Honesty does not exist in a dog's world...

Things like Honesty & Integrity do not exist in a dog’s world. There are no such things as honesty or integrity to a dog. However.... OPPORTUNITY... now that absolutely exists in a dog’s world.

Do not expect your dog to “do the right thing because that is the right thing to do."

True story: I had to take my dog, Sawyer, to the Vet for routine vaccinations. Sawyer is a young, friendly, high energy, high drive, extremely confident, ready-to-go kind of dog. He is also very well trained. This particular vet visit was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, my Vet clinic was doing curbside service (owners were not allowed in the building). The Vet tech met me at my car and she took Sawyer on leash while I waited in my car. Sawyer “heeled” with the Vet tech for about 3-4 seconds and then.... he started pulling on leash all the way across the parking lot to the vet clinic door & launched up the stairs. WHY???! He is super well trained to “heel” both ON & OFF leash. Sawyer has not pulled on leash since he first went through official training with me when I adopted him several years ago. He heels wonderful with me all the time in all kinds of environments. He is a trainer’s dog after all. So, why would he pull on leash and then launch up several stairs? Yes, he was excited (as my dogs actually like Vet visits) but the excitement alone is not an excuse for wildly poor behavior. He KNOWS what he SHOULD do so why didn’t he? Simple:

1. He wanted to. That simple. Pulling & lunging up the stairs were way more fun than heeling and ....

2. He "figured out the Vet tech" within a few seconds of her grabbing the leash (LOL). He KNEW there would be no consequences with the Vet tech (& he was right). He knew a leader was not present, so....he did what he wanted. It is that simple.

Would he have gone in the Vet clinic so wildly if I was handling him on the leash? Of course not.

This is dogs. We cannot expect dogs to "Do the Right Thing (even when the dog has been trained to do a particular command/skill) IF.... things like leadership, structure, rules & accountability, etc are not present. When those very important things are not present then anything goes for dogs (or at least most of them.

There absolutely are those super easy-going, laidback dogs that will kind of follow the rules and make good choices no matter the situation, tools used and/or leader present (or absent). Absolutely... those dogs exist... I FULLY understand that. My Pit bull “Sadie” of 10 years absolutely was one of those dogs... the "goodie-goodie" or "teacher's pet" kind of dog. An 8 yr old kid could have walked my dog Sadie in a “heel” on leash through a busy park around tons of distractions with no instruction & no help and she would have heeled beautifully for an 8 year old child... that is not training specific... she was just that kind of dog.... she was not super opportunistic and was just super easy going. I have worked with and met other dogs like Sadie. However.... my current dog, Sawyer, is NOT one of those dogs.... and.... most dogs are not. LOL. This doesn't make Sawyer or other dogs like him "bad dogs" or "poorly trained"... NOT AT ALL. It simply means they are smart and opportunistic and if they see "loopholes" they will most likely take advantage. It also means they are dogs that generally require stronger leadership and more structure compared to the "goodie-goodie" / "teacher pet" kind of dogs. One kind of dog is not "better" than the other... they are simply different.

*Note: this post of course is nothing against my Vet clinic or any Vet clinic. I love my Vet clinic & the entire staff. They are phenomenal! They (& any vet clinic) see dozens of dogs day in and day out. There is obviously no time for them to learn each individual dog’s training, commands, tools, know-how, etc. The whole point is not about the Vet clinic... it is that dogs are opportunistic animals and MOST will take advantage if allowed to do so.