Obedience Is Not Impressive

Just the word “obedience” makes me cringe.

There, I said it.

Blind obedience in humans and in dogs is usually achieved by someone feeding their own ego using coercion, force, fear, suppression, power, and abuse.

Can “obedience” be trained with kind methods? Of course. Some dogs thrive on learning, and when looked at like a sport, it can be great for some dogs.

What I have a problem with is the idea that we can “solve” maladaptive behaviors with sits, downs, down-stays, heels, extended “place”, etc. Even asking for these cues when our dogs are feeling overwhelmed or anxious is totally ineffective and unethical in my opinion.

Taking away a being’s ability to make choices on their own by commanding them into behaviors where they cannot move, make space, or escape is how a dog’s spirit gets broken. It is heartbreaking to see a dog who literally has no choice except to shut down.

Obedience is not impressive.

Guardians who care about how their dog is feeling and not what other people think is “impressive” - are impressive.

And please, for the love of dog, can we stop asking our dogs, friends’ dogs, strangers’ dogs, and dogs in public to “sit” for everything?! Please? Instead, ignore them completely unless they approach you. Try it!