Excited to learn a new request.
My new session of beginning manners classes started this week. It is always exciting for me to meet the dogs and their families that come to class.
I always start the class with having everyone introduce their dog and themself and to tell us a little about their furry family member. I am always amazed at the fact that people start apologizing to the class for their dogs behavior.
Hum…..isn’t that why everyone is in class? To learn how to communicate with your dog in a better way? So you and your dog can bond and learn all about each other?
I actually had someone say, ” I am apologizing up front for my dogs bad behavior and if he does not behave we are going to leave”.
You know what?…There are no poorly behaved dogs in class.
This is a learning place, a place to have fun, a place for you and your dog to learn the rules of what is expected of them and you. Humans have to learn to communicate with their pup, to teach them what the rules are. Absolutley nothing is accomplished by taking your dog away from the place they should be allowed to be themself and to learn.
Some dogs bark non-stop at the beginning of class, some hide behind their owners, some submissive pee, some just want to jump on everyone. That’s ok, they are all different and handle situations in different manners. Just as humans do.
You bring your dog to class so you can learn what the dog is trying to tell you with the above behaviors and to help you and your dog gain confidence in new situations.
And guess what? The dog whose owner said he was poorly behaved, stopped the barking and learned all the requests and tricks we worked on. And got to have puppy playtime with all of his new friends. It was a great night.
As I said, there are no poorly behaved dogs in class!