Control vs Leadership

I am compelled to begin this segment of Getting Lifestyle Right with a Thank You to the Wisteria Families for being such remarkable pet parents. We know our Wisteria Families are regularly Getting Lifestyle Right. We are grateful and appreciative.

This series is a guide to share how Wisteria pet parents approach a variety of lifestyle situations. If you are a pet parent who would like to provide a healthy lifestyle for your dog, but aren’t sure where to start, maybe this segment about relationship, leadership and courtesy will help.

Control vs Leadership:

As pet parents we are leaders for our dogs.

Example of Leadership: Leadership is best provided with a consistent, kind, patient, and understanding repetition which provides positive praise at every opportunity. This allows a dog to develop the understanding of what behaviors are celebrated. Courteous leaders nurture independence and self confidence. English Cream Golden Retrievers are naturally delighted to please us, and we in turn provide training (positive reinforcement) to them in the behaviors which please us.

Example of Control: The practice of hitting a dog damages the relationship, communication, and trust between a human being and a dog. Just as it would when a person hits another person, instilling fear and feeling the need to protect oneself, the result is often a There is no right time or appropriate time to hit a dog.

Control Style Discipline vs Courtesy:

As pet parents we are setting examples for our dogs.

Examples of Courtesy: Courtesy spans our body language, tone of voice, gestures, and our sense of joy when our dogs accomplish a behavior we like. This is a lifestyle of remembering we are leaders, examples, and are responsible for training. A kind voice and gesture of praise when our dogs are pleasing us is how we communicate the behaviors we want to see more of.

Examples of Control Style Discipline: The practice of ‘time-out’ or ‘harsh words’ as discipline aren’t effective to teach the behaviors we want to see more of. They simply instill fear and over time retaliation. During the disciplinary action, so often after the puppy has forgotten what they did, they are overcome with confusion and unable to understand what they are being punished for.

When, on the other hand, we show kindness and courtesy, our dogs will remain delighted to please us.

As pet parents we strive to provide an environment where learning is fun and accomplishments are praised. We choose the positive reinforcement approach to training because it works best to develop a strong, healthy, and happy relationship between us and our dogs.

Read More Getting Lifestyle Right Series