“I don’t like one of your ownership rules,” writes an offended website visitor. “‘Never leave a dog alone with a child’?? My dog is totally trustworthy around my kids!”
Trust can be difficult to define. But, in essence, if you trust a dog, you have a feeling of certainty that the dog will not fail your expectations.
What do you expect from your dog? Dogs liv
e in the moment. They do not have morals. Dogs react to instinctual drives; they do not think about how their actions will affect them or others. Only through a great deal of training and effort can we give our dogs a very rudimentary understanding of cause-and-effect. Dogs cannot think at the level that people do.
Some owners expect their dogs to think logically, to have morals, and to behave like people. Such expectations are unrealistic. You can trust that a dog will think and act like a dog. You can also trust that a dog will not behave like a person.
You can expect (or trust) a dog to:
Jump up on people
Bark
Bite
Chase moving objects
Fight
Lick
Whine
Scratch and paw
Run around
If you own a dog, he will not let you down if you expect these behaviors.
You cannot expect (or trust) a dog to:
Distinguish “good guys” from “bad guys”
Suppress predatory instinct when faced with shrill noises and small, fast-moving objects
Lie down and accept a painful or frightening situation
Stay in the yard when the gate is wide open
Do something just because you said so
Be a “good dog” without any guidance or training
Understand human morals, virtues, and expectations
Some people trust dogs to act and think the way people do. These people are offended by responsible ownership rules because the rules do not trust dogs to behave like people. Some people think that when an owner follows the rules of responsible ownership, it is because that owner does not trust his or her dog to behave—that the dog is “bad.”
Responsible dog ownership rules are based on trust—a different definition of trust! The rules trust that dogs will behave like dogs, and the rules help dog owners to maintain that trust. Don’t be offended by responsible dog ownership rules, and don’t be ashamed to follow them! In order to be a responsible dog owner, you can and should trust your dog—to be a dog.
Trust can be difficult to define. But, in essence, if you trust a dog, you have a feeling of certainty that the dog will not fail your expectations.What do you expect from your dog? Dogs liv
e in the moment. They do not have morals. Dogs react to instinctual drives; they do not think about how their actions will affect them or others. Only through a great deal of training and effort can we give our dogs a very rudimentary understanding of cause-and-effect. Dogs cannot think at the level that people do.
Some owners expect their dogs to think logically, to have morals, and to behave like people. Such expectations are unrealistic. You can trust that a dog will think and act like a dog. You can also trust that a dog will not behave like a person.
You can expect (or trust) a dog to:
Jump up on people
Bark
Bite
Chase moving objects
Fight
Lick
Whine
Scratch and paw
Run around
If you own a dog, he will not let you down if you expect these behaviors.
You cannot expect (or trust) a dog to:
Distinguish “good guys” from “bad guys”
Suppress predatory instinct when faced with shrill noises and small, fast-moving objects
Lie down and accept a painful or frightening situation
Stay in the yard when the gate is wide open
Do something just because you said so
Be a “good dog” without any guidance or training
Understand human morals, virtues, and expectations
Some people trust dogs to act and think the way people do. These people are offended by responsible ownership rules because the rules do not trust dogs to behave like people. Some people think that when an owner follows the rules of responsible ownership, it is because that owner does not trust his or her dog to behave—that the dog is “bad.”
Responsible dog ownership rules are based on trust—a different definition of trust! The rules trust that dogs will behave like dogs, and the rules help dog owners to maintain that trust. Don’t be offended by responsible dog ownership rules, and don’t be ashamed to follow them! In order to be a responsible dog owner, you can and should trust your dog—to be a dog.
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