Gasp! They treat their dog like a child

Blog post on intelligent anthropomorphism
By Laure-Anne Viselé, February 2015
Full illustration credits at the end of the post

About the author: certified dog trainer in The Hague

Canis bonus: Laure-Anne Viselé

I run Canis bonus, a behaviour therapy  practice for dogs with behaviour problems. I am also the co-founder and head trainer at OhMyDog! (dog training school in The Hague). I graduated in Zoology, and am a licensed dog trainer and certified applied animal behaviourist. After my day job, I review dog books and write about behaviour for my blog and other specialist websites.

If you are near The Hague and have dog behaviour issues, drop me a line to make an appointment. I work in English, French, or Dutch and only use animal-friendly methods. You can find out more on my training page.

Dog training clichés: How I resource-guarded my Doritos

The conversation turns to work and I brace myself for the painful moment. That moment someone asks what I do for a living. It can open a floodgate of misguided clichés, cringe-worthy anecdotes and hasty opinions.

Dog trainers, when they say what they do for a living, expect a litany of clichés back

My interlocutor, the dog, sneaks a handful of Doritos into his mouth then shares his insights.

1. “Oh, you’re like that Dog Whisperer right? Oscar or Cesar something’.” (sigh)
2. “My mother’s dog is so dominant. He jumps up, steals food and barks all the time.” (sigh)
3. (in a conspiratory tone) “She treats that dog like a child, you know. No wonder.” (another couple of Doritos and a gulp of beer to keep my mouth shut)
4. “By the way, my neighbour’s dog barks all day. Can I make him stop?” (sigh, and heartbreak)

Raising dogs: Beyond being a ‘benevolent leader’

He looked confused, then raised the usual objection: “But you have to be your dog’s leader right?” So I asked him: “Do you see yourself as your kids’ leader?”

‘Be a leader’ they said

• Keep them warm, fed, healthy, happy and safe.
• (Try to) keep them from causing trouble, teaching them the manners and boundaries they need to be well-adjusted members of society.
• Teach them your rules, even the arbitrary ones. You are entitled to read your newspaper in peace and sometimes, just sometimes, you just don’t want to play and yes that means they have to quit it and settle down just because. As long as they live under your roof, they need to follow your rules.

You can call that being a leader. I call it being a parent.

Raising dogs: Be a parent, not a sergeant

“But if you don’t come down on dogs hard they’ll walk all over you,” he says.

If all you want is blind obedience, the authoritarian approach might be for you

I am not suggesting we let our kids and dogs walk all over us, but I am saying that rules and boundaries need to be taught patiently, compassionately and intelligently.

You raise dogs and kids, you don’t subjugate them.

Treating your dog like a SPOILT child

What people mean with ‘treating a dog like a child’ is ‘treating a dog like a spoilt child’. Treating your dog like a child in itself is not the root of all evils. And treating them like soldiers won’t cure all their behaviour problems. To be effective, you need to look at the dog’s history, temperament and psychological/emotional issues. As Monique Bladder, a fellow behaviourist, puts it: if diagnosing and prescribing was as simple as that, we’d be out of a job.

Raising dogs: don’t worry so much and grab another beer

So the world is not going to end because you treat your dog with a modicum of compassion and respect. Just give them the boundaries to go with it. Do me a favour and stop worrying about treating dogs like kids. And whilst you’re at it, can you please grab me another beer?

Comments

What do you reckon? Are you still worried? Do you think we need to beware of seeing dogs like kids? Or do you often come across this type of blanket anti-anthropomorphism reaction? Don’t be shy and leave a comment.

Illustration credits

No changes were made to any of the illustrations.

• Cliche: With thanks to globalparks.com.mx. Found on Wiki Commons, 21 Feb 2015 (CC BY 3.0).
• Kim Jung Il Team America: With thanks to Zennie Abraham. Found on Flickr Commons, 21 Feb 2015 (CC BY-ND 2.0).
• Hamburger13: With thanks to Laura Crowhurst. Found on Flickr Commons, 21 Feb 2015 (CC BY-ND 2.0)
• Biere de Garde: With thanks to Matthew Hurst. Found on Flickr Commons, 21 Feb 2015 (CC BY-SA 2.0).