Doggone Etiquette —

The Dog House

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

Your dog house may be a large wooden building by the pool or among the flowers in the garden. (Yes? Wow, aren’t you the lucky one!) Any definite spot, indoors or out, is called a “dog house” if it’s where you are always put when you get out of line. Sometimes, however, the “dog house” is not really a place at all, but just a rotten feeling you get. You know that’s where you are because you are being ignored or maybe even harshly glared at by your VIPeople.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

The “dog house” has long meant the least likely spot a person would want to be in. In other words, you got caught doing something that was socially very wrong. Dogs may know they’re a social misfit, but not have a clue as to what to do about it. Unfortunately, there are also lots of dogs that spend much of their lives chained up to a real dog house, an anti-social situation creating numerous canine behaviors we find unacceptable. Charles Schulz let “Snoopy” turn his dog house into a party palace, a plane or a rooftop to lie on and tell stories, but that was Snoopy, an “ideal dog.” Our for-real dogs don’t come close to being that social or imaginative, although we sometimes like to think they do.    

Social skills are a thousand times easier to instill in a young puppy than in an adult dog. The very young pup is still free of behavior or temperament hang-ups and is open to learning, whereas the adult dog’s social behavior (acceptable or not) is already established. Ignore proper early puppy training and you could be giving up on that dog in a couple of years.                    

Spring is coming (that’s a promise!) and a lot of you will be looking forward to getting the puppy you’ve been waiting for during this overly long winter. Plan ahead with what you’ll do in regard to training the pup socially. Some of you may assume puppy obedience classes that teach “come, sit, and heel” are all you will need, and all that your pup will need so as to be your perfect pet. Not so, my friends! Those are merely the first positive commands we teach a dog in order to ensure its safety. A dog’s social skills include temperament and are what make or break its tie to people and to other dogs.                 

Social training a dog (canine etiquette) is equally as important as obedience training – actually, far more important. A class of six, eight, or ten very young pups under a knowledgeable instructor is the best way to go for sound temperament testing and training. This is what leads to sharpening the pup’s social skills. Behavior and temperament problems such as fear or aggression are too often overlooked by the pup’s owner, but come to light in a set-up within a group of puppies and can be dealt with in short order. A dear dog that sits on command when Uncle Harry knocks at the door, and then proceeds to bite him when Uncle Harry gently puts a hand out to pet him, is evidence of a dog that has not been properly socialized.

Dogs learn in as many ways as we humans do. They learn (to a greater or lesser extent) what they are taught by a responsible owner and/or trainer. They also learn – by trial and error – what works in their favor and what doesn’t. They also learn from other dogs. In teaching desirable social behavior to a dog, remember you are dealing with a dog, not a small child. That should keep both of you out of the dog house!

Until next time – BE GOOD!

- Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.