Principle One: Dog First (Stop Fighting the Factory Settings)
Title: Principle One: Dog First (Stop Fighting the Factory Settings)
Dog First doesn’t start with obedience. It starts with honesty.
What kind of animal is standing in front of you?
Dogs aren’t motivated by “being good” the way humans mean good. They’re motivated by survival, feeling secure, and once they’re secure, a lot of them light up for what we call the predatory sequence (the chase, hunt, grab stuff).
Before anyone gets weird about that, I’m not saying your Labrador is plotting a hostile takeover. I’m saying your dog has factory settings. And those settings matter.
Dog First means you stop trying to train the dog you wish you had and start working with the dog you actually brought home.
If you don’t give that drive a job, your dog will. They’ll channel it into things you probably won’t appreciate.
So instead of fighting it, learn it. Then channel it.
That’s Dog First.
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAY
At your next meal, don’t just drop food in a bowl. Turn it into a little experiment.
Take a handful of kibble or food and try one of these for a short session:
- Toss it a few feet away. When your dog looks back at you, toss it again.
- Toss it so they have to catch it.
- Slide it under a chair or low platform and see if they light up searching for it.
- Scatter it in grass and let them work their nose.
You’re not trying to “train” anything yet.
You’re starting to unlock the answer to this question:
What kind of reward event makes my dog come alive?
Mealtime is a great opportunity to experiment.
Because when you understand motivation, working a dog doesn’t need to look like work.
It should also look like play.
Chris
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