Why do I feel the need to tell people to not be rough on their dogs? Because many people think that being rough on their dogs is the way to deal with a dog. That backfires, sometimes with disastrous results.
So, let’s back up a bit.
Good dog training doesn’t equal being rough on a dog. Far from it.
First, the dog needs to be medically well. That would seem like a given, but it isn’t always the case. Some medical issues are obvious. Some issues aren’t obvious and sometimes can’t even be detected during a typical veterinarian exam. For example, what if a dog has a brain tumor? Unless they do some kind of brain scan, that won’t be detected. Or some things can be found with routine blood work, but there are a zillion (give or take a zillion) tests that aren’t routine. Have you ever looked at a pre-printed blood draw sheet that has about 50 or more blood tests you can check off? No one is going to take every one of those tests. It would cost a fortune. One of my students recently did an allergy test for his dog. That was $2000! Thus, medical issues can be overlooked. Furthermore, sometimes something might cause a dog pain in a way that isn’t obvious. It might require putting the dog in exactly one special posture for it to hurt, and a typical exam won’t reveal that. And I’m sure a medical expert could give many other examples of cases that weren’t so easy to diagnose. The point is, if you suspect a problem, get a checkup, and keep a journal of any suspected symptoms. Ask the vet for some recommendations on what to look for, as well. But that doesn’t mean that every medical problem has been determined.
Second, the owner and dog need to discover what to do, and how to do that with a happy attitude. Those concepts go together. I want a dog and owner’s skills to link up with a happy attitude in everything. There is no quick fix for this. For example, today’s lesson was do Challenge X (a specified action) with your dog, but you can’t touch your dog except to pet your dog, no harshness, and you can’t have any treats or toys on you. I have other interesting lessons I use to teach owners how to communicate and work with their dogs. You can’t expect a dog to obey you if you can’t communicate with a dog. Communication with a dog isn’t an innate human skill, it has to be learned and earned. Plus, one day you won’t have any treats or leash, maybe in an emergency, and can you still get your dog to do the required action?
Third, if and only if the dog and owner have shown some proficiency in this or that skill is it fair to do a first correction. In my program, that starts out with not rewarding incorrect responses. I don’t reward the owner, and the owner doesn’t reward the dog. “Try again.” Get it right? I’ll reward the owner, and the owner can reward the dog. I must get their ego out of the owner’s corrections, and keep the focus on helping the dog to do it right. Egos lead to anger, and anger leads down the wrong path in dog training. It is easy for people to use a “hammer”, but then every problem looks like a “nail.” Dogs don’t do well when owners use a hammer. I’m also very cautious about handing out any correction tools (even verbal) until I think I can trust the owner to do it fairly and not get their egos involved. Some people can’t handle that and will drop out of such a program. They are determined their dog needs punishment, and they are going to dish it out. That isn’t the type of student I want in my programs.
Let’s now contrast this to what many are taught, or think they are supposed to do.
Many start out with treating an untrained dog as if it is a trained and rational soldier. “Stomach in, chest out, about face!” And any deviation results in anger and pain stimulation. Maybe jerking the dog around or hanging it.
Try that with enough dogs, and it isn’t going to go so well for you or your dog. I remember a student, years ago. He was an elderly man with a 1- to 2-year-old male German Shorthaired Pointer. I’ve written about this before. When the dog didn’t obey him, he’d take his fireplace poker and start swinging at the dog. Of course, the dog eventually bit him hard on one hand and sent him to the ER. That wasn’t dog training, that was abuse, and he got what he deserved. But he blamed the dog anyways.
People also think it is OK to play too rough with their dogs or allow other dogs to play too rough with their dogs. Or the kids are allowed to tease or bully the dog. Bullying a dog is never a good idea, and it will almost always end up poorly, first for the dog, and often for some person.
Good training, and a well-behaved dog, doesn’t require rough treatment, whether vocally, by your postures, or by your methods. It does take work, however, and isn’t for the lazy, those with egos that need to prove something, or those with an anger problem.
Plan accordingly.