[For “xyz” insert Labrador/Spaniel/Terrier/Corgi/Rescue/Husky/Crossbreed/Poodle/ANY DOG!]
I hear this a LOT.
“What you’re teaching is great, but MY dog is a xyz so we can’t do it.”
It means that the speaker has decided that they don’t want to go to the bother of teaching a new thing. They don’t want the bother of spending time working on what they see as a problem.
And instead of admitting that they are not prepared to do the work - they shovel the blame onto their poor untrained dog! As if it’s all his fault!
Now, there’s no doubt that there are differences between breeds, it’s also true that every dog arrives as he is - untrained, untaught, uneducated. And it’s up to us to do the work if we expect him to live in our home and follow our inexplicable human rules!
Every dog is an individual
And while it’s true that dogs vary between breeds, it’s even truer that there is more variation between individuals than between breeds.
This is a well-known fact amongst dog professionals.
to help you see the different characteristics of different breeds -
and what a combination could result in!
THIS GUIDE IS A BONUS FOR YOU WHEN YOU SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EDUCATIONAL EMAILS AND OCCASIONAL OFFERS FROM ME. YOU CAN UNSUBSCRIBE AT ANY TIME.
Privacy Policy
We are not dealing with a category of dogs.
We are dealing with our own individual dog.
And its individual owner!
How did you choose your dog?
Tell me - when you chose your dog, did you possibly think “Well he’s a Sighthound/Sheepdog/whatever, so I won’t have to bother about chasing/herding/any-other-issue, because it will be impossible to teach against his genetics.” Did that thought ever cross your mind?
I expect not.
I expect you chose your dog because you thought him gorgeous - and didn’t abandon hope of dealing with these issues till they manifested. Then everyone told you, “He’s a gundog/terrier/guardian/any-dog, so what do you expect?”
The great animal trainer Bob Bailey said,
“Training often fails because people expect way too much of the animal and way too little of themselves.”
We can have the most wonderful companion dog.
We can adapt our training to suit his breed characteristics - to give him an outlet for his instinctive drives - to accommodate as far as possible what he’s been bred to do.
But when it comes down to it, it’s up to US to do the teaching.
And that means we shouldn’t be making excuses and blaming our dog for our own shortcomings!
You chose your dog.
You owe it to him to give him the best life possible. Let’s get teaching!
