Dog Stewardship

I've mentioned before that I see dogs as a blessing for humans in this world. These creatures have walked with man for thousands of years - helping, providing safety, being companions, and so much more. As I reflect on my experiences with dogs through my lifetime, I often wonder whether humans are currently being responsible caretakers and stewards of this relationship. Over the past few decades it seems people (in general) are humanizing canines. While I love dogs, I also feel their humanization is rather selfish and ill-conceived. They are different and wonderful animals, and as Henry Beston noted, of "other nations".

In my early years I was taught to never approach a strange dog without an adult's permission. Seemed like common sense to me at that young age. Fast forward to today, and I'm often working with clients in a public area and will have one of my dogs off on the sidelines sitting during the training. It amazes me how often strangers will approach my dog without permission "just to say hi". Recently a 20 something young man did this. As my dog backed away from him (prudently wary of an unknown stranger shoving a fist in his face), I advised this man what he was doing without my permission was patently foolish. When people like this get bitten, who do you think will bear the blame?

On another note, training of dogs is probably at an all time high. Unfortunately, the vast majority of this current training is solely "positive" and setting many dogs up for failure. I see dogs every week with positive only training backgrounds, who are out of control and about to loose their home. Luckily the solution is simple - begin teaching in a balanced manner that is natural and makes sense to the dog. This includes correcting rather than ignoring problems, and setting rules and expectations for living in our human world. Dogs taught exclusively with treats and praise always see commands as optional and their owners as a resource (belonging). Is this a healthy relationship?

Examples like these are why I wonder whether we, as a society, are doing better or worse in recent times for our 4-legged cohabitants. Are we teaching our young people to respect other creatures, and that dogs are NOT furry people? Are we meeting the educational needs of our dogs with teaching that brings success, or choosing methods that make US feel good at the dog's expense? These questions may be more philosophical than pragmatic - I don't know. But looking over the past decades of my life, I see more dogs being treated like people AND more dogs having problems integrating into our shared world.