I receive many requests from dog owners in a typical week so I am rarely surprised. I was however, dumbfounded when my phone rang and a lady asked if I could teach her Labrador to bite.
"What exactly do you want him to bite? I asked.
"People!"
There was a moment of silence as I gathered my thoughts.
"Any particular kind of people or just people in general?"
"Bad people."
"Could you define these 'bad people' for me please?"
"Why do I need to do that?"
"How else will your dog know who they are?"
"I'll tell him."
Mmm... this conversation was not going to plan at all.
"How, precisely will you do that?"
"I shall point out the bad person."
"Okay, so you point and the dog bites, is that the idea?"
"Yes."
"Suppose, just suppose, your dog mistakes a good person for a 'bad person' what then?"
"He won't."
"Why not?"
"They won't be dressed the same."
"Are you really suggesting you will point and say: 'Bite that man in the red red shirt?"
She clearly had not though this through at all and while it's an extreme example I hear lots of impossible rules owners expect their dogs to follow.
When I asked a lady owner if her dog was allowed upstairs she replied, "He is if he's not dirty."
How was he to know? Did she intend placing a dog-length mirror at the bottom of the stairs so he could check himself before bounding up the stairs?
"Good grief look at my muddy fur... I'll not be going up those stairs today."
Obviously a rule that was impossible for a dog to learn. You could bar him going upstairs by fitting a child-gate but he wouldn't understand it was due to his dirty coat.
Don't confuse your dog. We start all our Winter Classes this week so come along, learn and make it easy for him to follow the rules.
Full details on vicbarlow.com or text me direct on 07590-560012.
