A lot of times when I’m out in public, I hear people make references to “bad dogs.” “That dog down the street just won’t stop barking!” or “My friend’s dog tore up his house when he wasn’t home,” or something similar. But who is responsible for these types of behaviors?
As dog owners, we have a responsibility to train our pets to live happy lives within the boundaries that we have set for them. Just as with parents, if we do not frequently teach our “children” good habits, they will act out in ways that they obviously do not know are negative. Whenever I hear complaints about dogs, I always tell people to blame the owner, not the dog. Of course there are exceptions to this rule (just like in the human world), but for the most part, dogs are intelligent and eager to please when led by a confident leader that they can trust.
I see so many dogs getting dumped at the shelter due to bad behavior or potty trining issues, but I have to wonder if the owners spent any quality time learning about effective training methods and then implementing them on a regular basis. I’m sure the answer to the overwhelming majority of cases is a big “no”. These dogs did not have effective leaders and were left to their own devices. The worst part of this scenario is that it is the dog who ultimately pays the price for it. Having a dog is a very large responsibility and allowing sufficient training time should be factored into the equation when considering making one part of your family.
Here is a short video on some dog training tips from “The Amazing Dog Training Man,” Eric Letendre. He has many videos covering different subjects and behvaior issues that can be found on YouTube.
