There is a lot of talk, dog owners in between. Not just tips and advice on how to act in certain situations, but there is a lot of talk about other dog owners. For better or for worse, i guess. As in all other groupings, there is periodically a lot of bullshit, which is sad.
No matter how much you yourself talk about others and their dogs, the fact remains. You look at others and their dogs, and sometimes you learn from how others do with their dogs. Even that for better or worse. Some things you choose to do yourself, other things make you wonder how the hell the person thinks.
One of those things I have seen over the years (and still see) is a very large portion student with dogs. This is a phenomenon that makes me extremely distressed, because there is nothing that benefits either dog or man, or the relationship between them.
Before you become upset; when I say pet, I don't mean treating and handling a scared dog, without a human who acts as if the dog is a human and becomes far too emotionally involved and feels sorry for it in the quarter. For me, it is also a human who lets the dog take over and control to a far too high degree, in order not to hurt the dog's feelings.
This is something that is usually associated with small dogs, but the fact is that it is quite possible to achieve even with large dogs.
As example can I mention that when Ella was a puppy there was an adult living there, smaller dog on the stairs. The dog's human picked him up as soon as Ella approached, because he didn't like puppies. The effect was that the dog started to growl as soon as Ella came near. Personally, I would have let him tell Ella straight out – maybe then she would have learned to respect him and keep her distance. But instead, everything got really stupid, and he probably developed some degree of fear of her because his human yanked him off the hill as soon as we got close.
The dog had also at least one behavior that for me was stress-related. He was chasing leaves that were blowing around on the hill. It may not sound so serious, but I am convinced that such behavior is not positive in the long run.
Another dog, which is no longer in existence, that too very small, had a human carrying around him. The reason? There, it's just a matter of choosing. It was cold and his paws froze. He was afraid. He jumped on three legs (sometimes). He also demanded to sit in his human's arms every time they sat outside at any table in the area. The dog ran loose and often rushed up to both people and dogs and growled and/or barked. He also nibbled the human's relatives on the nose. It was obvious to me that this dog took on the leadership role and both guarded and defended his human – constant. In my world, this person didn't have the faintest idea how to handle his dog so that he would have a good relationship with his surroundings.
About the above would have been a rottweiler or similar, the dog had died many years ago.
To pass for larger dogs, there is one I see very rarely, where it's obvious that the people don't have the faintest idea what they're doing. A spontaneous purchase of a large working dog that showed early signs of becoming gigantic. Almost two years later, he is just gigantic, lunges at other dogs, walks around with a muzzle and is generally problematic. The family that owns him does not go for walks at home, but takes him in the car and drives off to go where there are no other people, dogs, cars and so on. As far as I know, they don't give the dog any mental stimulation either.
This dog it has been petted since he was a puppy.
So why I address all of this?
Because man can learn a lot from how others have dogs. Just open your eyes and look. Does the dog seem to make sense? It takes liberties at the expense of man? Is the dog safe and secure in its way of being? Is it compliant? How do the people at the other end of the line act? (if there is one in the equation)? Are they safe and secure together with the dog? Is the dog nice to other people??
About the answer to these questions are positive, is just to absorb the way people behave around their dog. If the answer to these questions is negative, is just to think about how you would do it yourself instead. If the answers are negative, they are a conclusion on what to do not shall do.
In a way it is after all, our dogs are guinea pigs. Continuously. What I have learned from Ella, I will have to relearn with another dog. No two dogs are alike, and what works with one may not work with the other.
That I though think works with all dogs, regardless of the type and size, is a calm, safe, self-confident and purposeful person. By that I mean a person who has a plan and who is determined and stubborn enough to carry out that plan. A person who is calm and confident and who can guide and show his dog how to behave in a sensible way. But again, I want to point out that all dogs are different. I expect, for example, that my next dog, regardless of what it will be, will be something completely different from Ella. Which results in me having to adapt and the method I use to make it work with that dog.
Despite everything is communication a give and take, from both sides.