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If you can’t train your dog because she won’t
listen to you, you have even more reason to
start training right away because you have
forfeited the right to lead your pack, and
that is a very, very bad thing. Humans aren’t
really pack animals, but we still push and
shove for dominance in the workplace, in
school and at home. Sometimes our attempts to
be modern
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parents or loving partners keep us from asserting our
rights, and we wind up with children who walk all over
us and lovers who won’t share in the chores (such as
disciplining those awful children, by the way). If you
don’t train your dog because you “respect” him, you’re
making a mistake about what training is all about: it
isn’t about asserting your dominance over your dog as
much as it is about making your dog a responsible member
of your family pack and the greater community. Just as
it’s the parents’ job to make sure their children aren’t
endangered by their lack of life experience, it is the
pet-owner’s responsibility to keep pets safe by teaching
them appropriate behavior.
That said, you do have to assert your dominance as far
your dog understands the rules of pack leadership, or
you’ll end up with a dog who believes he has more rights
than you. Egalitarianism doesn’t work for a dog because
he sees the world in a model that says there should
always be a leader: if you’re not the leader, he will
be. Someone’s got to be in charge, and that someone had
better be you. Not taking charge is a way of avoiding
responsibility – a common social problem these days.
It’s also a great way to get bitten by a dog who sees
your refusal to assert dominance as an acknowledgment of
your subordination.
If you don’t train your dog because he makes you nervous
or afraid, then there is a much larger problem: the dog
has assumed the leadership position in your pack. Since
you are the one who could end up in jail if Fido bites
someone, you are the leader, whether you’re comfortable
with that or not. If you’re even a little bit afraid
of your dog, hire a professional trainer to work with
you and the dog until your position is clear to all
three of you. If you remain afraid of your dog
(maybe you inherited the animal, or his background has
made him intractable), give the dog to someone who can
manage him.
Training is preferable to buying gadgets: it is more
reliable; it builds your relationship with your dog and
addresses the reasons for barking rather than just
considering the barking as an isolated problem. Gadgets
don’t work for all dogs; they range from mildly
unpleasant to downright traumatic, and it’s hard to tell
how any particular dog will be affected by a specific
device. A collar that stops one dog from barking in two
days may cause another dog to become confused, depressed
or even aggressive. Some dogs will take note of the
stinky collars; others won’t even notice the smell. You
just can’t tell with devices, whereas with training, you
usually get good results as long as you, (the trainer)
are consistent and steady. But in some cases, training
may not work for you or for your dog, in which case you
may decide to invest in some anti-barking paraphernalia.
Here’s a summary of available anti-barking devices. |
