It's the Owner, Not the Dog

As all trainers, I spend considerable time developing my "working model" of how dogs learn, think, what drives behaviors, etc. As that model has become more refined with time, I now find myself spending more hours thinking about my "working model" for owners. In my travels, I run across many people with different backgrounds, goals, and expectations for their dogs. Many owners will joke "it's not about training my dog, it's about training me". Well, yes - that's very true. And when it come to training a dog's owner(s), I often consider a continuum with areas defined by how an owner sees his/her relationship with their pet.

On one end of this continuum are owners that want a lifestyle of structure, discipline, and daily obedience with their dogs. They want their dog(s) to be well behaved and obedient. They understand a dog with those qualities will share a very rewarding and privileged life with them. These owners continually assess progress, and push themselves and their dogs to keep improving. They look for ways to help their dogs successfully live in our human world. They work to strengthen weak areas of training, and they test reliability in increasingly distracting situations. These owners don't make excuses for their pets, they make their dogs better. They see their pets as working partners, and enjoy the satisfaction and mutual respect that is earned through this lifestyle.

At the middle of my continuum lie the vast majority of owners - those who simply want a dog that is well behaved and listens. These owners may have particular behavioral issues they want addressed (no pulling on walks), or have a specific training objective in mind (off leash). They are typically open to suggestions that a trainer may offer, and will usually do a fair bit of work if directed clearly AND can see results in short order. These owners are often very busy, so training time must merge with other responsibilities. They generally strike a practical balance between management and teaching. These owners see their dog as a pet, and want their pet to be a good citizen and happy member of the family.

At the other end of my continuum are the owners allowing a dog to make most of its own choices. These owners don't see any reason to enforce basic behavioral rules, and aren't comfortable with the idea of commanding a dog through obedience. These owners typically rationalize problem behaviors - "My dog is friendly (no control)", "My dog just wants to play (mouthing)", "My dog likes you and is excited (jumping)", "My dog bit me but it was my fault", etc. They often have a history of poorly behaved or problem dogs, and usually fail to see a correlation between their lack of leadership and their dog's behavior. These owners see their dogs as a friend, enjoy it when their friendship is reciprocated, but are entirely uncomfortable placing expectations on that friendship.

I'm sure most trainers recognize some of what I'm talking about, but not sure whether many give it a lot of thought. Where things really become interesting is merging this owner framework with a working model for dogs. I've felt for a very long time that it's not the owners, and not the dogs - it's really the dynamic between these two groups. Owners that are more directing and who provide daily leadership will get the most out of any dog they have, and offer it the best life possible. Owners who let a dog make most of its own choices may be ok paired with a mellow dog, but will be severely handicapped in their ability to help any dog that is the least bit challenging.