Great Expectations: Too much for dogs?

My last post covered the role of positive reinforcement in training. While positive reinforcement is an important tool in training, it's important to remember that as a dog owner you need to be firm in correcting and controlling your dog. Dogs need to feel comforted in the fact that you provide security and safety.

While dogs have evolved to mimic human emtions such as love, sorrow and excitement, it's important to remember that they are just dogs and cannot be expected to fufill some of the emtional roles they are now being expected to play. Increasingly people are asking their dogs to fufill an emotional role that has been previously filled by the extended family. This places additional stress on a dog as this new role is not one they have traditionally played. Dogs have always played functional roles in human history. From herding to retrieving to guarding the roles that dogs have in our lives are extensions of their natural instincts. Expecting too much from your dog can stress you and him.