Dog Training - Immoral or Illuminating?

Why do some owners choose not train our dog? Many avoid training altogether and others don’t train properly or thoroughly. You may think it is due to lack of time, money, or ability -- and it is. But these are minor obstacles. I believe the real reason people don’t train was summed up in a conversation I overheard recently at Panera Bakery involving three 20-something gals having lunch. “Why should we be able to exert our will on the animals we own? Why can’t they just do what they want?”

The gals clearly were kind, compassionate animal lovers. Unfortunately, they lacked education on this subject. Animals who are allowed to follow their every desire are in peril. In the case of dogs, they are likely to die because of misbehavior. They destroy possessions which is costly, they may overbark and irrate neighbors which leads to tickets and/or eviciton, they run into the street causing auto accidents which often also result in injury or death. These are only a few examples of how everyone including society at large, the dogs themselves, and owners end up miserable. But it can all be avoided by managing and controlling the pet. Animal lovers actually should feel great about providing for their dogs AND offering a structured environment. In fact, it is cruelty with a capital “C” to do less.