im not sure if we expect perfect dogs but when we get a puppy we tend to think they will behave like the dog that we have lost or the dog that has been part of the family for quite a while,dogs like kids are not all the same and will all have different skills and abilities.

good post interesting.

I only get really serious about behaviors that endanger the dog or someone else. But training must always always always be fun for the dog. I refuse to be a drill sargent for my dog. She does the important things and she gets to be a normal dog, flaws and all, the rest of the time. I've had SO many agility people tell me I need to train my dog out of barking on the course. Why? She isn't hurting anyone and she's having fun? To my mind, these people don't really even want dogs, they want mindless performing robots. Why get a dog if barking bothers you?

I don't train as much for the competative side as I once did. Now I put more emphasis on Cava and Zymi being easy to live with and not being a nuisance to other people.

They are good with other dogs and people bar Cava being wary of strange men, they bark a bit but are not allowed to carry on.

I went to a show the other day where they were entered for obedience but as I'm on the committee and trophy steward as well I just didn't have time to work them. A friend was at the show with another friend and they ended up walking them about and sitting watching. It was a nice day the show was outside and I'm sure my boys had a great time sniffing meeting other dogs and people.

The second friend was a man who neither dog had met other than once at this show a year ago. Cava ended up sitting leaning against his legs while Zymi lay on his knee.

To me that is the sort of behaviour I like to see in my dogs. That's worth more than any prize they might win

When we first adopted Missy I did work and work at getting her sociable with people - for the simple reason that I thought if anything ever happens and she snaps at a person, she could lose her life for it.
That would have broken my heart, so I set about making her as "bombproof" as I could.

The other issues she had such as needing muzzling for vet, groomer, and being bossy round other dogs we would have lived with.

My vet had other ideas though, so we worked on that one and she can be un-muzzled for the vet now.
We groom Missy ourselves since we decided not to carry on with hand stripping, so that isn't stressful for her any more.

The dog one we manage - because truthfully, she's nearly 12 and I want to enjoy my dog. She's brilliant in every other way now, so I am not going out of my way to "cure" this foible.

When we come across friendly dog owners we do give her a chance to learn that other dogs aren't quite so scary and gradually she's improving - but I'm not pushing for a rapid fix.

We have places we can let her be off where there are no dogs and we now have a huge garden and a farm to let her walk round.

So, compared to life before us, she has a lot - and I want her to enjoy it too. Which she does.

I guess I did work and work for the first most important issue, but then after that I have been more laid back and trained other things for fun - and in time the smaller issues are resolving as she grows in confidence.

Agree with this. A lot of the dogs at my agility bark through excitment, I doubt anyone would be able to train that out of them. As you say they're having fun!


The highlighted part I think is so true. At the training classes I have been to in the past (and no longer go to now I might add), the dog had to do what it was told even if you spent ages at a time getting it to do one command. This to me is just not a fun way to train for either me or my dog and I don't think it really achieves much other than switching the dog off.

I think a lot of people want a robot dog, one that does exactly what you say when you say it and loves everything and everyone (but only in a polite way of course ).

I think I said earlier on that I feel I've come a long way with understanding Maggie and appreciating her for the lovely dog she is even her naughty/chasing side and just deal with that but try not to fixate on it and make her perfect.

I think that's the difference. You've worked on the stuff that could have otherwise landed her in trouble but relaxed about the other stuff and just let her be her.

She sounds like she has a wonderful life with you . I wish I had a farm for Maggie to have free range of.

i expect my dogs to have good manners, leave people and other dogs alone when we are out and come back when asked, thats it!! As far as i'm concerned they are individuals with their own personality, they will be naughty from time to time, they will get on my nerves from time to time , but thats life.

I did work hard with millie when we first got her because she would snap at other dogs, and she still isn't keen on kids, but she is now fine wih other dogs and has others have said i manage the child situation by calling her back if there is one in her path.

Dogs aren't allowed to be dogs anymore, classic example this morning coming back up the hill from our walk this morning bedlington coming down on a flexi, dog obviously friendly came up to one of mine for a sniff, te place we walk is 100's or acres and very secure, why wasn't the poor thing allowed off its lead??

or is that another debate about why people go the otherway and are too lazy to train their dogs to come back??

I've been interested to read this thread because of the different responses I have had from other dog walkers about the level of behaviour I expect from Pepper.

Pepper was my first dog and I always planned to have a well behaved dog and was happy to put the work in to achieve it. I choose a Mini Schnauzer because my research led me to believe that it's a breed suitable for a novice owner. However I wasn't prepared for the unique sub-category of Mini Schnauzer that is my Pepper! She was (still is to some extent ) excitable and over-confident, she would rush over the width of the park at top speed to greet another dog/person/chase a squirrel. I have at times been at my wits end and convinced she would never be safe off lead. After 3 years she is much, much better (I have my fingers crossed so I don't jinx myself )

So...some of my fellow dog owners thought I was far too uptight and expected too much from her while others (mostly those who's dogs just seemed to behave well with little or no training ) obviously thought she was a total reprobate with a useless owner.

Having had a second dog who hasn't given me a fraction of the stress his big sister did (so far ) I can say that I really feel that dog owners who have never had a "Pepper" will probably never understand what it's like.

J

I haven't really done a lot of training with Chloe other than teaching her basic good manners /house manners .

I have done my best to let her personality shine through and not to stifle her natural behaviour, she is the happiest of little dogs and has never been shouted at or known fear (with the exception of one occasion when she was very small and I hid from her in a strange field so she knew how it felt to lose me).

I work around unwanted behaviour . Chloe's recall isn't 100% eg I know when she is chasing crows across the field that I can't compete with the adrenaline rush that comes with the chase so I don't call her until I know she has finished doing what she is doing then she will come .
Never ask a dog to do something when you know it is unlikely to obey because you are teaching it to ignore you.

Chloe also likes to bark at strangers who come near her garden like the workmen building a patio next door .She is doing what comes naturally, so I distract her and bring her in when she barks rather than trying to stop her barking . I open the door and say the word 'treat' and she flies in the door

She likes to collect things like towels/the bath mat/ my knickers off the clothes horse and piles them up in one place,then she buries her toys underneath. This keeps her occupied and makes her happy so I leave her to it. Maybe not the behaviour of a perfect dog but certainly a happy one
She has other little odd quirks but they are also part of her personality and I wouldn't want to 'train them out' to make 'a perfect dog' , these little quirks make her a perfect dog for me anyway ..

With Bryan we have taught him recall, how to walk on a lead, quite a few tricks with the clicker and.....how to play (he didn't know what toys were for when he came to us at the age of 10 months ).

I expect him to not be aggressive, not to snatch things out of my hands and not to bark for more than 10-20 seconds in the house.

That's it really. I teach my fosters the same things. I think 'expect' is maybe the wrong word, because a dog is a dog and it's a bit difficult to put our human expectations on them (if you see what I mean ).