What’s the first thing you learned in basic obedience class? Not the first thing you taught your dog (which was probably sit) but the first thing you learned?
If I remember correctly, it’s not to repeat your command. I ask my dog to sit, if (s)he does not sit, I use a treat and lure the dog into a sit. When I am walking Delilah and call her to me, I reward her when she comes, if she does not come I say, “Too bad” and I put the treat away. I wait a few seconds and I try again, usually the next time she’s very quick to respond.
For a long time Delilah and I went to a drop in obedience class and there was this couple that had a pair of labs and they about drove me to drink. Okay truth here. It doesn’t take much to drive me to drink, but that’s entirely NOT the point. The point is these people would say, “Sit, sit, sit, sit” and then “Stay, stay, stay, stay” until it took all my energy not to swing my leash and whap them upside their head with the clip.
When I’m out cruising the neighborhood with the dogs, I naturally notice the houses with dogs. There’s one house we pass that has a German Shepherd dog and the dog barks incessantly. She hears us from about two to three houses away and she barks until we are at least two three houses beyond her.
Do you want to come and play with me?
Now don’t get me wrong, my dogs bark when other dogs walk past, but not to that degree. AND if my dogs are barking like lunatics, I go and check the situation out and typically call them away from it. Unless of course it’s something that requires my attention.
So this dog is barking her fool head off as we walk past and the owner comes outside and I hear, “Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come, Chloe come.”
I wanted to scream, “Chloe is not coming. Walk over to your dog and get her.”
In the truth is stranger than fiction category, yesterday when we were walking past that house the woman stopped me to compliment me on how beautiful the dogs are. As we stood chatting for a few minutes she informed me that Chloe always alerts her when dogs are walking by and that she can’t walk Chloe because Chloe loses her mind when she sees another dog. Of course, “she only wants to play.” But I wonder if she actually had the opportunity, if she would even know how.
How do you explain proper socialization to people? Or the importance of exposing your dog to many situations to help them become a well-rounded dog?
How do you handle situations like this?
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