As dog supply sellers and dog trainers, our professional careers are all about finding solutions for all things dog. Customers and trainees seem surprised that we don’t think all dog issues need to be solved.
Often, we get a wide-eyed puzzled look when we say things like: “If it’s not a problem for you, it’s not a problem.”
“But my Aunt Gertrude says my dog shouldn’t….”
“Then Aunt Gertrude’s dog shouldn’t. If it doesn’t bother you, it’s not worth worrying about.”
Every family has its own unique dynamic. Each one has its own priorities, absolutes, and singular way of doing things. And each family’s dog figures out, pretty quickly, what each family member’s rules are. Who’s a soft touch, who’s pretty strict, and who’s always available for attention.
Battles worth fighting
That translates into choosing whether to address annoying things your dog does, or finding other ways of coping. As we tell our dog training students, there are three ways of dealing with dog behavior:
Ignore it: It doesn’t bother you, so it’s not a problem. This week one of our new beginning dog training students wanted to know if she could teach her dog to wipe his mouth after taking a drink. It never occurred to us that it would be a priority for anyone. We absolutely ignore the fact that Simon doesn’t even bother to close his mouth when he lifts his head from the water bowl. For us, it’s just water, it’ll dry. Of course there’s a major difference. Simon is a Boston Terrier and the drips are minimal. Their new puppy is a Mastiff mix and could flood the kitchen on a regular basis. We gave her the steps to teaching him to wipe his face.
Manage it: The situation can be easily controlled, so not worth extra effort to fix. People with puppies are used to managing their households. Don’t leave shoes out on the floor. Close doors or gate off rooms. Empty or elevate wastebaskets. All of that is management.
For a personal example; we’ve never chosen to teach our dogs not to beg at the table. We also don’t want them harassing us while we eat. The solution that works for us is to feed the dogs in their crates while we eat. Everybody’s happy.
Train it: It’s a priority that the dog knows the rules and behaves accordingly. Everyone has their own priorities. For some people, it’s no dogs on the furniture. We don’t understand that, but if that’s what you want, go for it. Another of our students asked how to train her dog not to bark at rabbits and squirrels the dog sees out the window. After we explained the difficulty in teaching a terrier mix to go against every instinct it was born with, she thought about it. And decided to get some blinds for the window.
Return on investment
Only you can weigh the cost / benefit ratio. If you don’t want your dog to pull on leash, should you put in the time and effort to train? Or would a no-pull harness be a better investment? Only you can decide, and your decision doesn’t have to be right for anyone but you. If it’s not a problem for you, your dog issues don’t need solutions.
Just like there are dozens of flavors of ice cream, and hundreds of breeds of dogs, you get to choose. How you live with your dog doesn’t have to make anybody else happy. Just you and your best friend.
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