Ok ... this is
DRIVING ME CRAZY! We all know how annoying it is when a dog jumps on you; many of us are even aware of the dangers that it can present. Yes, it sucks; but it takes time to re-train a dog if they've been rewarded for behaviours.
I ran into the following problem around a week ago when I took my newest dog out in public ... the jumping is something we are working on, but we can't address that fully until we build up some self-control (of which she has little to none - she's like a bouncy ball). Since the jumping was a behaviour that was reinforced with both praise and cookies, it takes time to redirect. (Don't get me started - that's another rant for another day!)
So we're hanging outside, working on self-control and watching people walk by. She's doing very well. At this point, I am telling people that no, they can't pet her; she's training. Most people accept this and move on. When they stop, she gets up to approach the people and I put her back into her sit. She settles in pretty quickly at this point. (We do spend time working with approaching "strangers" - people I know but she doesn't - but that's not what we were doing that day)
One woman asks why I don't just let her approach so she can give the dog a pat? I say "
Two reasons - One; I don't want her to get used to just running up to every person she sees. Some people are afraid of dogs. And two because we are still working on jumping and I don't want her to jump on you."
The woman replies confidently "
Oh, don't worry - I'll just knee her and she'll get off quickly."
"
WHAT!?" I said loudly. "
You can't do that! You should never knee a dog."
"
Why not?" She asks. "
I've always done that.
I had friends with two big dogs and that's how I taught them not to jump on me"
"
Why not?! Well, for starters, you can quite easily break the dog's ribs." I say (which she scoffs at and dismisses).
"
Do you know how thin a dog's ribs are?" I ask her. "
They are TINY! Not to mention that this dog is only about 25 lbs ... her ribs are probably thinner than your finger bones. Do you think your finger bones would hold out to being kneed? Besides that, if you break them, what if it pierces the dog's lung? Now the dog has to go to an emergency clinic, will need surgery and will quite probably die." Ok, granted - I'm starting to use scare tactics on the woman, but she is just not listening. I really wanted to ask her to brace her finger on a ledge and I would knee it - that way we could see if it would break, hurt or not.
"
Well it worked for those big dogs that used to jump on me" She retorts. "
They got off right away."
This still isn't working, so I use a different approach. "
Of course they got off right away - you just gutted them. Best case, you knocked the wind out of their sails. Worst case ... well, do you still see the dogs?"
"
I haven't visited them recently. I'm pretty busy you know; I have a life" She replies. (As though I know what this stranger's personal life is like?)
So I move on and ask.
"Would you give the dog an upper-cut with your fist as hard as you can?"
She shakes her head No while saying
"Of course not! That would be cruel."
"
Then why would you do it with your Knee instead? Look at the shape of your knee when it's bent - does it not look like a fist?" I ask. She nods. "
Then why would you think that kneeing the dog is any different than using your fist? How fast is your knee coming up? So how fast would you use your fist to come up if you were to mimic this action?"
So she left and I continued working with the new dog. Now, keep in mind that I probably embarassed the woman and she likely refused to consider different methods because of that. I would hope that she left and continued to think about what I said. Perhaps she won't knee the next dog. Perhaps she will. I can't change the world - just me.
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Ok ... here's my inspiring thoughts for today ...
We all agree that there are different training methods when it comes to dogs. Some work, some don't. Some are too good to be true. Some mask and DON'T train. Some are idealistic but in reality don't work.
I don't have all the answers, that is why I keep searching and learning. I want to know. Every day I learn something new; sometimes it is totally new, sometimes it contradicts something else. That doesn't mean I stop looking for answers; it just means I consider that the answers I find may not be the absolute truth.
I have been studying, learning and reading about dog training since I could pick up a book. Some people enjoy reading fiction books (mystery, romance, fantasy); I read non-fiction. The very first book I read about dog training encouraged the use of choke collars. That doesn't mean it wasn't true, it just meant that at the time it was the best practice. For some dogs I still use a choke (the ones I don't know won't take my arm off, for example!).
The world is constantly evolving and changing ... so too should we. If you've got your head too far up your ass that you can't even acknowledge new things then that's really unfortunate and you are doomed to eternal failure. What's even worse ... you doom your dog to failure.
Yesterday I featured the Bavarian Mountain Hound on my Guess the Breed post. Unfortunately, after a bit of searching, I was unable to come up with a rescue that actually listed any available dogs. There are rescues out there, but the ones I found don't actively advertise their available dogs on the internet (which is a good thing). Anyway, to make a long story short, I decided to feature a different scent hound for today's featured rescue.
She is a 10 month old Redbone Coonhound who has had a hard life so far. To quote from her ad "She was left behind by her original owner when she moved. Then she was hit by a car and suffered nerve damage to her Left front leg which then had to be removed. She was adopted by a family and had settled in but then they decided that she was to much for them to handle and they brought her back."
When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel. When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there. I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable. I would have money, & no guilt to go on a real vacation. I would not be on a first-name basis with numerous veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college. 
The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, & leave him/her/it ALONE. My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers. My house would not look like a day care center, with toys everywhere. My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash. I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E-E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, R-I-D-E, GO 
I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside. I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much. I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season. 
I would not have to answer the question 'Why do you have so many animals?' from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get. 
