Welcome to The Dog Dish

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to The Dog Dish, my dog blog!  I’m here in Bruno’s Cafe. I love to come here and write. I smells tantalizingly of Nonna’s spaghetti sauce and primo espresso!

I want to talk a bit about what I think I’m doing here. I’m advocating more teamwork when we train with our dogs. We refer to a dog/human pairing as a team. But the I don’t see the humans acting like team-members. Have you ever heard someone say, “You need to be Alpha over your dog.” or, “Don’t let your dog go through the door first.” Or “My dog is so dominant. I have to walk him at night when there are no other dogs around or he’ll ruin my shoulder!” Not terribly team focused. Let’s take a look at these statements and see what else they may be saying.

“You need to be Alpha over your dog.”

Why do we say this?  Perhaps it’s a hold over from the days when we used more coercive methods to train. Dogs are faster and more maneuverable than humans so we need to be forceful to keep ourselves safe. Dogs are carnivores after all!

Maybe this is a misapplication of some research with wolves wherein we observed that wolves live in a hierarchy with an alpha pair at the top. The alpha male decides when, where, how, and who the pack will hunt. He doesn’t allow any other male to copulate with the alpha female. Top Dog, after all! So we believe we must be forceful in dealing with a dog.

But truly, if a dog does not want to be part of my family, I can’t force him. And why would I want to? I like dogs. I want to be friends with them.

“Don’t let your dog go through the door first. Leaders go in first. Be a leader!”

The alpha wolf seems to me to be more like a benevolent despot than a totalitarian jerk. He remains leader because he makes good decisions. Remember, he decides who, what, when, where and how the pack hunts. His past decisions must have resulted in successful hunts. The pack is healthy and strong, the pups have good pre-natal nutrition and thrive in infancy. He remains leader because he succeeds. Because he succeeds, the pack succeeds. He continues to be “elected” each campaign. If the pack doesn’t feel safe and comfortable under his leadership they will “dis-elect” him. I’m a leader when the group agrees to follow me. Before that I’m just a tyrant.

“My dog is so dominant! I walk him at night when there are no other dogs around or he’ll ruin my shoulder!”

Know what’s curious about this statement? It is usually spoken with a nuance of pride. Kinda like “Our governor can beat-up your governor!” For all our professed pacifism it seems wise to boast of our power. Why? What shall I be impressed with here? The fact that this poor dog hasn’t learned to walk on a loose leash? Or the fact that the poor human doesn’t think there is help available? It can’t be fun to be yanked through the neighborhood at midnight. I used to walk my Great Dane through the Capitol Hill area of Denver at midnight. But that was because I got off work at 11:30pm! I also walked him during the day because it was fun.

In these statements I see a misunderstanding of the mission of training. I see that mission as a mutual exchange of information. With this exchange we learn about each other. Dogs have a lot to teach us. When I pay attention and watch dogs I learn a great deal about how to interact with a particular dog so that both of us understand.

As a pet training instructor, I offer techniques and approaches to pet dog training that I have used and found effective for both me and my dog and the dogs of others. I have developed these techniques and approaches by working and living with many dogs. Because of the volume of dogs that I see, I have a data base, if you will, of subtle tweaks that may help you and your family understand your dog better and live a sweeter life together.

In future postings here, we can explore some of the techniques and approaches that I’ve discovered and developed and maybe you have some to share also. So feel free to add your contributions and let’s see what happens.

Peace, Love & Fun!

Joan Lisi-McCoy

December 10, 2010