As AireNetters in a worldwide family circle, like a well adjusted family we also share our highs and lows, ups and downs, tragedies and joys, worries and happybrags, the births of puppies and deaths of our Seniors (and sadly, some not so Seniors). Its very much a strength of AireNet that anyone can post a concern or uncertainty about whats happening in the life of their own Airedale and be sure of receiving plenty of help offered in a very positive and reassuring way. For sure, there is not a single thing that collectively we havent all experienced or at least have some understanding of where to find some answers. Our Files and Resources section is growing by the week, forming a very useful go to department when worries strike. It occurs to us that we have a number of two year old Airedales now coming through our ranks, and as a rule this puts them out of puppyhood but not quite into Airedult-hood. Much of their behaviour traits (the good, the not so good and the downright unbelievable :) ) can be traced to our parenting skills and experiences, and how we handle the Twos as they transition from cute puppy to lanky full-on Energiser Bunnies with no offbuttons will determine a lot of future behaviours. As Admins, wed love to encourage a thread that addresses many of the concerns about continuing to educate Master or Missie Two, to engage the brain positively and stimulate their little grey cells productively. Some folk choose to get another dog at this stage, but that may not always be the right answer, despite it having a positive aspect in that Two is no longer a lone dog. If your Two is not already well along the path of education, then getting another dog simply means you have two dogs not properly engaged, and very likely the first dog simply passes along the behaviours already learned, many of which may not be desirable. For instance, if your Airedale barks incessantly at something for no good reason, there is every likelihood that you’ll now have double the barking problem, if you haven’t addressed it by now. Airedales are easily bored, as we know, and do extremely well with properly managed education, which means an investment that cannot and should not be avoided by ourselves as owners. Expecting Mr or Ms Two to automatically educate him or herself isn’t how it works. And if we allow them the wrong kinds of freedoms, and fail to direct their very smart brains in positive ways, we can’t blame the dog. Yelling at them, or dis-engaging from them, is merely confusing and achieves nothing useful. Think of your Airedale as a very bright, eager-to-learn child, who would be in an advanced learning classroom, and that should give you some idea of your responsibilities to him or her. You can’t opt out of it. Puppy school is great for those first few months. But just as kindergarten is only the first stage for a child, and we don’t expect a well-rounded educated child at the end of that stage, neither should we expect our dogs to come out waving a certificate that says ‘I’m an Educated Dog’. In fact, taking Mr or Ms Two off to school again will prove the greatest benefit of all. It’s not too late to undo some undesirable behaviours, and to reinforce the good ones, at the same time as providing the essential and controlled socialising that all Airedales must have. It’s our responsibility to ensure our Airedales are well educated as good citizens, a fundamental ‘agreement’ that must be made at the time of getting a dog. Above all, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that all your problems will be solved if you just ‘get another dog’.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 03:16:33 +0000
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