08/18/2023
Everything has its price. Want more soft, doting, affection time with your dog, but don’t want to turn your dog into a mess? Simple, pay the price of being a solid, healthy, selfless, and disciplined leader when needed and when appropriate, and you buy your way into what you desire.
Sadly, like many things in life, most want the fun/enjoyable stuff without paying the price to have it in a healthy fashion. The price of discipline, discomfort, and delayed gratification are simply too high, and so these people’s dogs—like so many other aspects of their lives—take the hit for their inability to discipline themselves.
I personally love having my dogs on the couch and the bed, I also love being able to be super soft and affectionate and doting. But I’m not interested in having my dogs take the hit for my desires, nor am I interested in all of us taking the hit by having less freedom, less enjoyment, and more stress…simply because I want the good stuff but am unwilling to do the hard stuff.
So we have a handful of very clear rules, we are mindful of each of our dog’s individual needs/personality/limits and their personal requirements for structure, and when trespasses occur there are appropriate negative consequences that clearly resonate with each dog. This simple approach allows myself, my wife, my dogs, and all those around us, to enjoy life together to its fullest.
This stuff isn’t complicated, although as of late we’ve worked awfully hard to make it appear so. If you want the good stuff, man-up and woman-up, and pay the price. Otherwise, your dogs will. And, without realizing it, you will most certainly pay as well—just in a different fashion.
As Jocko so simply says: “Discipline equals freedom.” It’s true with dogs, and it’s true with everything else.
