Most common myths about dogs
We encounter myths about dogs quite often, some can be more harmful than others. It spreads between people like wildfire, usually with good intensions, but it does not mean it is good for the dog. We chose for you the 3 most known, so let's look at it now.
1. The dog should have access to food all day long
The bowl is full of kibbles and it gets filled everytime the dog eats something. This can have two outcomes, the dog will be obese or the dog will be very picky. Along with this, the dog will be hard to motivate during training.
How to do it in a right way?
Adult dog can be fed only once a day. Puppies and adolescents need to eat more often, but it does not mean that there should be an unlimited access to filled up bowl. It is ideal to have some kind of ritual when feeding. We have experience with taking the bowl, fill it up with food and taking it to same feeding spot. Before putting it down, we wait until the dog sits down. When he does, we place the bowl on the floor and the dog can start eating after we give the command to do so. The food is like a reward and the dog appreciate it.
If the dog does not finish given portion, we take the bowl away. Dog did not finish the food because he was not hungry. We might not have measure the correct portion or we might have given too much treats during training. Some dogs can be also sensitive to temperature changes, so the dog might be eating less during summer time. Or you lowered the physical activity for the dog. There can be many reasons why the dog did not finish it. But if the behavior does not change, the dog is happy, we just take the unfinished bowl away.
Our dog is close companion, so we want to give them the best, including tasty food. It is not neccessary to add something to the daily feed if the dog does not finish the portion. Dogs are very clever and easily connect the idea "if I do not eat my normal food, the human will add something special". The dog will hesitate to eat more. You need to remain strong, even if the dog refuses to eat for one or two days, nothing will happen. You will see the results even in the future, because the dog will understand that you are the one who is deciding what the dog will eat and when.
An overfed dog is very hard to motivate for training. Food is nothing really special which can cause problems when teaching new tricks. Sometimes we also need to support basic skills like recall which is quite hard without food.
2. The dog will stop pulling on the leash when choked on it
You go out for a walk and the dog is just so excited and hurries up. He starts to choke on the collar and our hands are suffering. We often hear that if the dog is being choked, he will eventually stop pulling.
But it does not really work that way. Basically the dog does not mind being choked because pulling to desired object is a reward. Your furry friend will not stop pulling, but also will damage breathing cartilage as well as cervical spine. It can lead to chronic back pain and long-way troubles with breathing.
How to do it in a right way?
A harness is an option if your dog pulls really hard, as well as teaching him to walk on a slack leash. It all begins with being responsible for our own dog, keeping him safe and healthy in all possible ways. We do not want to hurt our best friend with choking him. If you do not know how to handle such a puller, we recommend to visit your local experienced trainer and ask for help.
3. Nothing wrong can happen if I throw a dog a wooden stick
Please do not throw sticks to your dog. NEVER! Sticks have sharp edges that can really hurt him. It seems so easy, just pick up any stick from the ground and play with your furry friend. That is where the problems start. You say, that it cant happen to you? Your dog is carefull? All it takes is one throw that lands in the wrong way. The dog needs to be transported into emergency vet immediatelly, where it is often fight for life. And it is also very expensive.
How to do it a right way?
Toy is a great solution to take with you on the walks. It is more fun for the dog and strenghten connection between you two. The best way is to combine fetch and play tug-of-war. When your furry friend understands the rules of the tug-of-war, you can use it as a reward as well for command well done.
Never force a toy on the dog. On the other hand, run away with it, make it look fun and you will see that the dog will be soon very interested. The main outcome should be that the dog always wins. It is important so the dog will look forward to play with you. If the dog does not want to return with the toy to you, just start running in the opposite direction. The dog will soon understand that playing with you is much more fun than running alone around the park.
There are a lot of myths, some are harder to tell apart from the truth. If you know any particular and you would like to share with us, just write to us.
