I think a lot of multi-dog household handlers get the same comments when we take our dogs out in public. “You have your hands full”, “How do you manage all of that?”, “Good luck” are a few I have heard. I don’t think they are all necessarily negative comments. I think the new norm of providing our with dogs fulfilling lives beyond the backyard is still new to some generations. My family dog growing up never had the opportunities that my current dogs have already had in their short lives. My vacation away from my dogs made it extremely obvious to me that my reality includes my dogs experiencing things with me, rather than allowing them to exist in the background. I love my new normal, and have spent a lot of time reflecting on how we got here.
I fully recognize the fact that I have surrounded myself with like minded dog people. When I brought Chief into my life, I dove into the world of dog sports and became much more serious about dog training. These two activities go hand in hand when you have a high energy, high drive breed like a heeler- without proper training, you can’t expect the dog to excel in the dog sports setting. The dog needs to be prepared to exist around other high drive dogs without letting the stress get to them. I started with socialization (new experiences, sounds, busy locations, variable environments) and by nature of the activities we participate in this evolved into much more challenging training scenarios. Because of all of this hard work, not only can Chief participate in high stakes dog events, but he can also sit quietly on a brewery patio and enjoy lunch with us. This wide spectrum of behavior training was not easy to achieve but it was always a goal of mine for Chief, as it is now for Chickie, too.
Much like myself, the majority of dog owners now bring their dogs everywhere with them. The tough part about this is that I don’t believe most dog are given the preparation they need to succeed in busy social situations. No dog is born with proper obedience, it is up to us to help the dog achieve a level of comfort in social situations that we ask them to participate in. Not all dogs are going to be perfect patio pups (Vinny would NEVER be able to enjoy this type of outing). Our communities are becoming more dog friendly than ever, which I believe is shedding light on both the benefits of consistent dog training as well as the fall out from a lack of dog training.
You won’t find me at many “dog friendly events” with my dogs. Something that is important to me is building such a strong bond with my dogs that they would rather spend time with me than anything in the environment around them, other dogs included. This is not to say that my dogs don’t have dogs in their lives that they enjoy spending time with. At the end of the day, our family dynamic hinges on the fact that we prioritize each other and enjoy experiences together.
I remember walking Chief and Vinny past an active construction crew in our neighborhood last summer. As usual, Chief was on my left and Vinny was on my right. As we passed, one of the workers yelled out “You’ve done a great job with those dogs”. That kind comment stuck with me to this day- in the moment, I was so worried that Vinny would react to the crew, and get Chief riled up. But as I heard that comment and registered what was being said, I looked at my dogs and realized they were walking in sync with me, focused straight ahead, entirely unbothered by the chaos around them. My hands may look full, but I have it under control thanks to training, community support, and setting proper goals for each of my dogs. Build the life you want to live with your dogs, and work tirelessly to achieve these goals together. There are more opportunities than ever to share life’s experiences with your dogs!
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