Comments on: Why Do We Expect So Much From Dogs?

By: Pamela

Pamela — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:13:49 +0000

In reply to Ariella.

You are so lucky. This is a great time to be a new dog person. There are so many wonderful training resources, nutritious food, cool leashes and tools, not to mention the internet.

I know my first dogs, more than 20 years ago, would have had a much happier life if I knew then what I know now.

The inspiration for this post and others I’ve written like it comes from Suzanne Clothier. This is the first thing I ever read by her and it rocked my world: http://www.suzanneclothier.com/the-articles/he-just-wants-say-hi

Good luck with Bailey. And I hope you won’t be a stranger. It’s exciting to rediscover dog love in someone else’s experiences.

By: Ariella

Ariella — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:14:00 +0000

Thank you so much for this post. I’m 5 months in as a new dog mom and I’m really feeling the pressure to train a “good” dog. It’s incredibly overwhelming for someone who has never owned a dog before. On top of just trying to figure out what normal dog-things are, I have the added anxiety of trying to train this perfect dog that no one will judge. It’s so silly to think that way. I’ll do my best to train Bailey, but I will have to accept that it’s likely that she won’t be the perfectly trained dog I envision her to be and that’s OK. She’s wonderful and she loves us and that’s what matters.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:39:32 +0000

I think we expect so much from dogs because we say so. So much of dog interactions and expectations is based on what WE want. Don’t pee inside, don’t chew on that, don’t jump, etc. etc. Once we eradicate all of the “bad” behaviors, we figure we have a blank slate. So all those things we want? Of course the dog will do them, right?

Dogs are saints to put up with us sometimes, truly.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:10:16 +0000

Great post Pamela, I wish every dog owner could read and understand this!

By: lauren

lauren — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:00:52 +0000

I love this post so very much. Thank you for writing it!

By: Human Rescues Dog

Human Rescues Dog — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 07:56:12 +0000

This is an amazing post, and I’ve wondered about this myself. I once read a book (it might have been Bones Will Rain From the Sky) which asked us to imagine a world where another species are our owners. In this world, we are asked to wear collars, we are asked to understand their commands which are in a different language from us..etc etc. The author set out the entire scene, and asked how we, as humans, would cope? It was very illuminating for me to read that. It’s really amazing what they can do, and we still ask more from them.

By: Sage

Sage — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 15:51:02 +0000

Wonderful insights and so, so true. No dog is perfect (and no human is either) but we celebrate the goodness in our faithful companions. I know Sage has several idiosyncrasies, so we work around them and let her enjoy life in her own manner.

By: Monica

Monica — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 11:17:03 +0000

Great Post! I always learn so much from your blog. Thank-you!

By: Greyhounds CAN Sit

Greyhounds CAN Sit — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 08:44:03 +0000

Brilliant post. I love how you can get into the minds of dogs and people alike and articulate so well our thoughts and feelings.

Frankie and Beryl are far from perfect, which makes three of us 🙂 But neither of them are very problematical either and I am very grateful for that.

By: Roberta

Roberta — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:36:36 +0000

YES!! Let dogs be dogs. When I walk dogs, unless I’m truly training, being hounds, I let them go by their noses, which means we stop, sniff, and leave a lot of pee mail. Could they heel? Absolutely. It’s not a priority. Too many dogs come to me from poor situations, much demanded of them and little given to/for them. My priority is to let them first learn to be a dog. Monk will always bark at visitors, no matter how often they come over, BUT, just yesterday, this feral dog lay down for petting and then, miracle, rolled over for a tummy rub. He’s not adoptable – he’ll be here for life – but I see his life improving week by week.
The puppies drive me insane – run, play, wrestle, sleep, bark, do it all again, but I allow them because that’s their job at this stage of life. However, Ethel M. tried to guard her Kong from me the other day; we are now working on food resource guarding to shape her behavior for her new home when they find her.
Another excellent post – yes, we expect too much and too little. Man, I could go on and on, but you covered the topic well.