Dog School: Where Canine Obedience Takes a Backseat to Human Pleasantries
Walking into dog school with your partner, you'd expect to be greeted by rows of neatly behaved dogs and their owners, all united in their quest for canine obedience. Instead, what you get is an unorthodox approach to training that prioritizes human interaction over basic obedience skills.
My wife and I took our unruly pup to the dog school last week, expecting some semblance of structure and discipline. What we got was a crash course in reading body language and understanding your partner's quirks. Our dog, it turns out, has an uncanny ability to connect with strangers, which can be both charming and chaotic.
The first surprise came when our instructor, affectionately known as the "dog whisperer," praised our pup for maintaining eye contact during a training exercise. This was later revealed to be the only positive interaction she'd received all week. My wife joked that they were clearly her favorite instructors, although they quickly dismissed this notion.
Despite the unorthodox approach, there are some redeeming qualities to our dog's newfound skills. She has mastered the art of lying down on command and even responding to "stay" in a makeshift game of hide-and-seek. However, when it comes to basic obedience like walking on a leash or not stealing balls from unsuspecting strangers, we're still lagging behind.
The real challenge lies in navigating public spaces with our dog's unique personality. She has an irresistible urge to participate in other people's games, often at the expense of her own training. It's as if she's lost all sense of ownership and instead is on a mission to become part of someone else's pack.
In one particularly cringe-worthy moment, we watched as our dog sprinted off after two border collies playing fetch, only to return later with an unapologetic air, as if to say, "Sorry, I couldn't resist." The owner of the collies politely obliged her commands, leaving my wife and me stunned.
As we trudged across the beach, watching our dog effortlessly commandeer strangers' attention, we couldn't help but wonder if this was really what our instructor had in mind when she described the "test" for public obedience. With a straight face, she told us that our dog's behavior was all about "taking orders." We're still not convinced.
Despite the ups and downs of our pup's training journey, one thing is clear: at dog school, canine obedience takes a backseat to human interaction. And if you're lucky enough to have a dog like ours – charmingly disobedient and magnetically drawn to strangers – you'll quickly realize that it's about embracing this unique quirk rather than trying to change them.
Walking into dog school with your partner, you'd expect to be greeted by rows of neatly behaved dogs and their owners, all united in their quest for canine obedience. Instead, what you get is an unorthodox approach to training that prioritizes human interaction over basic obedience skills.
My wife and I took our unruly pup to the dog school last week, expecting some semblance of structure and discipline. What we got was a crash course in reading body language and understanding your partner's quirks. Our dog, it turns out, has an uncanny ability to connect with strangers, which can be both charming and chaotic.
The first surprise came when our instructor, affectionately known as the "dog whisperer," praised our pup for maintaining eye contact during a training exercise. This was later revealed to be the only positive interaction she'd received all week. My wife joked that they were clearly her favorite instructors, although they quickly dismissed this notion.
Despite the unorthodox approach, there are some redeeming qualities to our dog's newfound skills. She has mastered the art of lying down on command and even responding to "stay" in a makeshift game of hide-and-seek. However, when it comes to basic obedience like walking on a leash or not stealing balls from unsuspecting strangers, we're still lagging behind.
The real challenge lies in navigating public spaces with our dog's unique personality. She has an irresistible urge to participate in other people's games, often at the expense of her own training. It's as if she's lost all sense of ownership and instead is on a mission to become part of someone else's pack.
In one particularly cringe-worthy moment, we watched as our dog sprinted off after two border collies playing fetch, only to return later with an unapologetic air, as if to say, "Sorry, I couldn't resist." The owner of the collies politely obliged her commands, leaving my wife and me stunned.
As we trudged across the beach, watching our dog effortlessly commandeer strangers' attention, we couldn't help but wonder if this was really what our instructor had in mind when she described the "test" for public obedience. With a straight face, she told us that our dog's behavior was all about "taking orders." We're still not convinced.
Despite the ups and downs of our pup's training journey, one thing is clear: at dog school, canine obedience takes a backseat to human interaction. And if you're lucky enough to have a dog like ours – charmingly disobedient and magnetically drawn to strangers – you'll quickly realize that it's about embracing this unique quirk rather than trying to change them.
the whole concept of dog school is so interesting, but also kinda weird 
. I mean who needs basic obedience skills when you can teach your dog to read people's vibes and become besties with strangers? 
it's actually pretty cool that their instructor emphasizes building relationships over obedience training - maybe we should take a cue from them on how to live our lives too 
. The only downside is that it can be super challenging for owners like the ones in the article, especially when navigating public spaces 
. I guess you just have to roll with your dog's unique personality and find ways to make it work 
I think its kinda cool how this dog school is focusing on human interaction instead of just obedience training. Its like, our dogs are already super social and loving, so why not play off that? I mean, who needs a strict trainer yelling "sit" all day when you can just have your pup hang out with new people and make friends? 
I'm literally confused by this whole dog school thing... they're training dogs to be super social but kinda forget about basic obedience? 
I mean, I get my pup is super charismatic and all, but that's not something you train for. It's like they just want dogs to be friends with everyone and anything goes? 
. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but at least our pup is having fun and making new friends wherever we go 
. And honestly, who wouldn't want that? My dog's little quirks have brought so much joy to our lives, even if it means we have to work on our own communication skills 
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My friend has a dog that does the same thing, and it's hilarious watching their furry little friend navigate public spaces. The instructor's approach might not be for everyone, but if your dog is naturally charismatic, why not roll with it? 
It's all about finding what works for you and your pup, right? 
. It's hard enough teaching our own kids to behave in public, let alone dogs that can steal the show (or ball) at a moment's notice 
It's actually kinda refreshing to see dogs being social butterflies instead of just sitting there looking cute 
But seriously, it's awesome to see owners embracing their pup's unique personality instead of trying to mold them into something they're not. It's all about finding those little quirks and running with them!
. And honestly, I'm kinda impressed that our instructor can see past all the chaos and still manage to teach us some pretty useful stuff. Like, have you ever tried getting your dog to "stay" while simultaneously playing fetch? 
. Who needs basic obedience when you can have a dog that steals the show? 
#dogsofinstagram #dogtraining #unconventionalapproach. I mean, who needs basic obedience skills when you can have a pup that's all about reading people and giving them a good time? 
️ #dogdadlife. Anyone else have a pup that's more interested in making friends than following commands? 
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. And don't even get me started on how hard it is to take her on walks without her freaking out on everyone around us 
. I guess if you're into that sorta thing, go for it... but can we please just have some semblance of order in our pup's lives? 
! But, I gotta ask... how do you train for a life of chaos and constant attention-seeking? 
Can someone pls explain the "dog whisperer" magic to me? 
It's like my pup has her own social media following 
- "Follow @DoggyDivaForLife" 
that's just called "survival mode" 
she can connect with strangers and just take over their game 
I'm dead lol 
it's all about embracing her unique personality and not trying to change her 
the instructor was so cool btw she literally called herself the "dog whisperer" 
. Walking on a leash without pulling or not stealing balls from strangers would be a start 
️. The border collies' game of fetch was just an excuse for our pup to run amok 
. I get it, her 'people skills' are endearing, but there's a time and place for that 
