Past Present and Future First Dogs

I have been getting requests from professionals in different fields of canine service and retail to join groups pleading with the Obamas to get a rescue dog/puppy. I have been reading blogs or messages on group boards of people who want to be the trainer to the presidents new dog. It's a subject that has the dog world's knickers in a twist. I bet President Elect Obama wishes he had kept the puppy promise to himself already.

As far as the dog or puppy that they adopt, I only hope they choose one that is right for them and their family. This is a long term commitment, and not something to be taken lightly. Everyone needs to be ready to pitch in and be a part of that dog's life. I care mostly that this dog won't end up in rescue (imagine the scandal there) or given to a housekeeper or.... The family shouldn't be pressured into where to get the dog, but only to pick the correct dog for their situation.

I find the rescue situation especially alarming, since some misguided advice is to be sure it's a "pit mix" (note mix by the way) so people can know they can be nice dogs. Of course they are nice dogs!!! However, they need a bit of discipline and training. The wave of keep everything fun for the owner, rather than meet a dog's long term training needs, is what keeps Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) alive and well. Imagine a Pit mix bites the next reporter. The following blog, http://celiasue.wordpress.com/, that I enjoy for dog-friendly travel and marketing advice wants the family to pick a Dalmatian/Pit mix. Not that I am against that, but if that was the breed, I would say find a very qualified trainer who can prepare the pup for public life. Neither is considered a bomb proof personality in a dog. Neither breed is particularly hypoallergenic either, as the President Elect needs.

Next high profile behaviorists or dog trainers want to be the trainer to the President Elect's dog. I can't even imagine the amount of offers that he has most likely received. For a job like this, the trainer (note I didn't say behaviorist) needs to be well versed in obedience and how the ability to perform commands reliably leads to a confident, well adjusted dog, that will be in the public eye. Some of behaviorist Ian Dunbar's fans are calling for his submission to a possible line up of dog trainers. By the posting of his experience in obedience on his blog, http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/major-issue, and the belief that K9 Games will replace this valuable skill in the future, making obedience in either training or competition obsolete, I feel he is quite unqualified for such a position.

It's not that I don't like K9 games idea. I do, in fact it's being used in classes by accomplished trainers, such as Margot Wood, in their weekly group classes. Games of baseball, musical chairs, tic tac toe, are all used as a fun and competitive way to improve their skills in real life.

K9 games seems to focus more on a solitary dog performing in front of a crowd, which has it's place too. But obedience really does prepare, if the obedience trainer wants to prepare, for real life situations when you are very close to strange dogs and strange people for long periods of time.

The children nor President need to compete in obedience, it's important that their trainer is qualified to know what is involved in a public, strange, and busy environment for the dog and from the dog's perspective. JMO Because most behaviorists don't give any credence to the sport of obedience that has been around as the standard for awhile, or quit after qualifying with a CD on their own dog (ie not competing various breeds, and various dogs not owned by them OR training other people to handle their own dogs), they have no idea the beneficial properties that this has to the dog. Therefore, they can not properly instruct a client to more than be sure the human has fun, feed the dog, medicate them, or purely management techniques.

On a less serious and fun note, Time has a pictorial of different first dogs!!

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1830236_1746240,00.html