Many of us have a very "romantic" idea of living with a dog. You go on relaxed walks and outings together. You cuddle up at home on the couch. You're not alone, even when you can't be with your family and friends.
How things will really turn out becomes clear at the latest after the four-legged friend moves in. In most cases, things don't immediately go as smoothly and harmoniously as one might hope or imagine. But that's normal. You have to grow together and get used to each other. And once that's happened, it's time to focus on training your dog. Otherwise, the harmony might disappear very quickly.
Why dog training doesn't ask about breed, size, weight, and age
When training your dog, it really doesn't matter how big the dog is. Age and breed are irrelevant. Because, let's be honest, dogs of any size, age, and breed can get on our nerves.
Let's take three situations as examples: 1. Shoes lying around, 2. A visitor ringing the doorbell, 3. A walk on a leash with an encounter with another dog.
Let's stick with the... Small dog breeds . Off the top of my head, I can think of breeds like Chihuahua, Maltese, and Yorkshire Terrier. All cute breeds, no doubt. But even a little Chihuahua has teeth! It can steal a shoe and chew on it, and quite possibly destroy it completely. That's extremely annoying, of course. The little Maltese goes completely crazy as soon as the doorbell rings. When the visitor comes in, the little dog greets them exuberantly by starting a "jumping-up contest." For this, the little guy gets a lot of attention. It's not so annoying, actually; it's sweet to see how happy he is that visitors are coming. Our little Yorkshire Terrier is very easy to walk on a leash.
But only as long as no other dog crosses his path. Then he turns into a fury. Well, that's a bit embarrassing for the other dog owner. But you can always just walk past quickly. Since the dog is so lightweight anyway, you simply take him along on a leash. If he resists too much, you just pick him up and carry him, which often excites him even more.
With medium-sized dog breeds, the perspective changes somewhat. Let's take the Shiba Inu, Australian Shepherd, and Beagle as our three examples. The Shiba Inu, which finds the shoes and considers them its own, will probably cause more damage than the Chihuahua. That's incredibly annoying. Of course, it depends on how aggressively each dog pursues the shoes and how much time they have before being discovered. 
The Australian Shepherd is now taking part in the "high-jumping contest." A dog of that size can certainly make quite an impression. Visitors shouldn't be afraid of a barking, jumping dog. Hmm, it's rather embarrassing to have such difficulty receiving visitors. Our Beagle, on a leash, isn't really interested in his human during walks anyway. He much prefers to have his nose to the ground, sniffing like crazy. He does it so enthusiastically that the leash is always taut. He drags the other end of the leash through the landscape as he pleases. He doesn't even notice the oncoming dog, but he certainly does notice his human. The human has his hands full trying to reel in the leash. Which isn't so easy when it's already taut and the dog is moving at such a pace. Well, quite embarrassing in front of the other dog owner and also a bit nerve-wracking. Because if the super-sniffer had actually paid attention to the passing dog, it wouldn't have been very friendly. Phew, lucky escape!
Our three large dog breeds are the Bernese Mountain Dog, Golden Retriever, and Labrador. Well, when a Bernese Mountain Dog decides to take care of the first visitor who walks through the door, things can get quite lively. When he jumps up, he's almost as big as a person. Not a pleasant situation for either human or dog. If our Golden gets hold of a pair of shoes, it doesn't take long before they're ruined. And the Lab's leash behavior is a mix of Yorkshire Terrier and Beagle. He drags the other end of the leash around, sniffing here and there. But oops, there's another dog coming, what's he doing here? A dog this size is really difficult to control on a leash when he's pulling so hard on it. It's not only embarrassing but also dangerous for everyone involved.
The examples of situations and dog breeds are, of course, interchangeable. Instead of shoes, it might be the remote control or even furniture that fall victim. Or the cookie plate on the living room table might be secretly devoured. But our dogs' "destructive tendencies" shouldn't just annoy us. It's important to remember that this can be quite dangerous for dogs of any breed, size, and age. Swallowing large, hard pieces can cause serious damage to a dog's body. Or if the cookies were made of chocolate or sugar substitutes, they can be highly toxic to dogs. This is more true for small dogs than large ones, as a small dog's body reacts much more quickly to the dose.
TIP: Anything that isn't left out in the open is out of the dog's reach and can't be destroyed! Therefore, put shoes in the shoe cupboard, the remote control in the drawer, and treats in the tin!
You mean, but the shoes, the remote control, and the cookies have always been there. Well, not anymore. Having a dog in the house changes things. And honestly, what's the big deal?! Just go with it, because it saves human sanity and is better for the dog's health!
The issue of visitors might initially seem like it's more important to train medium and large dogs to handle them. But that's far from the truth! Even a small dog can damage a visitor's socks, bags, or expensive shoes. Furthermore, one should consider why the dog is behaving this way. It's not cute. On the contrary, the dog is clearly beside itself and extremely stressed. This is also extremely unhealthy for the dog. Far from harmonious and relaxed. The same applies to walks. Sure, I could simply pick up my small dog and escape the unpleasant situation. But this will in no way help the dog approach such situations more calmly in the future. Constantly exposing the dog to this stress is not only unhealthy but also dangerous for everyone involved. In such a tense and perhaps even chaotic situation, something can easily happen.
Therefore, please give your dogs good training! How are things going for you? Or what situations have you experienced on your last walks?
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Muzzle training
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