After over a dozen years of writing this column about dogs I still enjoy doing it.
There are weeks when I feel more inspired than others and the columns have a little more zing to them, and there are weeks that I have to dig really deep into my bag of creativity to pull out something worth reading.
Giving advice and training tips are challenging topics to write about. Canine behaviour issues are not something that can be fixed after reading a 700-word column in the local paper. When I discuss behavioural issues within this space, it is meant to be more of an eye-opener to readers who can relate to the topic and then seek help. It's not meant to fix the issue by any means.
The recent issue regarding aggression is a prime example.
When dog owners are faced with a young dog that is showing aggression it is not an easy thing to accept. Many write to me asking for advice, and my advice is always the same: You have a problem, now seek the help of a professional trainer.
Aggression is a serious issue. It can manifest into many unwanted behaviours if it is ignored or not dealt with properly, which can result in unwanted consequences. One of which could be euthanasia as the result of your dog biting a person.
I can't explain within a column or an email what to do to "fix" an aggression issue as there are far too many factors to take into consideration. A dog needs to be observed and then the issue dealt with after observation. A sort of "training prescription" is given out once the aggressive act is observed.
Dog owners like to give great detail in an email or over the phone as to what they see their dog doing then expect me to say "Bingo! your answer is . . .".
But it has been my experience after almost 20 years of working with dogs that what a dog owner sees then tells me and what is really happening are two completely different things. So, giving advice after hearing about a problem, as opposed to observing it directly, is simply the wrong thing to do and could potentially make matters worse.
Aggression does not go away overnight like a headache. It takes a great deal of properly timed behavioural modification techniques to nip it in the bud. Many times it is simply due to the owners not knowing how to be good leaders to their dog, while other times there is fear involved, which makes the expression of the aggression unpredictable.
The first thing you have to do is accept that you have a problem. Then you have to accept that you need help because the simple fact is you don't know what you are doing. If you knew what you were doing you wouldn't be having the problem. Face the facts. The good news is that it's OK. You are not supposed to know everything about dogs.
It's just not possible. People seem to think that when they get a dog, an owner's manual is magically implanted in their heads during their sleep and they will then know all the answers to every issue. Or I sometimes hear people say, "I have had dogs my whole life, so I know dogs."
Guess what? That ain't the case. And it's OK.
Even after almost 20 years of working with all kinds of dogs of all ages, police dogs, service dogs, bomb sniffing dogs, working dogs, pet dogs, show dogs, rescue dogs, as well as a lifetime (48 years) of having my own dogs, there are still times I watch a dog doing something and say to myself, "Well I'll be darned." So having one dog or maybe two in your lifetime does not constitute anyone as being an expert or having the innate knowledge to fix your dog's problems.
There are great trainers out there who can help. Yes, they cost money and the good ones don't do it for free.
If you have a problem, be it as serious as aggression or as benign as a house training issue, seek professional help. It will save you many weeks, months or even years of heartache so you can really enjoy the joyful companionship of a well mannered dog.
