Why are so many dog trainers and owners total control freaks?
Do you think your dog should always be under your total control, even when he’s walking or playing?
I’ve had great relationships with some of my own dogs. I’ve spent a lot of time in communities where almost everyone has one or more dogs. And I disagree strongly with the keep-your-dog-in-total-control approach.
Sometimes you need to block or suppress your dog’s inborn behavior. Lunging, chewing, and biting are good examples of behavior that should be extinguished in most cases. We can all agree with that.
But what about people who refuse to let their dogs catch a quick sniff of a scent they encounter on a walk? Or to urinate on a tree they pass? Some people think it’s disgusting to let their dog just be a dog, even when no one is getting hurt. The dog’s need to find out more about their environment by sniffing a bush or marking a place by urinating on a certain spot will just have to be ignored.
I’ve seen many trainer videos on YouTube where a macho trainer, usually a male trainer, exhibits a drill sergeant’s degree of contempt at the idea that a dog would have any freedom on a walk. He can sniff or urinate when I say so and only when I say so. The dog should always walk on a loose leash on your left side, with no sniffing or marking as he goes forward. Like an automaton.
This is not only a little harsh, it ignores the dog’s natural needs. Most people don’t know how important some of this activity is to their dog’s mental well being. They don’t realize the vast amount of healthy mental stimulation this provides and the drives it satisfies.
It all seems a little harsh. Does his every natural instinct need to be stifled? I would be afraid that this kind of hindering of natural impulses would have negative consequences for the health and well-being of our pets.
Don’t forget we block many types of behavior on walks for everyone’s safety. And we block a lot more behavior in our homes for most of the dog’s day. Do we need him to always move under our control every minute?
Some of the control freaks don’t care much about the dog’s needs or feelings, so they insist on total control. Maybe they should look into getting a robotic dog. Amazon sells one for about $4,000. No food. No vet bills. No sniffing or urinating on walks.
Suffocating these instincts causes harm.
Some of the results of obstructing instinctual behavior are: Stress, anxiety, frustration, and even dependency. It can retard the dog’s ability to socialize and interact with other dogs. And it can diminish cognitive function.
Ten minutes of sniffing can be equal to 30-40 minutes of just plain walking. Brains, especially well-developed brains like those found in working dogs, depend on mental stimulation as much as on physical stimulation.
In the worst case, the extreme reduction in self-directed behavior can lead to aggression or make existing aggressive tendencies even worse.
In my experience, most pet owners seem to know the importance of letting their dogs be dogs when no one is getting hurt.
Nevertheless, many prominent trainers continue to argue for more toughness and control over them. This is the unfortunate practice I’m arguing against.
