34 • The Sunday Times Magazine
My ten tips for being
a good dog owner
Train yourself to think like a dog with the help of our new columnist
Dogs think like
dogs, whereas
humans ... well,
it’s Mars and
Venus, isn’t it?
The Dogfather
Graeme Hall
“I
made your breakfast for 21
years,” is my tongue-in-cheek
stock answer whenever I’m asked
what I did before I became a dog
trainer. Four years short of a long
service award at Weetabix Ltd I
jumped out with a package, all set
to be a manufacturing consultant.
Before starting the new venture,
I figured I’d take a three-month
career break to — among other
things — train my two young
rottweilers, Axel and Gordon.
Towards the end of month
three the head trainer at the club
where I’d spent every spare hour
posed a question that changed my
life. “Why don’t you become a dog
trainer?” he said. “You’re really
good with people.” It turned out
I was OK with dogs too (something
of a prerequisite), but his point wasyou can only train dogs through
their owners.
That comment really hooked me
— and his reasoning about people
is still a big part of my fascination
with dog training, even now, nearly
a decade and a half (and 5,000-odd
dogs) later. Dogs think like dogs,
whereas humans ... well, it’s Mars
and Venus, isn’t it? Expecting a dog
to think like a human is hopelessly
optimistic, so it has always seemed
clear to me that showing humans
how to “think dog” is a much
better bet. Keep this to yourself,but I’m not really a dog trainer at
all. I’m a people-with-dogs trainer.
The Pareto principle applies: 20 per
cent of my effort goes into dogs,
and owners take up 80 per cent.
Truth be told, it’s not very hard
to be a good dog owner (by which
I also mean “owner of a good dog”
— the two usually go hand in
hand). Here are ten tips to help
you understand and communicate
better with your dog.1 One good deed deserves another
Behaviours that are rewarded are
more likely to be repeated. What’s
a reward? Anything that feels
good: food treats, sure, but also
toys, stroking, a kind word ... and
every dog is different. You might
be surprised how often dog people
forget to reward good behaviour.
Thankless tasks tend not to be
repeated, so remember to let them
know when they’re doing well.