Golden Deceivers

When I was in school for dog trainers, one of my instructors often referred to "Golden Deceivers". At the time I'm not sure I fully grasped his meaning, but with many years of experience, I often look back on some of his stories and chuckle. The term doesn't refer to a particular breed, but a personality quirk that comes up at times when training dogs. About 5-10 times a year I'll have a client who believes that training is somehow making their dog worse or aggressive.

In these cases, owners typically have a very friendly and pleasant dog that "loves everyone". The "deceiver" comes in to play when these dogs begin training and find they will be expected to work, obey, and listen. They, of course, would prefer to play (not listen), or go about their own daily agenda. Some of these friendly dogs can then begin challenging owners with some pretty significant push back. "Deceivers" are everyone's friend when they can do as they please, but can become difficult (and even nasty) when required to work within an owner's agenda.

In these situations an owner will be faced with a critical decision - work through this problem and teach the dog an owner's agenda takes priority, or allow the dog to go back to doing as it pleases. Since an owner is the one who has to live with a dog and be responsible for its behaviors, that's a decision that rests squarely on his/her shoulders. Yes, many owners may rationalize "well, our dog isn't really too bad". But allowing a dog to dictate final decisions also puts the dog in a position to rule your life for 10+ years.

What owners must understand is that they are being tested by their dog. Giving in teaches a dog that bad behaviors earn them anything they want. Persisting with obedience helps develop mutual respect, which gets you to a much better place. This isn't about being a drill sergeant for your dog, or in any way being cruel. It's simply about teaching your dog to live well in the human world, and not dictate the terms of life in your home.

The reality here is that effective training improves dogs, it doesn't make them worse or mean. But real training means obedience, and obedience at its core means a dog must realize he/she cannot always do as they please. Dogs that do "push back" during training are simply showing some true colors. Say hello to a dog that's a 'Golden Deceiver".