What was your dream when you first got your dog? If you haven't gotten a dog yet I urge you to think about it first. Do it before you even go to rescue or a breeder and decide what you want your life to look like with your dog.
Too many people get a cute fluffy dog and then after a month of living together they realize they got a herding breed. Herding breeds need to work their minds. They also need to be groomed. You can of course pay someone else to groom or even train your dog. Look up the prices for those services BEFORE you get the dog. Can you afford all that?
Maybe you already have a dog and he is tearing up your carpet and already ate the couch. Are you walking your dog three times a day, letting them bark out the bay window and run the fence all while barking like a raving lunatic? Why aren't they tired? Was this what you dreamed of? Some owners don't care that their dog barks all day long. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to the owner who wanted a dog as a companion. Maybe you wanted to try out some dog sports. Maybe you just wanted a dog smart enough to teach some tricks.
This is a reality check on the work some dogs need. For instance, I want a dog that can go in the back yard and ignores all the things. He doesn't bark. He is perfectly happy just being. I don't currently have that with my dog Arrow. Most dog owners would allow their dog outside, usually unsupervised, then yell at the dog and complain about how much it barks at the world.
That isn't you. I believe you are here because you want more from your dogs. You aren't willing to throw your hands up in the air and say this is what I got, so this is how it will always be.
For me, I do not let Arrow practice his wild child behavior. He goes out on a leash. I'm armed with treats so I can reward him with his calm marker. We work on disengagement games. We also work on these games in the house so that the games do not become predictors of the white and brown dog that bark at him all the time. I do this every time I take him out. He is let off leash once I can be assured none of his triggers are outside. Do I call it wrong sometimes? Of course. The point is 90% of the time we are practicing what we do want.
Does everyone in my house have the same level of care with this? Nope. Not everyone is on the same page with training. And guess what? I'm still seeing improvements. This is not an all or nothing situation. You can see changes even if you are the only one working on it.
Management is training. What is one thing your dog is doing right now that you can help them stop rehearsing?
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