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Question About NILIF
- Thread starter BigDog2191
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Okay. Mine don't eat until I've had something - ever. Then I share the last bite of my food with them. That takes care of the food order very simply. If they are pushy and pesty when I'm eating they don't get a bite of mine. Even Shiva has figured that one out in short order, lol!
As far as going through the door first, they have to wait while I open the door, but I WANT them used to going in - or out - first and scouting. They are guardians, that's part of their work and it gives them self-confidence to know that they are protecting me.
The more I talk to people who maunder on and on about being the "alpha" to their dogs and being the "dominant pack member" the more I'm convinced that this is something that just needs to be dropped from our training vocabulary. Dogs aren't stupid. They know we aren't dogs - we walk on two legs, we talk funny, we don't like to have our butts sniffed and don't want to sniff their butts, we're not very fast or agile, but we are soooo much better at bringing home food and providing a comfortable place to live, things to amuse dogs and most importantly, affection. They don't want or need us to be the alpha dog - just good, solid owners who are consistent and loving.
As far as going through the door first, they have to wait while I open the door, but I WANT them used to going in - or out - first and scouting. They are guardians, that's part of their work and it gives them self-confidence to know that they are protecting me.
The more I talk to people who maunder on and on about being the "alpha" to their dogs and being the "dominant pack member" the more I'm convinced that this is something that just needs to be dropped from our training vocabulary. Dogs aren't stupid. They know we aren't dogs - we walk on two legs, we talk funny, we don't like to have our butts sniffed and don't want to sniff their butts, we're not very fast or agile, but we are soooo much better at bringing home food and providing a comfortable place to live, things to amuse dogs and most importantly, affection. They don't want or need us to be the alpha dog - just good, solid owners who are consistent and loving.
Well said! I don't know why people hang onto this nonsense about we being dogs. LOL. And we have to dominate the **** out of our dogs.
My bf is sooooooo obnoxious about this. He says, this is a dictatorship. He constantly is telling his dog to go lie down, like....why do you have a dog if you never want her around? And I never hear him say, "gooood dog." He does play fetch with her sometimes and is not horrible to her, but IMO, not too terrific with the dog. He's soooo overly hung up on this dog must be in it's place thing. He can't figure why I take Lyric to a class with a trainer. He says, "why don't you train him yourself?" I tell him I do train him myself. But classes are for pointers and socialization and it's fun! And he says proudly that he trained his dogs himself. His dog only knows how to go lie down under duress and can sit. But she won't stay for any length of time and she doesn't lie down when I say simply, "lie down." She has to be dejected in order to go lie down. This is training?????? I am always talking about using basically only reward and not punishment and not domination. He just says proudly, "We do things differrently." Yeah....hello...I want to say, Yeah, right...look at Lyric stay for 5 mintues while I go behind a building 150 feet away. Look at him down, sit, heel, recall with a front, automatic sit at the halt, halt in mid gallop and finish the recall and a bunch more, albeit still unprecise...a bit sloppy, but we're getting there. And look at his happy expression and constitution. He's not doing any of it out of a feeling of domination. He's doing it for the reward and the fun of it. Grrrrrrrr. What's wrong with people? My bf is so nice in so many ways, but this drives me batty. Old school, ignorant and closed minded. Ar-r-g-g-g-g!!!!
My bf is sooooooo obnoxious about this. He says, this is a dictatorship. He constantly is telling his dog to go lie down, like....why do you have a dog if you never want her around? And I never hear him say, "gooood dog." He does play fetch with her sometimes and is not horrible to her, but IMO, not too terrific with the dog. He's soooo overly hung up on this dog must be in it's place thing. He can't figure why I take Lyric to a class with a trainer. He says, "why don't you train him yourself?" I tell him I do train him myself. But classes are for pointers and socialization and it's fun! And he says proudly that he trained his dogs himself. His dog only knows how to go lie down under duress and can sit. But she won't stay for any length of time and she doesn't lie down when I say simply, "lie down." She has to be dejected in order to go lie down. This is training?????? I am always talking about using basically only reward and not punishment and not domination. He just says proudly, "We do things differrently." Yeah....hello...I want to say, Yeah, right...look at Lyric stay for 5 mintues while I go behind a building 150 feet away. Look at him down, sit, heel, recall with a front, automatic sit at the halt, halt in mid gallop and finish the recall and a bunch more, albeit still unprecise...a bit sloppy, but we're getting there. And look at his happy expression and constitution. He's not doing any of it out of a feeling of domination. He's doing it for the reward and the fun of it. Grrrrrrrr. What's wrong with people? My bf is so nice in so many ways, but this drives me batty. Old school, ignorant and closed minded. Ar-r-g-g-g-g!!!!
My mom is a bit the same way. When she came to visit she told me I pay too much attention to Boris and I need to ignore him more, or he's going to think he is the center of attention. I guess it's funny, because I often don't pay him any attention for 20 minutes, but I feel terrible when it happens... Giving him a cuddle and looking at him is not going to make him a bad dog...
But a bf, ugh, I don't think I would have the patience to stay with him, lol. I already get annoyed at my husband when he's too laxist when training the dogs. At least my mom only comes once a year.
But a bf, ugh, I don't think I would have the patience to stay with him, lol. I already get annoyed at my husband when he's too laxist when training the dogs. At least my mom only comes once a year.
