This weekend I took Buddha to an outdoor event. I wasn’t going there to work or anything — just to wander around. Buddha’s my best dog for that. He loves people and tends to not react to other dogs unless I tell him he is allowed to say hello.
There were quite a few people at the event with their dogs. One of the side effects of spending a lot of time coaching people on handling their dogs is that the running commentary in your head never stops. (I have to wonder – do orthodontists walk around parties looking at teeth? Do housepainters silently critique their friend’s living rooms?) Usually I can squelch this commentary down but sometimes well, I end up composing an entire blog post justing watching one person.
I saw a man with a beautiful example of a “macho” breed of dog. He (the dog) was a large intact male and was prominently wearing a prong collar. The man was holding the leash taut and had it wrapped around his hand, leaving the dog just about enough slack to comfortably stand at his side. As we walked by the dog looked at Buddha. The man immediately jerked the leash and said “NO! STOP!”
I kept walking, mentally shaking my head and thinking “Well, at least he didn’t make that idiotic tsst noise.”
A few minutes later I stopped and got myself and Buddha something to drink. An acquaintance came by and we chatted for a few minutes. I told Buddha to lie down. I noticed the man seated in a nearby booth with his dog standing immediately next to him on that short, tight leash. Every few minutes the dog would get a correction – a leash jerk and a “NO!”
My biggest problem with what I saw is this: at no point did I see or hear the man tell the poor dog what to do. It was all what not to do…although I’d wager the dog was baffled as to what the man wanted from him.
Meanwhile note what I said did: I told Buddha to lie down. I made it perfectly clear what I wanted, and had he gotten up I would have immediately told him to lie down again. The man and I both (seemingly) had the same goal — for our dogs to remain quiet at our sides for a few minutes — but one of us was frustrated and scolding our dog while the other was having a conversation.
How many times have you thought “I wish my dog would stop…?” Do yourselves both a favor: reverse your approach. Start thinking about what you
Fantastic!