Rules and boundaries are important for dogs and humans alike

Rules and boundaries are important for dogs and humans alike. Some dogs are natural followers (as opposed to leaders) who just fall into place when it comes to fitting into their family dynamic. They are good readers of human body language and naturally sensitive to the needs of their owner. They are quick to learn our rules and boundaries and only need to be told once.

Other dogs are innately dominant in their personalities. You will recognize them when they interact with their littermates. They will be the one on top, the one at the front or the one quick to use his mouth to get his way. These are the ones who want to make their own rules and if their owner is a pushover, cause a lot of trouble.

Alternatively, some people are just natural leaders and they understand that to have any healthy relationship there need to be rules and boundaries of behaviour. This results in mutual respect and trust and a pleasurable experience for all.

A human example of rules and boundaries

So take for example, a purely human relationship. We have dear friends who prefer that when we are at their house for dinner, we are not in the kitchen when they are preparing food nor when they are clearing the table after dinner. No need to insist on helping, these are the rules pure and simple. In the meantime, we accept that we are being pampered by our hosts so we sit back and enjoy.

Rules and Boundaries in dog training

So in our 20+ years of dog training, it is rare that we are ever brought in to help when the situation involves a dog or dogs who are natural followers and an owner who is a natural leader. When leadership does not come naturally we can show what rules and boundaries to set up and how to maintain them. We love to do this for people who have never had a dog before and for people who had a childhood pet that was managed by their parents.

Imagine a household that has the same rules for their dogs as our previously mentioned friends have for their guests. To make it more interesting, imagine a couple where Person A lives by the rules and their partner, Person B, doesn’t. And to set the scene, understand that the kitchen where Person A and B live is Command Central where the dogs are fed, has the patio door to the yard on one side and the mudroom door where the dog kennels are kept on the other side. So it is not as if the dogs are never allowed in the kitchen. In fact it is a necessity that they spend time there during the day.

Person A has a strict rule that when there is any human food-prep going on, no dog is allowed in the kitchen. We know that dogs are opportunists when it comes to anything edible so why not make it easier and defend against possible temptation? Person A has established a boundary at the threshold of all doors of the kitchen which means the dogs are out when food-prep is happening.

How-to Advice for open-plan kitchens

If your kitchen is open-plan and has no door, pick a line in the flooring (some homes have a transition from tile to hardwood) or if not, for example, the end of the bank of cabinets to the outside corner of the kitchen island. If it’s hard for you to remember where this boundary is so you can maintain it, try laying down a strip of masking or painter’s tape on the floor. This can be removed safely once you and the dogs are trained and the invisible line is established.

We can definitely help you to teach your dog(s) where this boundary is and you can use the same process to teach any other boundary. Other applications may be useful to keep your dog out of the baby’s room or maybe your craft room or out of your garden.

In many homes, the layout is such that the dogs never need to be in that space. If it’s not a passageway to another space the dogs can live a perfectly good and happy life, never being allowed in the kitchen. Their food and water dish can go somewhere else.

What happens when there are no rules and boundaries?

For Person B, rules range from “No fun” to being “Too much work” to “Cruel and inhumane”. What happens with no enforcement of boundaries? Food gets stolen from the kitchen counter right under Person B’s nose. Dogs are salivating puddles on the floor while they wait for their opportunity. Dangerous scraps like cooked bones and plastic wrapping and Styrofoam meat trays are stolen out of the open garbage during food prep. Somebody ends up at the vet after licking a sharp knife or breaking a glass in the open dishwasher.

In the meantime, whenever Person A is cooking, there are none of these problems. Do the dogs hate Person A? Are they suffering from this strict rule? No, because you know why? Person A can shower love and attention on their dogs whenever they are anywhere else but in the kitchen. Meanwhile Person B is angry with their dogs and ends up yelling in frustration and complains about how their “kindness” has been used against them and their gourmet lunch was stolen.

Dogs are opportunists

We cannot guarantee that mishaps won’t occur when dogs are left unsupervised but in those cases we do advise placing food out of reach or kenneling your dog. We’ve heard many stories of food being stolen from the kitchen. In most of these incidences, theft occurred when nobody was paying attention.

Childrens’ school lunches stolen off the kitchen counter minutes before the bus is to arrive.  A golden retriever helping herself to meat thawing in the kitchen sink. A black lab who was trained (for some unknown reason) to open the refrigerator door by himself stole and ate a very expensive roast meant for dinner guests that night. A newly adopted Mexican street dog (who had survived foraging in urban garbage) ate a prepared dinner for a family of 5 that was set to the back of the of the stove. And even an American cocker spaniel who reached into a hot oven and snatched an Easter ham while it was being basted.

While the black lab story was a humorous anecdote told among friends, all the rest were reported to us from clients.

When we establish rules and boundaries for our dogs, life is much more predictable. They know what to expect, you know what to expect and the orderliness of life just falls into place. Just as when we actively teach our children manners, we can prevent bad things from happening in and outside the home and in the future.

Believe us when we say that we have had people calling us, telling us that our training is their dog’s last chance. Many have told us they wish they had called us sooner. We can set your dogs up for success and you can enjoy a better all-around life with them with our help.

Contact us right here.