Our Dog-centric Society

I've written a lot of articles over the years pertaining to helping dogs live well in "our human world". One recent article this past summer focused on how a good trainer can help owners in this regard. One item I (maybe) haven't delved into very much, is owners who don't really care to teach their dogs. I'm not thinking about owners that are too busy, or don't see their dogs as a priority. Rather, those who try to adjust the world to their pet's liking.

I've been around a while, and have been living with dogs for all but 3 years of my life (during college). I've seen a huge shift in society over the past 3-4 decades. As a child we loved our dogs, but we understood they weren't people. They shared our homes, our days, and lived within OUR daily agendas. Our role as responsible owners included teaching our dogs to behave properly in our human world. But it was clearly OUR WORLD.

Increasingly I see a society that is becoming more "dog-centric". While that may sound like a good thing, many owners are abandoning any effort to teach good behaviors. I don't really blame owners. After all, they've been bombarded by questionable information for decades. Notions like dogs will do anything for an owner out of love. That treats are a sound teaching methodology. That dogs need time to play and interact with each other or they will become social misfits. That exercise is the key to a calm dog.

These viewpoints while well intentioned, in my experience are degrading the behaviors and safety of our dogs in real-life settings. I want a dog to love it's owner, but respect (not love) brings best behaviors. Yes, treats can help dogs learn positions, but they will never teach any level of reliable obedience. Dogs can live perfectly well for life in the company of people, and if they are interacting with other dogs owners should be teaching calm and proper behaviors. And while exercise tires the body, it never calms a restless mind (the source of unsettled energies in dogs).

While I could go on and on for quite a while on this topic, I won't. But I will end with this thought... Maybe it's time to recognize how common mainstream thinking isn't helping our dogs to live in human society, but attempting to create a dog-centric society. I believe every dog is best served by owners who teach a dog how fit in and behave in human society, vs those adjusting the(ir) world to fit their dog(s).