Dialogue, Not Dominance, Wins Over Dogs - And Saves Their Lives, Too
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

SBH Clay
November 2005

Part 5 - In the December 2004 issue, a Connecticut resident wrote

Dear Judy,
 
Four weeks ago we got Mixie, a female black lab puppy. I bought your book after a recommendation from my sister-in-law, who has a German Shepherd/Husky mix. I was happy after reading it because it was the first book on dog training that made sense to me. I live in CT with my husband and 3-year-old son. We came from Germany to the US last year, and I was surprised to see that dogs aren't very welcome in many places. In Germany dogs can go and be just about everywhere….but nowhere have I seen dogs getting enough praise.
 
I never had a dog before. I just didn't have the place and time, but now we have a big yard, and I am home most of the day. Before I read your book I had read another one, and I visited lots of internet pages about dog training. All of them had punishment, scolding and even worse as training methods. A woman said her dog bites, and if this doesn't stop, she’ll give him away and buy a new one. Just like a broken toaster or something. In one forum, there was a person who recommended that if the dog had a pee accident in the house you should grab the dog’s penis and drag it over the floor. The employee of the pet shop told me to lock Mixie in the bathroom for two hours (!) if she pees in the house. To think that such people have pets... it's terrible. There should be something like a license for pet owners. Just like a driver’s license.
 
The training is going well. Mixie can stay in sit-stay for a minute now, even with my son running around. And the 180-turn works like a charm. She pays so much more attention. My sister-in-law Angel, who met Mixie in the first couple of days, noticed the progress Mixie made in less than two weeks. She said it's amazing. That's why it is so important that a lot more people learn about your way of training and the importance of training. Before I read your book, I was insecure and didn't know if I made the right choice. Not that I was wondering if Mixie was for me, but more if I was right for her because I had no clue how to communicate with her. Now she is so much calmer and more responsive. Seeing her progress in the training makes me happy, and of course she sees it, and this makes her feel great. So she even tries harder to please me... and so on and so on. It is a perpetual mobile of happiness.
 
Your book gives people the confidence to check out a shelter first and get a "problem" dog instead of hitting the pet stores and breeders just because it feels safer.
 
I talked to someone who told me she doesn't have time to train her dog because she's working full time. I told her that I understand her point but also mentioned that I only have 3 sessions a day for about 10 minutes each, sometimes even less. And no matter how busy you are, you always have 20 minutes. It's just a matter of prioritizing and putting quality over quantity.

Go on to Part 6 - In the March 2005 issue, the parent of a six-year-old Jack Russell Terrier wrote:
Return to Dialogue, Not Dominance, Wins Over Dogs - And Saves Their Lives, Too
Return to Animal Rights Articles