I will not tolerate your crap

When we train a dog, the message should be that NEITHER of us should have to tolerate crap.

The dog should not receive mixed messages, unmerited punishments, or any avoidable unpleasantness.

The human should not have to tolerate behaviors that pose risk of injury.

But if our relationship is only this deep? We have no relationship at all. Neither of us knows how to make the other happy, how to communicate with the other, how to embrace the other, how to deepen the bond.

For me, only knowing each other's hot buttons is NOT an acceptable relationship with my dog.

I want to know every detail of what you like, don't like, and ponder about. What scares you, what excites you, what "feels so right" to you.

For many pet owners, this level of connection is not occurring, and that saddens me. Dogs can be such dear companions, partners, "personalities".

Dogs are not just a clothes tree or hand bag ornament. They aren't just decor for the yard or home. They aren't some proof of the superiority of your training approach. They aren't a competition vehicle. They aren't objects for your contemplation. They aren't toys for your children. They aren't evidence of your toughness.

Dogs are highly intelligent, emotionally complex, social creatures. Everything about them is interactive, adaptive, communicative.

I feel sorry for you and your dog if you are so distant. It is my fervent hope that I can encourage you to find more from your relationship with your dog.