Over the years there have been various TV shows around training unruly dogs. There’s no denying these shows are entertaining. They also speak right to the heart of frustrated, dog-owning viewers.
Unfortunately, though, what these shows aren’t is realistic.
Most shows centre around a trainer/behaviourist-cum-TV personality who professes to being able to fix behaviourally challenged dogs quickly and easily.
Perhaps they can, but not in the way the show purports. As the trainer goes through a number of training techniques we see a successful outcome - i.e. a previously disorderly dog, magically behaving. This leads viewers to falsely believe firstly, that a dog can be trained - and changed - within one session and secondly, that the methods employed are ethical (when in fact, some of them are questionable).
This isn’t the viewer’s fault. It’s so easy to view something as the truth simply because it’s on TV. But we have to remember that shows like this are all about entertainment and that entertainment trumps truth and realistic expectation when it comes to TV viewing stats and ratings. They’re also heavily edited leading viewers to draw often incorrect conclusions.
The main problem with TV shows are that they can often ignore - and teach dog-handlers to ignore - the reasons
why a dog is behaving in such a way. It’s ignoring the empathy element of dog training.
Empathy means being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Now, your dog may be shoe-less but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to understand its perspective.
In the same way that practising empathy can help nurture relations between people, empathic dog training can hugely improve your relationship with your dog. A dog and a human that understand each other makes for a well-rounded dog (and happiness for you both).
Potter Paws is an ethical dog-training school, meaning we help dogs and their owners via empathy. We educate both of you, your dog to feel safe, respected and respond to cues and you to
understand your dog’s needs. We help you see things from your dog’s perspective which fosters mutual respect and increased connection from your canine companion.
Dogs are not inherently bad. If your pup is acting out, there is a specific reason.
For example, it’s easy to feel embarrassed or frustrated if your dog is barking ‘aggressively’ at others. But try to imagine instead why this is happening. The answer can be fear, frustration, anxiety or a learned response.
Humans are no different. Anger in us is usually an expression of underlying fear: fear of being judged or misunderstood, fear of harm, fear of losing something we want or need.
By remembering this, and asking ‘why’, you’re already on the right path to training your dog effectively.
The key takeaways are these: there is no quick fix to training your dog and dog compliance comes from an owner asking why. Don’t believe everything you see on TV, there can be the occasional good TV show however do you research first. As a dog owner, you’ll know in your gut what’s right for your dog. Trust your own instincts over what you see on TV: if it doesn’t feel right for you and your dog, that’s likely because it’s not.