simba Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I've been really enjoying reading the responses to Chene's thread and it got me thinking. Yes, we teach our dogs things, but we also learn as we go along. So what's the best thing your dog has taught you? My recent one is that the dog has turned me into a boring evangelical on the subject of weight loss, by suddenly becoming at least seven years younger now that she's no longer obese. Hey, if we can have many-pages-long discussions of what to feed, brands, raw vs home cooked vs commercial etc, I get my one teeny tiny soapbox, right? So what's yours? I'll let you use your soapbox too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chene Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 When I came home from my first year of university, it was the first time I was really interested in dogs and dog training. We'd always had this family dog, Angel, who was 10 years old by then and not interested in playing with dogs, playing with toys, or really anything except belly rubs and sleeping. She was crabby and kept to herself. She'd been very different when she was younger, but when we got our second dog, Cola, she just sort of shut down. She mostly came around after a few months or a year, but she was never really the same. We figured she was lazy and unmotivated. But since I came home and started doing some real training with them, suddenly she became the star. She can do the same rapid-fire down that I've seen border collies known for, the hyper attentive look just waiting to obey your next command. She outshines our other dog in all of the obedience and tricks. And it's weird, it's like she just needed someone to prove it to before she could start being amazing. It's hard to explain exactly what she taught me, which is why I went through the whole story. But it's like...we got caught in this cyclical habit of assuming she wasn't interested, which made her unmotivated, which made us assume she wasn't interested, etc etc. And she taught me that once given a chance, well...everything was different. It was fascinating to watch. And I'll never again underestimate a dog's willingness to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cass C Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I'd have to say perseverance, because mastering some of the higher level tricks I've taught them and the dog rarely gives up completely. Sometimes they just need to walk away an try again later. Then when it does click it makes it so much more exciting. For example Lyka struggled with the trick 'sleepy', and sometimes she would just walk away from training for a while. However one day out of the blue while I was working with Lily on the trick Lyka just started doing it, perfectly on command. It was very exciting and she was heavily rewarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 My first border collie, Mirk, taught me that not all dogs are the same, and not all dogs respond to the same (obedience/manners) training methods. I started out using the same old school jerk & pop methods on him that I'd learned with my pointer/retriever mix (in all fairness, this was in the very early '80's and that was pretty much the only game in town when it came to training) and I learned very quickly that if I used those methods on him he would turn into a quivering pile of mush pretty fast. The trainer I worked with used treats, but he wasn't food motivated either, so I quickly found myself adapting to create training methods based on relationship building with praise as a reward and zero punishment other than mild verbal corrections. We started out competing in obedience, where a couple judges told me they wished they could have given up first place because they loved the way Mirk loved working with me. Shortly afterwards I got sheep for Mirk, and the rest is history. I ended up becoming a staunch advocate for preserving the integrity of the working border collie. I'd already known to go to working lines for my dog, but not necessarily to working parents. Mirk ended up being a good working dog, though not an easy one to train, and we learned the hard way together with a huge amount of help with some very talented folks. I didn't realize until much later how much I'd learned working sheep with Mirk and later Twill. When I went back to graduate school quite a few years later, I was asked in an assignment who had most influenced my teaching philosophy. The prof was floored when I wrote about an ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, and a former Scottish hill shepherd (Jack Knox, of course), who'd taught me about approaching each student differently and adapting to what they brought with them and their learning style, among other things I no longer remember. Most of all, my dogs have taught me the importance of breeding to working standards to preserve the breed I love so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted August 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 GentleLake- another excellent reason to always email your essays to yourself! Chene- I have one of those too. She's perfectly capable of doing it, she just doesn't see why she should do more than her acceptable minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 Sorry, Simba, but I'm totally not getting your point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted August 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 That essay sounds awesome. I have that feeling now. You know when someone talks about a really interesting sounding book, and you can't find it on Amazon, and you can't find it in bookshops, and then you're deprived because WANT TO READ. Yes, I am getting this about an essay. I will go sit in my corner now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 LOL I probably have it on a floppy dick somewhere, though I no longer have the equipment to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 LOL I probably have it on a floppy dick somewhere, though I no longer have the equipment to read it. OMG, You made my day. It is Friday night, I have a drink under my belt, and I almost spewed on my computer. Belly laugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted August 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 I did not even see that. Guess I must just be pure of mind and heart... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 PMSL!! Sometimes typos can be hilarious!! Where's the blushing emoticon? This one will have to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 This is such a good question. I think Gunny and Cap taught me what was possible. Sweep taught me patience, and gave me wings. Taw taught me what real courage is. Tick taught me to keep going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 Life's too short; stop caring about what other people are thinking, be goofy, have fun and do what makes you happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 Great question, Simba! Every dog is different, and small adjustments can make a huge difference in the relationship. Be careful what you train for - Be willing to learn from my mistakes, even if I had to repeat them a few times. Go with what works, not what I think should work. Life is good as long as there's a dog somewhere in my life. Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 That expectations are okay and goals are great, but at the end of the day you have to see the dog that's in front of you, not the one that only exists in your head. I've had, and fostered, dogs for most of my life but this group has been the one that's really taught me, and changed me in general and how I relate to dogs in particular - probably because it's the first time I've really paid attention and NOTICED those lessons. I always thought I preferred harder dogs. Then I got Jack, and Jack is so soft he crumples like wet cardboard at a no reward marker. He taught me that I can in fact handle it just fine, and taught me to calm down and be a lot more patient. I didn't think I was interested in dog training beyond the basics and thought sports were stupid: Kylie NEEDS to learn, loves to learn, and needed an outlet for her energy. Because of her I'm into agility and a social life and a new appreciation for the depth of interaction and partnership possible between a dog and a person. I didn't really like goofy dogs - Bug isn't really my type of dog, but she makes me laugh every day and won't let me take myself seriously. I need that in my life. Thud... is where expectations come in. I had a lot of who and what he was going to be, in spite of being a foundling, and he was absolutely none of them. I tried for more than a year to force him to become what I wanted. I eventually wised up and backed off and saw him for who he is, and our relationship has improved and I like him a lot more. What's the BC puppy going to teach me? I don't know, yet, but I bet it's going to be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 The best thing my dog ever taught me was to wait. When I got Sugarfoot at 6-7 months she was one fearful pup. Just about everything scared her. She'd had no training. She'd never had a leash on. She never got out of a pen. Well, they said she did once. They chased her down. (With a dirt bike, I'm almost positive. It's the only thing that she is really terrified of now.) She barked and growled and hid and worried. She snatched at treats or simply ignored them. The tiniest request was cause for alarm. My friends were all used to my previous Koehler-trained, push-button obedient dogs. "Why don't you train her?" they asked. But I soon began to see that time was all she needed. So I waited. I hugged her when she wanted it - which was surprisingly often. I fed her, brushed her. Took her out on a leash and let her do what she wanted. I left the back door open to the yard and she housebroke herself. 2 accidents total. Never said a word to her. I cleaned it up. She watched me. She saw. When she was two she started to make new (human) friends. I kept people off her when she wasn't sure, and I waited. She wears a choke-chain and a leather leash when she goes out. I hold the choke up and she pokes her head in it like it was bunny slippers on a cold night. I don't pop her. I don't need to. Now she's as well-adjusted as most of the dogs I know. Better than many. I did some training along the way. But mostly I waited and lived with the dog I had, rather than trying to create the dog I wanted. Now I have the dog I wanted, and she has peace & sanity. And all I had to do was wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 Speedy taught me patience. He taught me to appreciate simple joys. He taught me that life can be very good in spite of the difficulty that comes along with it. He taught me that there are some things that I can't do, so I should seek out what is possible. He taught me that I can do things I never would have thought I could. Two days after he died, I was driving to work, trying to make sense of losing him so quickly and unexpectedly and I had no idea how I was going to get through my day. I thought about Speedy and the one thing that stood out in my mind was the way he put his heart into everything he did. He may not have been the most precise. He may not have been the most highly skilled. But he never put anything less than his whole self into anything that he did. And I made up my mind that I want to be like that, no matter what I set my mind to do. I try to remember to live that way. Speedy was a master teacher. I was proud to learn from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Labs & Mia Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 That to be truly loved, missed, and thought of every day for 15 years by someone you left behind, you don't have to be a human. Also that Policemen do not think it's funny when you let your dog drive your sports car, even if it is midnight, and you're in an empty parking lot, and you've got one leg over the console and one hand on the steering wheel. Mittens Champion Golden Retriever Mother/Sneaky neighbor's black Lab Father 1984-1999 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 To accept and appreciate the dog he is. I wanted him to be a different kind of dog than who he is and I grieved when he turned out to be who he is. But now I appreciate him, his individual personality, his innate livestock skills, the way he is so careful and gentle with his best buddy, the way he adores his Dad. There's a part of me that still wishes we could do the all things that I got him wanting to do, but in truth there's no place out there that would be better for him, and so I am glad he landed here and that we get to share our lives with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Molly has taught me that you can love a dog in the same basic way that you love a child. Watching her as she is recuperating from a minor but painful injury has broken my heart, made me tear up with respect for her demeanor throughout, caused me to go shopping for her favourite things and lie down next to her crate when she's going to sleep. As I told her this morning, "The Brave Little Toaster has nothing on you, Boo." I could probably strive the rest of my life and still not be able to pull off grace through pain like this little creature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Work with what you've got, keep trying, forgive easily. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Maddie taught me that a dog who bears the effects of a less-than-perfect past is not ruined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandysfarm Posted August 10, 2014 Report Share Posted August 10, 2014 Maddie taught me that a dog who bears the effects of a less-than-perfect past is not ruined. Sid taught me that a dog that has been beaten knows the difference between that life and this life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted August 10, 2014 Report Share Posted August 10, 2014 Mine have taught me to keep a clean house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted August 10, 2014 Report Share Posted August 10, 2014 Dean Dog taught me to always put my dog's well-being first. There is no Q, no title, no accomplishment that matters in the least if the dog's well-being is being ignored. Dean has taught me acceptance. He's still working on teaching that lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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