Dog Training and other thoughts about raising children.

Raising kids is like raising dogs. Yes, I said it, go ahead report me to the authorities, guilty as charged. Oh, of course, there ARE major differences. I am not allowed to use the e-collars on them, nor lock them in wire crates (though, I admit, I do think about that on occasion). But in all seriousness there are some major similarities in training dogs and in raising kids.

Why does this occur to me. Well, we finally had enough with the puppies ( Am I still calling two 80lb creatures puppies?....Yes) They have really gotten out of control and we decided we needed professional help ( luckily they are listed in the yellow pages –ha ha how is that for a dated reference- under Dog Trainers, unfortunately there is not subsequent listing under Child Training. ) At any rate we had a guy come in (Scott) who followed the dog psychology theory of Cesar Milan and basically whipped us into shape and made us the boss of these adorable yet frustratingly bad creatures ( ummm the dogs in case you were thinking otherwise) BUT in his teachings and wisdom, we also see that we need to come down a bit harder on the kids and make sure to keep them in line as well.

Turns out the dogs simply need to know that we are the boss….all the time…in every interaction, with every request. Sounds simple but the trick is in figuring out how to be the alpha and in doing it EVERY TIME ( I capitalize as evidently that is the key, consistency) well go figure…. Consistency and being the boss every time seems to work well with kids as well. It does not pay to give that rawhide (candy) to the dog (child) simply to buy a few minutes of peace. It does no good to leave the dogs (child) outside (in front of the TV) because you want to finish blogging. It does not help to ignore the crayon (marker) in the dog’s mouth ( child’s hand) as it is simply the beginning of a bigger problem ahead. Nope. One must get up, and correct, scold, reprimand, reward, praise , reinforce EVERY TIME, in a neutral, calm assertive voice.

And thus the second point. The words don’t matter, at least mostly. Evidently, yelling, screaming, complaining, shrieking, wailing, sarcasm and frustration in your voice works about as well for a dog as it does for a child. Granted children are able to understand the meaning of the spoken words, but the most effective is a calm voice, conveying the desired outcome, everything else gets washed away in the noise of the situation. Yelling and screaming do nothing more than excite (tune off) the dog (child). The whole point is the message that you are sending.

So, when training your dog (child) be sure to:

1) Remain calm
2) Speak with authority and love
3) Understand that mistakes are often a result of your own miscommunication or earlier errors
4) There is always a lesson in failure (for you especially).
5) Know that when in doubt, treats can be highly motivating.
6) Always be ready for kisses