In the dog training world we see it everyday, people coming in and asking for behaviorists to “fix” their dog. Misbehavior is, by far, the most common reason people seek training. If does feel like the dogs have gone wild in these past few years. But then, ask yourself, if dogs imitate behavior and learn what is and isn’t allowed from their surroundings, how is it, that all of sudden, dogs are “acting wild”, rescues are overflowing with unwanted dogs and shelters can’t keep up with the number of dogs being surrendered? Is it really a case of dogs all of a sudden acting in a way that they have never done? Or maybe, just maybe, we are living in a world of instant gratification? Where the joy of owning a dog does not come from the experiences you have with your pup, but from how well your dog behaves when you need them to do something. Forgetting all along, that the dogs that are indeed “well behaved” have been taught how to interact in the human world. Can we say, without a shadow of a doubt, that we have been the best stewards for our dogs in the time that they have been with us? Asking ourselves these types of questions can go a long way is answering the “why” of the state of our shelters and rescues. Are we okay living in a society that sees living beings as disposable? While we skirt around the possibility that we are a major source of our dogs driving us crazy.
Rescues and shelters workers will be the first ones to tell you that we are living in very hard times. While there is an overflowing of organizations that seek to remediate the unwanted dog situation, pets are being put down at an unprecedented rate due to overcrowding in shelters. While rescues struggle with returned pets that are now unwanted by their adoptive families. It is a very hard thing to experience. However I see this as a learning opportunity. When clients (private or rescues) come to me, the first thing I do is show them that their dog is actually very confused. That is true on 99% of the cases I work with and I work with a lot of dogs. Dogs that have no idea of what the human actually wants from them. Some of these were adopted as puppies, and now, after years of not being given direction, they are being blamed for the relationship not working out. To be clear, many of these people have sent their dog to training and still can’t figure out why the relationship has broken down.
There is enough blame to go around. We do indeed live in an era of instant gratification and instant results. Many dog trainers (I cringe to use the term) claim that all the dog needs in some stern direction and all will be well. While others say that the dog is not capable of being better behaved because of some imagined threshold that they (the dog) will never be able to over come. Rescues get their finances secured by the amount of dogs they are able to circulate. The adoption success rate being the number that is often used. But I see many dogs, simply being moved around. from place, to place. From shelter, to foster, to trainer, to foster, to trainer and then adopted without success. No wonder the dog gets confused. The owners are puzzled and the rescues and shelters get the blame for not helping the unwanted dogs. It is a vicious cycle that, instead of getting better, is getting worse.
I believe that is is time for us all to surrender to the fact that training in itself does not solve an unwanted behavior if the relationship with owners doesn’t change. I believe dogs are easier than people to “train” simply because they live in the moment and respond to action – reaction interactions. A person can send their dog to training, however, if they themselves do not seek to change something in their behavior, it is very likely that the relationship with their dog is not going to change much. It is unfathomable to me that, in the 21st century, we are still dealing with animals as if we are the sole species that has the answer to all the questions. Alas, this is the state of our relationship with dogs right now.
It is high time that we all took a deep breath, a good look in the mirror and asked ourselves if we are doing justice to the animals in our lives. We have arrived at a point where we expect ever more from the dogs that surround us and less and less from our own species. If you see a dog nearby and it brings you joy, then smile and acknowledge that you would love to pet them but know that it would, most likely, not benefit the dog. As owners we are responsible for the protection and direction of our dogs, and that includes not letting everyone touch them at every single interaction. Rescues can do a better job at educating people about the responsibilities that come from being a dog owner. Teaching that rescuing a dog is the start of a long and sometimes stressful relationship. Shelter workers can benefit from being praised sometimes for the tireless and unforgiving job that they do. Trainers can start owning up to the fact that experience and knowledge do not grow on trees. Educating themselves and asking for help if they don’t understand a dog’s behavior. We can all do better. Our dogs are telling us that we are not doing this dog ownership thing right. Let’s come down from our high horse and listen, while, maybe, surrendering to the fact that they are a reflection of where we are as a species. Not them. But us.
