When I brought Phoenix home last night I had about 30 minutes before my team for this weekend’s bake off came over to plan strategy.
I kept her safely in her crate and didn’t allow them to invade her space. She needed a little time to decompress and acclimate to her new reality. They are animal lovers, too, and they respected my request but wanted so badly to love and snuggle her. I get that, I really do. A prevailing theory is that frightened and timid dogs simply need to be loved enough to get past it. This is actually the exact opposite of what they need.
Simply loving a human child who is frightened is a perfect strategy. Comforting hugs and maybe a little treat helps a human child to feel safe and loved thus removing the fear. But dogs are not human.
Once more for the cheap seats: Dogs are not human.
A dog who is frightened craves order, structure, routine. A nervous dog longs for a strong leader so she can let her guard down knowing someone else is in charge and has her back. Confidence is the key to relieving stress. When we coddle and avoid stressors we only reinforce their fears. It feels cruel but the best thing I can do for Phoenix is to establish and maintain a structured environment and be 100% her leader. She has no need to worry about making the right choice because I am making the choices. She only needs to worry about following orders.
Some rescues recommend allowing dogs to decompress and not leave their new home for 30 days. I cannot disagree more. Today, just over 12 hours after I picked her up, Zach and I conducted her first formal lesson. After that, she went on a pack walk with some new friends and her housemates and participated in a couple of skill drills. She got to watch playtime but didn’t get to play because, well, we’re not stupid. Less than 24 hours in training? Yeah, she doesn’t have a solid recall yet! She did get to go for yet another walk with another German Shepherd puppy later that same day.
Today we introduced door manners, heel and sit. She is smart. Really smart. She’s as smart as she is scared but watching her begin to understand what we are asking of her brings a happy tear to the eye. Door manners matter because we must establish a polite order. Dogs can’t dash through boundaries and still be safe. They can either knock you down or run into danger far too easily not to mention the fact that it’s just plain rude. Sit is important because it’s the default relaxed position. Insisting that a dog sit on command is also helping them center their thoughts and calm their minds.
Heel. Heel is so much more than just walking nicely on a leash. Heel sets the foundation and creates a team instead of a competition. Just like a pair of dance partners must move as if they are one body, a dog and handler must do the same. The human leads, the dog follows. This is not up for debate. On leash time is work time. A walk is for the person, the dog is lucky to be invited to come along. Off-leash time is playtime. It must be earned and when it is the dog is then free to sniff and pee and roll in stinky stuff to his heart’s delight.
Don’t get caught up in the ridiculous argument that your dogs needs to be able to make her own choices and have free will. This is not a democracy. This is a benevolent dictatorship. Your dog is not a person but she is dependent on you. It is your responsibility to make healthy choices on her behalf and keep her safe.
A dog in a proper heel will find his shoulder at his handler’s heel. That’s where we get the term! The handler should be able to hold a short leash with just a finger; if that’s not possible then the dog is doing something wrong. Both bodies should be relaxed and in sync. When the person stops, the dog sits. When the person moves, the dog follows. When enforcing a proper heel you’re not oppressing your dog you are reassuring him that you are in charge. You are aware of your surroundings and YOU’VE got his back. You are capable of making the decisions, dog only needs to follow. This allows your dog to relax and enjoy his time with you unencumbered by the world on his shoulders. This frees the dog from the anxiety of worry that the only thing between them and danger is their red-hot alert skills.
We gave Phoenix that freedom today. We taught her to heel and in the process she found her smile and the courage to leap into the car on her own. She couldn’t do that yesterday. What a beautiful day.
Please follow along on this blog as she completes the Good Dog Board and Train program. Your kind financial support of Char-Wills in honor of this sweet girl is most appreciated.
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