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I’m trying to develop a habit of complimenting people on their dogs’ behavior. Not their appearance, size or breed, but their behavior.
Like with everything else, people are much more likely to compliment or criticize a dog’s appearance rather than her behavior. Just take a Staffordshire terrier to the dog park and watch people back away because they see the “pitbull” rather than the calm, well-trained dog that she is. Or take a great dane out and notice how people gasp at her size rather than appreciate her gentleness.
The number one thing that stands out to me with dogs is when I see one that’s calm and relaxed in public. This is probably because the average dog barks, pulls or nearly strangles herself on walks, trips to PetSmart or any other time she gets out of the house. I notice when a dog is under control, quiet and responsive to her owner.
It’s a goal of mine to be able to take my dog anywhere with no issues. So when I see a dog behaving better than mine, I notice. It’s a secret competition. Most dogs I interact with behave a lot worse than my dog, others are much more focused and calm. When I see a dog I admire, the owner has typically put a lot of time into working with that dog.
There’s no better way to learn about animal behavior and training than to speak with someone who has successfully trained a dog to do whatever you want your dog to do. And most dog owners like to hear something like, “That’s a really nice dog you have. How did you get him to stay at your side no matter what?”
People compliment me on how calm my dog is, and it’s a great compliment to receive. But no one ever asks how he got that way. They assume it’s his personality, that labs are easy to train (uh, yeah) or that I lucked out. These people have obviously never seen my dog obsess over a tennis ball or crash through an agility course. They don’t know that it took daily six-mile runs and hours of training to get my hyper dog to relax.
We all know dog owners like to brag about their dogs. It’s what we do. We like to complain about them too, but that’s just another version of bragging. “My dog took and ate an entire steak from the table …”
So, the next time you see a well-behaved dog, tell her owner you’re impressed. Then ask how she got to that point. There’s always more we can learn.
What kinds of compliments does your dog get? What do you admire in other people’s dogs?
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December 17th, 2008 at 8:43 am
I’m with you, I definitely admire good behavior because we see it so rarely when we are out!
Biggie gets complimented on his size, his appearance (”beautiful dog!”) and his behavior. He’s getting a lot better about walking well on a loose leash and we are slowly transitioning frmo the Gentle Leader. People in the dog run, whom he knows and loves, are the ones who started calling him the “Prom King” - he is complimented on his behavior and sweetness with people he knows. Sometimes he even gets complimented on his guarding.
We also get a lot of:
“Hey put a saddle on that thing!”
“What is that, a polar bear?”
and my favorite,
“Does he bite?”
December 17th, 2008 at 9:07 am
If we don’t get comments about Gus not missing a meal, we get:
“He’s SO cute!”
“He’s beautiful”
We have also been told that he looks like a cartoon character.
I think we get equal “fat” comments as we do “cute” comments. The most common is the ever-annoying:
“What is that!?”
It is a dog, silly!
December 17th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Good Points Lindsay… most people are completely obsessed with a dog’s appearance and never take the time to look underneath the “fur” if you will.
It takes A huge commitment, time, willingness and consistency to train a dog into a good dog. Sure some people get lucky, but those are few and far between.
Too bad more people dont realize how much work it really is. There’d be a lot fewer animals in shelters in this was the case.
December 18th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Trooper really gets the most attention now a days. Kodiak used to and he still gets a lot of comments on how beautiful he is. But Trooper is so big and fluffy that people just seem to gravitate to him.
Trooper has gotten a lot better at behaving when I take him out - the choke chain helped. But he still gets excited if someone goes all baby voice on him and tries to jump on them. Only he jumps up backwards - with his back to them. He expects them to catch him and rub his belly while he stands on his hind legs. It’s hilarious but I only allow it if the person is okay with it (like his agility instructor who is totally okay with it).
December 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
re: Trooper, hahahaha!
Our old Eskie would get super flirty with the women who’d do the baby voice. He’d go up to them and look up at them with this “I only have eyes fur YOU!” look and leeeaaaan ever so gently.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
That is a really good idea… I admire calm and well mannered dogs, too. Usually I get asked what breed my smooth collies are… usually the blues are mistakenly thought of as being Australian shepherd mixes. =P Not only aussies are blue!
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:17 am
Chels only gets comments on her size, and both get comments on their coat…I make it a point to compliment on well behaved dogs when Im out photographing …. the talk usually swings to training, methods and trainers … mind you there are also alot of misbehaving dogs…I always feel Chels has to be better than others due to her size and looks… she can be intimidating especially if she is alert