It's not the what--it's the why

[RoseAmy]

I guess you could say this is a spin off on the shock collar thread.

 

It's real easy to look out and see what your dog is doing..that's a no brainer..But as far as I'm concerned that isn't very important. What is important is knowing why your dog is doing it. And there will lie your solution.

 

Example: Dog grips..yep that's an easy one to spot. BUT why does your dog feel the need to grip? Chances are he's in over his head or insecure or pushing the sheep too much and then over reacting to their reaction, or maybe a combitation of all of the above.

 

So what to do? Shock him--yell- scream--beat him. How about finding a way to show him a better way of working the sheep. empower him with skills to correctly and with his mind in gear to figure out ways of coping.

 

the key to training is finding the why and giving your dog the skills needed to overcome the what.

 

My own young dog still panics at the thought of giving up guarding the draw. He's getting better but there are times when he will still get uncomfortable and blow off the down to spin around and guard the draw..do I punish him, yell and scream at him? NO why should he be punished for showing stock sense? Instead I work on showing him other and better ways.

 

Do you want to train your dog or condition your dog?

 

Just some food for thought.

[juliepoudrier]

Well said, Roseamy. I have always said that before punishing an animal for most behaviors it makes sense to see if there's a root cause that should be addressed.

 

J.

[Sue R]

And this is really applicable to aggression (or perceived aggression) on or off the pasture/field. It's something I've learned way too late in life. We interpret things as humans would, while dogs are doing what dogs do. We have to figure out what the dog is thinking to understand and to work with the behavior.

 

Good comments!