Monday, March 16, 2009

Training Rant - Muddy Paws

Muddy Paws. Why a rant? They in and of themselves are not a problem. Do you remember a while back I wrote a post about Jumping UP? It was way back in October. If you missed it, check it out - you'll see what my opinion is of jumping.

This picture is not of the dogs, but it gives a pretty good idea as to how muddy it was - we haven't got pics off the camera yet.

Well, this weekend, we had some people over to our house. We spent all day Sunday outside around a bonfire boiling down maple sap. A full day spent with the dogs, no jacket necessary ... the squirrels running through the trees all day long; entertainment for hours. The dogs thought it was great (though they didn't get their afternoon nap so they were pooped by the end of the day).

To get back to the point ... it was a muddy day. Muddy muddy muddy. We had two dogs over with their owners - small dogs that are encouraged to jump ALL THE TIME. Now, picture these dogs covered in mud from head to toe ... including muddy paws.

One of the dogs does what is normal for her ... tears around for an hour or two, then jumps on her owner - covering the owner in mud. Well, doesn't the owner turn around and start yelling at the dog. Tore a strip off it. I asked the owner what they expect if they teach and encourage their dogs to jump up all the time - the dog doesn't know when is and is not a good time to jump! I asked them to let it go because unless they are going to teach the dog never to jump up uninvited, they are simply confusing the poor thing.

*headdesk*

Don't think I made any friends there ... not like I care. I didn't even have the energy to continue the "discussion" with the person - it just wasn't worth it. I've been having the same "discussion" with the same person for two years now. (I guess you could just call it an argument; it would be more accurate.)

This is why Muddy Paws turns into a rant. You can't tell your dog that it can jump up any time it wants to ... except when it's got Muddy Paws. The dog doesn't understand because it doesn't care if it has Muddy Paws or not - that's a human concern.

If you're going to be dumb, go be dumb somewhere else. I don't have patience for it anymore.

4 comments:

GoLightly said...

Yes, you'd think it would be obvious, wouldn't you?
Guess
Not..
Silly people.
Make them spell consistency maybe, on the blackboard, like 1200 times:)
Great Post!

RedDeerSeeker said...

It is amazing how dense people can be. The dog is actually doing what they were taught to do, and the person doesn't even understand that?????? And they probably NEVER will......don't waste your breathe.

Sully said...

mmmmmmm. My husband wants to big dogs to jump on him. I don't. I trained them that jumping up isn't okay. Now if I could train my husband not to let them do it.

DogsDeserveFreedom said...

You'd think it the obvious truth ...

Sully I think training the spouse is often the hardest part. Getting on the same page for training.