured and did it very well. Maslow and his family are off to a great start and I know they will do well. |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
April 2024
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