I was chatting with my colleague Jenny at DogMinded yesterday and her recent post that demonstrates a bit of a divide in the “dog training” industry.
There are many of us in the field that are shifting away from traditional approaches of dog training. We certainly know how to teach dogs a variety of skills, but that’s not our focus.
We know that emotional and physical health is the foundation on which “good behaviour” sits upon. After years of seeing clients with dogs that have behaviour challenges, we realize that often the dogs are facing multi-faceted symptoms ranging from trauma and poor socialization, needs that are going unmet and physical pain and discomfort.
The challenge is to shift the clients desire from “I want my dog to stop jumping up” to “I am curious about my dog’s experience in this world and am I meeting her needs?”
I’m not saying that teaching our dogs skills should go out the window. But in my work, that is secondary.
There are trainers who cater to just that. Skills, sports, competing. There is a place for that and that niche is great. I think it’s important to realize where that fits into your dog’s life and that it isn’t their entire experience.
But, let’s not think that both sides of the spectrum can replace one or the other. And let’s not try to denigrate the area we choose to focus on within the dog world.
Where Does Obedience/Traditional Training Fit Into The Spectrum?
Teaching dogs basic skills to navigate the world is crucial for our dog's safety, well-being, and overall quality of life. Basic training helps dogs understand how to interact appropriately with their environment and other animals, and can help reduce the risk of accidents and conflicts. I also think that it's important for us as trainers to teach the humans how to appropriately ask for these behaviours and reinforce them if they'd like them to continue. Let's face it, we live in a society where we want to live in harmony with our dogs. Not everyone wants a dog jumping on them and knocking them over or counter-surfing. There is a place for traditional training, as long as it's not using violence or harshness within that realm.
Is One More Important Than The Other?
This is going to come down to a matter of opinion. My opinion based on my experience is that obedience and skills are going to be secondary to overall mental and physical health. These skills that we teach our dogs are not going to be achievable or maintained if our dog is suffering from underlying issues. And, often times the very problem that a client comes to me with, even pulling on leash, is a result of an anxious dog. So, it's never as simple as just teaching our dogs to "STOP DOING X".
We have a lot of dogs in our society that are riddled with a laundry list of issues, none of which are their fault and often times not the fault of their human. They started off with poor genetics, they were not socialized where they were born before going to their new homes, they may have experienced trauma or neglect... and then we try and fit them into a neat little box like an Amazon order.
Focus on their HEALTH. Their mental health and their physical health.
Their behaviour stabilizes once we address this.