Defining Training: Working together for dogs — what does training mean to you?

By John Spieser AnnArbor.com Community Contributor

Posted on Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 9:51 a.m.

Liz and Mishi, trying out the back-pack.

Photo by Jerry Buffman

I've often thought that our community dogs would all fare better if the people who own and interact with them communicated more efficiently. I know how I feel about training for dogs and good standards to live by, but frankly I am never sure how other folks think about what their dogs should or shouldn't be doing at any given time. I find this dilemma to be a reality for many of my clients as well. Faced with questionable ettiquette from neighboring dogs, differing opinions about what dogs should or shouldn't work out on their own, not to mention various dog park altercations, the how, where and why of training becomes an important topic of discussion out there in Caninopolis.

Surely, there are many different kinds of training you can do with your dog: Competition training, service training, companion training, to name a few. In my opinion they all hinge on one thing:

A system of communication that balances self-discipline, engagement and freedom among those who agree to the rules and boundaries imposed.

I believe that when a dog's basic needs are being met and training is intoduced in a fair and understandable fashion, that dog will capitalize on the benefits effective communication can offer. The dog's owners will, in turn, experience the richness of connecting with a completely different species and reap the rewards that come with embracing a whole new angle on what it means to be alive!

Because, in today's world, our dogs' ultimate destiny is not for them choose, I find their security and fulfillment worthy of our consideration. The question that I really want to get at is: What does training mean to you?

I invite our readers to comment on this post with responses to this question.

If you think training is a good thing for dogs, tell us why and how training has helped your dog.

Tell us what is most important to you in terms of training your dog, and also what gets put on the back burner.

If you are opposed to training, for whatever reason, let us know your thoughts.

Since I believe that dogs can only succeed when their caretakers are capable of advocating for them successfully, I feel we the people who are responsible and affected by their presence in our lives need to be talking about the issues that arise around them with a cooperative alliance.

Please chime in and express your thoughts. I look forward to reading all your comments, and I plan to gear some future posts toward readers' top concerns.