Day 8: Never Shock a Puppy

In the final week of the 2010 Never Shock a Puppy dog blog campaign, we revisit why a bunch of us banded together on this somewhat “controversial” topic as our first Be the Change effort. It boils down to this: We believe dogs deserve a pain-free future. All dogs. No matter their size, age, breed, etc.

Some Traditional Ideas Suck, There I Said It

The truth is that no matter what any of us do (or don’t do) … traditional dog training based on punishment and all kinds of false, debunked ideas about dogs and dog behavior will continue in some circles, with some people, in some homes. Having a popular TV show that spews idiocy doesn’t help, but there are plenty of regular people who cling to:

• Dog pack mentality
• Dominance theory
• Punitive dog training methods

Command This

Despite my penchant for getting caught up in word connotations, “command” never bothered me that much. Lately, however, it really grates on me.

I don’t command Lilly to do anything. Instead, I’ve worked hard to teach her acceptable behaviors and other coping strategies to help her better deal with the noisy, modern world. Then, I ASK her to do them.

I ask. I cue. I instruct.

I do NOT command crap.

Granted, a LEAVE IT earlier this week came out a bit more harshly than I intended, after she somehow found a huge piece of glazed doughnut on the side of the road and prepared to scarf it down.

BUT, 95% of the time, I’d say I’m able to ask Lilly to behave nicely without being a monster about it. And, even when she ignores my requests, I’d NEVER use electricity to make my point.

Many Thanks to the Never Shock a Puppy Coalition

I could NOT be prouder of the hard work, support, great dog training ideas, important scientific/logical/communication points, and camaraderie that arose from our Never Shock a Puppy coalition:

• Best Friends General Store
• Boulder Dog
• Calling All Dogs
• Champion of My Heart
• Fang Shui Canines
• FearfulDogs.com
• Moxie Paws
• Pet Healthcare Gazette
• Positively Well-Behaved Dog
• The Allie Chronicles

One Last Plea

Today (October 20, 2010) also marks the 6th anniversary of the day we adopted Lilly. It’s her VERY important Gotcha Day celebration.

We’d consider any final donations a personal favor. We could sure use your help to reach our $2,500 fund-raising goal for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, where we adopted Lilly.

Just click the donation button on the handy-dandy donation widget below or in the right-hand sidebar to get started! If for some reason you cannot see or use the donation widget below, please visit the Never Shock a Puppy Donation Site instead.

Don’t forget … we’re offering some pretty nice donation incentive gifts.