Dogs are not robots!
This morning I had a make-up session scheduled with one of my Intermediate students to work on some distance commands. Now this is a Border Collie who, when asked to “down”, throws herself on the ground and is eager for the next command. She not only comes to me for training at Paws on the Duck Pet Resort and Salon, but she also participates in our Playcare program to get some socialization and energy out by playing with the other dogs (this bit of information is important).
Today, we were working on “down” from a distance. Again, '“down” is a command she is happy to offer up when asked. Not today, my friends...not today. Today her focus was everywhere but on her owner or me. She would maybe give a quick glance, but there was no focus and there was no “down“, from a distance or otherwise. It didn’t matter that we had her favorite treat or squeaky toy, or that we tried to work her in every possible environment with every level of distraction from none to high; she was NOT going to work. Realizing that everyone was getting frustrated, we took a step back and had her end on a good note with something we knew she would do and then stopped the session.
Why wouldn’t she work today? Simple. She was ready to play with her friends! This attempt and failure to accomplish any kind of training with her this morning reminded me of the picture attached to this blog. The picture is of me with my own dog, Fiddle participating in a fun Obedience trial. She is supposed to be sitting at my side awaiting instructions from the judge, but instead she is doing the warm-grass-itchy-scratchy-dance like no one is watching! Well EVERYONE was watching…and laughing… and that is okay because we were there to have fun and we provided some comic relief for the crowd, but also because… DOGS ARE NOT ROBOTS!
Look, none of us is perfect and we all have our “off” days. Our dogs are no different. The only difference is that your dog can’t tell you why they are having a bad day. Maybe it’s allergies, a bee sting that you missed, or an upset stomach. Maybe they are feeling lethargic from the heat or just need to run some energy off and play with their best friend. Whatever the reason, every once in a while it is okay to give your pup a break. Now I am not saying to give up and let them do what they want if they aren’t doing what you are asking of them…please don’t misunderstand. I am simply saying that sometimes you might need to step back and think about why. You know your dog better than anyone. They will tell you what they need if you just listen. My Border Collie friend did just that. She told me she needed to run off some energy, and after giving her about 30 minutes to play with her furry friends in Playcare, she happily worked on her distance “down.'‘
So keep calm and train on, my friends. Stay positive and have fun and you will get to where you want to be, even if it means letting your dog do the itchy-scratchy dance in the warm grass every once in a while to get there.
- Heather Pope