Dog Training and The Love Fallacy

One of the chief reasons we have difficulty understanding dogs is, paradoxically, because.they've been associated with us for such a long time-so much so that we take them for granted.

The first evidence of dog's association with man is found at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr in England about 9500 B.c when the dog's superior sense of smell probably directed man to within bowshot of food animals.

Recently in the ruins of Pompeii the lava casts of the bodies of a little boy and his huge dog were found. On the dog's bronze collar was the still legible inscription: "This dog has saved his little master three times once from fire, once from drowning, and once from thieves."

The dog had obviously tried to rescue his master once more. * Very few domestic animals were found in the archaeological excavations of Pompeii.

Animals instinctively know of impending catastrophe, and obviously most of the dogs fled before the eruption occurred. The night before the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, dogs barked strangely. Horses snorted and stampeded minutes before anyone realized what was going on. In the mountains of Sicily, people leave their houses should the dogs suddenly exit.

* In England,medals and trophies are awarded for canine bravery. One is the National Canine Defense League Medal, the dog's version of the Victoria Cross. Swansea Jack, a black retriever, saved twenty-seven people from drowning at the Swansea Docks and was awarded the dog's V.C. Chum was decorated by the Duke of Gloucester for bravery in saving two people from a fire. The dog was sixteen years old.

John Garfield once turned down a film role which required him to mistreat a dog. "Slapping women, robbing kids, yes, but the public would never forgive anyone who kicked a dog."

One of my most unforgettable clients was a man in his forties who had built a towering reputation in New York's manufacturing community.

Midway through his executive life, he acquired a Newfoundland puppy.

He found that he had barely enough time to play with the dog when he came home in the evening. Most owners would compromise with such a p full schedule, but not this gentleman. He retired from his enormously successful business and moved away from his family. During the winters he and the Newfoundland went to live in Florida, where he served as a cabana attendant. In the summers he came north again, to tend bar and have the full day to spend with his dog.

For seven years he relished his full-time companionship, never missing his previously wealthy life. Then tragedy struck; the Newfoundland became ill with a spine problem. Over $ 10,000 was spent on surgery and recuperation kennels, but the dog was still unable to walk. His owner hired physiotherapists to take the dog swimming each day in the surf-but to no avail, and eventually he had his pet put to sleep.

Heartbroken, the man no longer had any "excuse to keep on with his nomadic existence”. He went back to his old line of work, and in a few short months, he had turned a few inventive ideas into a fortune. This brought him no particular joy, but his success was a thorn in the side of his competitors who retaliated-if you can call it that-by leaving another lovely puppy literally on the doorstep of his brownstone. And indeed, he became so involved with his new pet that again he left his business to spend his waking hours with a four-legged companion.

An unhappy majority of the population work at jobs they don't like, taking orders from others, forced to hold back their emotions.

When they return home in the evening, their only emotional outlet is through their family or their pets. Those who live alone have no immediate family, so they use the dog to balance the day's ledgers either by being nice or being nasty. When they realize that the animal will accept them with no backtalk, they usually look forward to coming home and enjoying their animal. I always remind owners that the ultimate one-to-one relationship is with another person. But if a man wants to take a walk after supper to relax and do some heavy thinking, who does he choose to take along-his wife, his kids, or the dog?

People can tell a dog anything, be inconsistent and ill-tempered, and still be assured of faithful love. Some people tell me that if it weren't for their dogs, they couldn't have gotten through moments of stress. When I'm bothered about certain things, I find it relaxing just walking and playing and even talking to my dog. My wife finds pleasure holding her dog in her arms and dancing with him to some good music. I hate to admit it, but if I had to choose between saving my dog and a total human stranger, I would probably save the dog.

Check the daily listings in the newspapers lost-and-found column to see how much the average dog can mean to its owners.

And once a dog is adopted into the family, no expense seems too high to be justified. An interesting example of this occurred to a New York couple, each of whom was extremely wrapped up in a career. They acquired a collie and since neither was able to walk the animal on any regular schedule, a professional dog walking service was hired. When the husband complained about the bills, the wife told him simply, ,It's too late. “The dog is already part of the family."

The status conscious will pick a breed that's very showy and obviously very expensive: a saluki, Afghan, or Russian wolfhound. The dogs that New York's -swinging singles pick are all very good measurements of what the owners want you to think of them. But the owners who worry me are those who choose certain breeds to compensate for their own deficiencies.

Some people want very aggressive dogs because either they are, or want to be, aggressive people. Specifically, I find that many owners themselves are physically shy and feel put-upon. So they choose a dog who's anything but. The most common problem, of course, is that the shy master finds it difficult to control an animal he has already decided is 46 stronger' than he is.

Many people consider their dog a human being, or at least a creature who appreciates the same luxuries we do. Who hasn't seen households with covered-up chairs for the dog's comfort, televisions turned to a certain channel "for the dogs"?

On Park Avenue, there's a poodle who lives in the utmost of style.

He has steps up to his bed so that he doesn't have to jump. A rubber mat lies under his sheets, which are changed daily by a maid hired especially for this purpose. The poodle is fed pits, caviar, and champagne, and has a tailor-made wardrobe. His mistress doesn't want to inhibit him in any way.

A middle-aged woman called me to check on what supplies she would need for a weekend trip to the Poconos. When questioned what she had already added to the carload, she listed dog deodorizer, foam cushions, food, water bowls, chew bones, toys, a spatula, and a New York Times.

My question was where was she going to rest up the next weekend after unloading the car. (When I went on a 13,000-mile camping trip, I took four dogs, one wife, two sleeping bags, and one tent.) Thumb through your weekly magazines and see exactly how people are expected to say "I love you" to their dogs. A sample list: uitton's 14-inch pet tote $150.00 Madeira wicker carrying basket 14.50 Breath Sweet hard rubber ball 3.00 Breath Sweet hard rubber pull ring 3.00 Grooming rake 1.65 Oval brush 2.80 Wicker igloo wlred plaid cushion 18.00 Stainless steel trimming shears 15.50 Roiled natural leather leash 9.00 Plaid wool coat 10.00 Non-tarnish all aluminum foodlwater dish 5.00 Ceramic bowl 3.00 Oster stainless steel aiijet Mr dryer 36.00 Wooden handled wire grooming brush 2.80 Wire "slicker" brush 2.50 Metal comb 2.50 Rubber shampoo brush 1.90 Grooming mitt 5.00 Gold-plated chain leads 7.00 Braded collar bellfrom India 1.00 Braided leather kad 5.00 For people who get really involved with dogs as family, there's Our Puppy's Baby Book. The book includes sections for all those things you'd want to remember about your child: early snapshots, birth date, first paw print, feeding charts, health records, handling instructions, family trees (actual or imaginary), famous firsts like barks, fights, trips, dog shows, ribbons and so forth. There's even a section for people he has met, i.e mailman, paper boy, !milkman, grocer.

These canine indulgences obviously give the owner more pleasure than the dog, and what's wrong with that? When a person starts treating a dog like a human being, however, he often begins thinking of him as one. And this is where the owner/pet relationship begins to break down.

I asked one new client for a list of the things he felt were wrong with his dog. Naturally I expected a string of bad habits, such as not sitting on command or chewing the rug, but the man took me too seriously and submitted a list of human problems. He asserted he could tell that the dog was emotionally disturbed by the way he ate his food, by the way he walked down the street and played, and especially by the way his stool came out. The man said that his dog had no ambition, no motivation, was emotionally unhappy, didn't work well in groups and had severe jealousy hang-ups.

Many owners say that their dog reacts a certain way because of some human trait that they are used to dealing with. An enthusiastic hair dresser was explaining his difficulty in housebreaking his Doberman: "He's exactly like I am. Stubborn, uncontrollable, and totally erratic."

One psychologist asserted that his dog "only responds in group therapy." In reality the dog stopped chewing up his master's shoes simply because of all the new attention that the "encounter group" lavished on him. Once the group began meeting elsewhere, the dog was thrown on his own again and resumed chewing out of boredom.

One client had trouble reconciling the fact that his poodle wouldn't come to him. He felt the poodle was rejecting him and demonstrating it in this way. The dog was trained to come long before his master got over his rejection complex.

One woman was actively involved in weekly visits to her psychiatrist who was convinced that radical confrontation was the way to mental health. He told her to scream out whatever her problems were. The poor dog who had to listen to all of this Sturm unddrang was a wreck. I advised her to scream at her husband if she felt the need, but not at her dog.

Then there's the lady who thought her dog was suicidal. Every day the dog went out on a glass-doored patio, looked around, and came back in. Finally, the dog broke through the glass door, wound up with severe cuts, and he was immediately taken to a veterinarian. His owner now told the vet that the dog was in shock. His cuts were not bleeding much, and when people are in shock, they don't bleed. The veterinarian thanked her for her diagnosis and asked her please to wait outside.

The dog was in no way suicidal, I pointed out, but a victim of circumstance. He was locked up every day, and was taken out only once.

He simply wanted out. He went to the glass door, not expecting to find it shut. The family was particularly neat and had cleaned the glass hours before.

Human beings walk through plate-glass doors all the time. This dog simply did the same. I told the owner in no uncertain terms that her dog's life was in her hands. It was up to her to see that he was walked at least four times per day, and to make sure that safety bars were put on the doors.

Yet another lady wanted to know if there was a dog IQ test. I informed her that a dog's intelligence has nothing to do with how well he's trained. If the feat required of him is reasonable, he can probably accomplish it. Don't ask him to push the elevator buttons, because he's not manually dextrous, but to come when called is not too much to ask!

I often hear statements such as "I tell my dog he's doing something wrong, and he goes right on doing it. But then, he's a Leo, and must have his own way." Whenever I hear something to this effect, I feel sure that the dog is spoiled rotten. It's sometimes easier to relate to a client through his or her fantasies.

Giving human characteristics to dogs is not advisable, and even though at times he almost appears human, a dog is not programmed to respond to human psychology.

In the wild a strong male can have his pick of females. In your home his sex life has to be curtailed and controlled. In the wild he can lift his leg and move his bowels as many times and in as many places as he wants. In your home there are schedules and specific places where he must go. In the wild he can run free. In your home he must learn to walk on a leash. In the wild he can bark and howl at the moon. But you have to think of the neighbors.

A small proportion of dog owners go through life not training their dogs in simple canine terms. As a result, they put up with a lot of nonsense. One psychologist let his great Dane take over the whole apartment. I walked in to see all the chairs covered, rugs kicked back, and clothing strewn all over the room. "Well," says the embarrassed dog owner, "he likes it that way."

 "But," I asked, "Do you like it that way?"

"I get used to it."

One dog chewed up a complete room, so the owner gave him the room, saying, "It's his. He likes it. He can have it."

I am seldom surprised by the many ways in which a dog can adapt to man. What does startle me is the ways in which owners adapt to their dogs. One family felt that they couldn't possibly train their dog not to chew or urinate in the house. So they had their living room installed with a lovely wrought-iron gate to protect the corner with their choice belongings. In cases like this it's hard to determine whether it's the owner or the dog who's being confined for bad behavior.

Untrained dogs should have certain areas where they do belong, as well as offlimit regions. One particularly congenial Manhattan woman with just such a dog called me a meanie for wanting to place restrictions on him. She felt her dog should be allowed complete run of the house. But a week after her new shag rug arrived, she had boards installed across the living-room doorway.

One doctor encourages his spaniel to jump up and nuzzle his hand.

Without knowing it he could be training the dog to bite. The dog has taken to knocking mailmen and milkmen down the front steps, and the doctor's wife says that "if he weren't so pretty, I'd get rid of him."

This family has no real concept of what's happening to their dog. In any case, it's pretty hard to perform surgery with only one hand.

There's a lady whose Afghan refuses to come when she calls him. So whenever she takes him out to the park for a run, she comes prepared to wait for him usually all day!

She can't make any other appointments. "He usually comes back around four o'clock," she guarantees.

One particular owner claimed his dog was really well-trained. For some reason, he never seemed to notice him barking, biting, chasing other dogs and children, and being a general nuisance.

Another client informed me that his German shepherd was thoroughly housebroken. "He only messes in the house once a day, only chews things I don't need anymore." Other than that, he'll be the first to admit, the dog is perfect.

A woman once called me in for a visit, complaining that her animal was a barker, a biter, and generally obnoxious. But her husband felt he was in complete control of the dog: "I have no problem with him."

To demonstrate, the man opened his car door and the dog obediently jumped into the back seat on command. However, as the owner settled himself in the driver's seat, the dog began barking furiously. The owner turned in his seat and said, "Now be quiet," in a firm voice.

His dog bit him on the nose.

Every family claims to love its dog. But what is love? What seems right to you isn't necessarily right for your dog. Many people proclaim that they give their dog total freedom out of love, but what about discipline?

That is part of love too. He needs the discipline of someone saying no, as well as praise and rewards when he does things properly.

Certain individuals say, "You'll break the dog's spirit." Some are afraid that disciplining the dog will make the animal feel unloved.

This is the exact same reason they refuse to discipline their children, and often have the same kind of obedience dilemmas with them. In one case the daughter of a client told me that her family had once had another dog that they couldn't housebreak. "Mommy was afraid he would wet on the rugs, so she made us keep him in the bathroom all the time."

Dogs and children both want and need to be disciplined. They crave the security this kind of authority affords them. As long as reprimands are not overly harsh and don't become a way of life and are balanced with a lot of affection and tender loving care, your dog should develop into a well-trained and happy pet.

Some owners find their dogs are just too much trouble. They lose their patience in training and give up. I get lots of calls from people who thought (and rightly so) dogs were for fun, but somehow just can't cope with the details of ownership. "Do you want to buy a dog?" they inquire politely. "He's four years old, and we want him to have a special, healthy home."

I ask them why they want to get rid of the dog. Among the many answers I get, the most common is "We're moving."

To where? "None of your business." There's no whimper of care in the conversation, just a pretense for finding a "nice home." Someone wants to get rid of a potentially marvelous pet that just hasn't been trained properly.

There are many strays wandering the streets day and night, looking for food and shelter. Where do they come from? All too often they are the unwanted victims of "love" substituted for discipline. That "nice home in the country" often turns out to be some deserted area where the owner can dump his pet to forage and fend for himself, without too many witnesses to make him feel guilty.

You can see your dog running in his dreams. It's almost as though he sees or chases a rabbit, or is in pain. it's safe to bet he dreams just as we do. But remember your dog is not a person! Never confuse his life with yours. You are a breed apart, and you must accept him as a dog and train him as such. This brief fact is the key to years of rewarding relationship with your pet. And to train him properly, it's absolutely vital to understand his basic makeup-how he thinks, what his body demands of him, what he responds to, and what instincts have made him the way he is.

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