Puppy Class

I have a friend with a huge black and brindle Rottie-Mastiff cross. She's 130 pounds and one of the most fearsome-looking yet gentle beasts I've ever met: good with other dogs, cats, and children; even tolerant of Laszlo. My friend drove all the way to Eugene in a snowstorm to get the dog as a tiny puppy in a litter that had been rejected by the mother; a little velvety slug with her eyes barely opened. I think they had to hand feed her. But this dog was born under a happy star. All throughout her puppyhood she'd bound along with us on long hikes through redwoods, always coming when called, never getting too far ahead or behind, never chasing other animals. At some point my friend took her to puppy class, which was kind of ineffective in correcting any perceived faults (or causing any new ones). Recently I was over at my friend's house and as she wordlessly guided the dog back indoors after greeting me, she mumbled something sheepishly about how the dog didn't know any commands, though it seemed to work out. The implication was she was somehow slacking off by not "training" her dog. But what I saw was a relationship where no commands were necessary because dog and owner were already moving in full accord with one another. My friend must have done something very right, because she is the center of her dog's universe, and there is no conflict.

I catch glimpses of that accord between me and my dog, though there's still resistance. But sometimes, lately, stuff will just work out. I'll be thinking about going to bed and find Laszlo already in his kennel…little stuff like that. The other day Laszlo picked up on my cues that a friend was on her way over, and went to stand on his platform in the living room even before the she arrived. I never issued any command, but he stayed on the platform through most of her visit, though I never told him to. I really wanted to praise him, but I also didn't want to burst the bubble.

So is a trained dog one who responds to commands, or one who just WANTS to do what you want?

The weird thing is I realized I've made a shift in thinking, myself. There had been a part of me that was clinging to the same feeling my friend had: that if you hadn't issued a command, it somehow didn't count. I can guide my dog into a down-stay with my body language, but since I didn't stand there stiffly and bellow "down!" it's not really the same. There's some kind of power/ego thing wrapped up in that, too. I am a good dog trainer. My dog obeys me. If he wanted to do that thing anyway, he's not obeying me, is he? It doesn't count because he is just doing what he wants. Even though it also happens to be what I want. His wild nature cannot be trusted.

So what if we let go of all that control stuff in our training approach? How scary and awesome is that? Someday I'd love to teach a puppy class where no one says anything.