Dogs like males, are black and white when it comes down to it. – that is what makes males very effective dog trainers as the dogs respond well to the way males operate and think, whereas females tend to dwell more on the emotional side of things, which can present some problems during training, as females can find themselves thinking “Fluffy won’t do it, so she mustn’t love me anymore” whereas Fluffy has learnt that for the female ‘she can do it if she wants’ therefore teaching herself that she doesn’t have to comply each time, as for the male he would expect the request to be fulfilled, without question from Fluffy.
We need to be Black and White after the dog has done something “wrong” – remember that we, humans set the rules, the dogs don’t ‘know’ them yet. Rather than holding a grudge, we can return to being our happy normal selves, dogs do not understand grudges, therefore it is unfair on the dog to be in a strop with the dog, - was it actually your fault anyway? Could you have put the freshly baked biscuits further away from the edge of the bench? Could you have checked on the, suspiciously quiet puppy, to check that he was chewing his toy instead of your shoes?
Remember it is all about perspective and dogs are learning to be a part of our world, how much ‘a part’ is up to you, and how much time you put into your dogs training. Do not hinder your dog by neglecting his training.