Celebrity Dog…
How would you feel if every time someone saw you, they ran up to you, smiled and hugged you as hard as they could? We would feel like celebrities! Anyone who has had younger kids knows the feeling all too well, you walk in from work or being out of town and your younger kids come running up and nearly tackle you with AFFECTION.
It feels great, doesn’t it? Now imagine having the mind, body and soul of a pack animal and getting that sort of affection? What does this make the dog think and feel? Before we get into that sort of discussion let’s examine what affection is in the dog’s world. Affection can be related to the dog in the following ways:
· Feeding
· Petting
· Grooming
· Playing
Now ask yourself, how much affection are you giving your dog? Many owners and so-called trainers are literally showering a dog non-stop with one of the above, creating what I call a celebrity dog! A treat trainer will use food, petting and playing to reward a dog…all at once…to do something as little as the sit command!
It’s equivalent to pop singers making 100’s of millions for one album…humans will then complain these people don’t act normal and are out of touch with reality…they make far too much money for doing NOTHING…hmmm.
Now let’s examine when and how to use affection in the dog world. First off, there is an order to giving affection. Several things need to happen BEFORE we give affection. I have discussed one of them in a previous blog and that is called EXERCISE!
Exercise is always first and nothing changes that in the dog world. Physically fulfilling the dog.
Next up is discipline. Have you established rules, boundaries, and limitations in your dog’s world?
And finally, we get to affection. If you have not done the other two FIRST then the affection part will not help you get your dog’s behavior under control.
The great news is that your local Always Faithful Dog Trainer can easily help you learn to use affection the right way. Contact one of them today to get real training and real results!