Now I have written about a bunch of people who in one way or another act as influence on my own way of thinking about dogs. It is the case that everyone forms their own truth based on the worldview they have, and so it is for me too. For me, however, it is important not to stagnate and get stuck in a single thought, so I do my best to listen, with, read and learn from several rather than just one.
With that said; there are several dog people that I follow and watch, but I'm feeling a bit lazy and can't bear to write about exactly all of them. Besides, there are at least a couple, three that I follow even though I don't at all like their way of relating to dogs, and above all not – their way of training dogs. Then of course there are those that I don't follow at all and stay as far away from as I can, because I think their attitude towards dogs is completely insane.
In addition to this is my top tip; build your own truth, but do not build it on a single theory and method. There are many of these out there, and where a theory may not work for you regarding a matter, maybe another theory works.
Then you have to really don't either like or follow any of the people I mentioned. We are all different and like different things. For me, these people are the big picture, makes sense and has good things I want to take to heart. I don't like everything, and I don't use everything, but I pick one and the other that I think works and suits me and who I am.
The most important thing for me is not to have a well-trained dog. The most important thing for me is to have a dog that works. A dog that can handle being handled, which can handle me pushing it down from the sofa when I want to sit there (or for that matter, vacuum), who knows how to behave when guests arrive, and so on. It is not as important to me that my dog can sit or lie on command, even if it helps.
I want one near, friendly and loving relationship with my dog, where we both respect each other's boundaries. I have no need to be super dominant (interpreted in the ugliest way you can think of) against my dog. However, I intend to act as a leader to the extent that I set boundaries that are not ok to cross, and if they are violated, I intend to inform about that matter. In the same way, I intend to listen to my dog, but also inform that, for example, physical handling (brushing, bell ringing, check of teeth, ears and so on) is not negotiable.
But from and with now I return to my everyday experiences and thoughts about dogs, until the next time I realize I have to hardcore bombard you with something I think is important. 😀