Why the Heaven episode of Netflix’s ‘Canine Intervention’ matters most
Treat a dog like a human and she’ll treat you like a dog
I have walked dogs who are pullers, who are a wee bit aggressive, who are shy, who are crazy strong, and who stop and sniff everything possible along the walk. All of those dogs are easier to walk than the ones who belong to owners who have no idea they own actual four-legged animals. You know what I’m talking about. These pet owners dress dogs in human clothes, put them in dog shoes, feed their dogs with eating utensils, purposely misspell everything on their pets’ social media accounts and whine all of their pet commands. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the “Heaven” episode of Netflix’s “Canine Intervention.”
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Dog trainer Jas Leverette gave better advice than anything I could write on Medium: “If you treat a dog like a human, she’ll treat you like a dog.” Although the mother, Sylvia, in this episode was the highlight for why dogs are more difficult to train when you humanize them, she is by no means alone. In the Netflix episode:
She bought a leash that was “cute” instead of effective.
She insisted that Heaven not walk on wet grass.
She carried a stroller and wipes for the “walk.”
She had no firm grasp of the leash, even after the dog ended up running around for 10 minutes.
Dogs are very much pack animals. Once they realize that they can rule your house, they will. Always. And it’s going to take a helluva lot of work to get that dog to decide you’re the boss after you’ve let her be the boss for umpteenth months. (If you make it to years of doing it, good luck.)
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In all fairness, there are some very rational reasons for some of the actions that the mom took for this adorable Maltipoo. For example, putting dog boots on a dog who is seriously having trouble walking makes sense. If you know you’re in an area where the pavement is sketchy or during winter-salty months, I cannot fault the dog booties. (My mother still sniffles about the time she thought my Labrador Retriever was being rebellious and wouldn’t walk. She pulled on him to keep going, and he yelped. It wasn’t until she looked down and saw one of his paws was bleeding because he stepped in glass that she realized what went wrong. That dog passed away about 18 years ago, and she still gets emotional about this mistake. Meanwhile Shep was over it in 24 hours.)
Recommended Read: “Tips for keeping dog paws healthy ~ Dog boots probably won’t go over well at first”
In this case though, Heaven the Maltipoo had absolutely no reason to need these dog boots. The mother decided all on her own that “she doesn’t like to get her feet wet.” Meanwhile I’ve mopped and swept many floors and cleaned some furniture from dogs happily strolling around with damp paws. For your house’s sake, I get it. But if it’s about your dog, not so much. Keep your dog off the carpet and furniture until her paws dry, and she’ll be all right.
Your dog is not made of sugar so walk her in the rain.
However, there are cases when dogs are just being rebellious because they know they can. I recall one dog who I used to walk Monday thru Friday for a few months who hated rain. I would feel so bad when I brought her outside on a rainy day, and her owners would shrug and say, “She’ll be all right. Walk her.” I acted almost exactly like Sylvia. I would’ve preferred to run around with her in the garage where she could stay dry instead of juggling an umbrella and a dog who hated getting her coat wet. At some point though, I realized by walking her so much, rainy weather was bound to happen. And the more I walked her in the rain, the more she shrugged off the weather. (I did give her a few extra treats though.)