Last month I had the pleasure of attending dog behavior seminars from two very different experts in the field. While their methodologies are different, I found a similarity in their thoughts about RELATIONSHIP. What sort of relationship do you have with your dog and could this be one of the reasons your dog exhibits certain behaviors? Good or Bad? Obviously the bad behaviors are the ones that cause trouble and get dogs turned into shelters or euthanized. Most pet dog/human relationships are centered on lots of love and affection and not as much leadership and guidance. We tend to treat them like innocent children when often their behavior is more like unruly teenagers. This sort of relationship might be fine for some people and dogs out there, but for those dogs that have been or will potentially end up in the shelter for behavior problems, they need a clear relationship built on human leadership and trust FIRST, before love and affection. Without this, they might start making their own “bad” decisions because there isn’t a leader to look up to. Mostly, we get this backwards when we bring a new dog home because we make emotional decisions based on our image of the dog behind a cage. It’s natural that all we want to do is hug and kiss the dog. But believe me, if you can hold off on the love and affection and be a leader first, your dog is going to be much happier in the long run and you will have a long lasting relationship!
Edwina is a dog that exemplifies the idea of relationship. Lori spotlighted her in one of her first blog posts. Edwina faces a challenge to a new adopter because of her leash aggression, but if you set up the right relationship in the beginning, she will understand and respond immediately. I like Edwina because she reminds me a lot of my dog Josie. Super smart, loves to play with other dogs, but on a leash her emotions take control and she’d rather react first and ask questions later. It’s taken me two years to figure out Josie and my relationship issues (sounds like an episode of Dr. Phil) but once I understood, she understood almost instantly and she’s a happier dog because of it. Luckily, with Edwina you won’t have to wait two years to figure out your relationship. She’s had the benefit of having Lori as a leader and that can easily be transferred to other people. Please don’t let all this talk about relationship scare you away from Edwina, while she might not be the right dog for a new dog owner, for someone more experienced who understands what she needs, she will make a wonderful, loyal pet!