Dogs And Humans Quotes

“From Chapter 1:

Isabel went into the kitchen. Their butterball of a beagle wagged his tail and peered up at her with his soulful brown eyes. He was eager to get his reward for looking cute as a button, and he knew she was a pushover.”
― Ed Lynskey, To Dye For

“A dog can never tell you what she knows from the
smells of the world, but you know, watching her,
that you know
almost nothing.”
― Mary Oliver, Dog Songs: Poems

“The bond with a dog is as lasting as the ties of this Earth can ever be.”
― Konrad Lorenz

“So what is the fallout for dogs of the Lassie myth? As soon as you bestow intelligence and morality, you bestow the responsibility that goes along with them. In other words, if the dog knows it’s wrong to destroy furniture yet deliberately and maliciously does it, remembers the wrong he did and feels guilt, it feels like he merits a punishment2, doesn’t it? That’s just what dogs have been getting - a lot of punishment. We set them up for all kinds of punishment by overestimating their ability to think. Interestingly, it’s the “cold” behaviorist model that ends up giving dogs a much better crack at meeting the demands we make of them. The myth gives problems to dogs they cannot solve and then punishes them for failing. And the saddest thing is that the main association most dogs have with that punishment is the presence of their owner. This puts a pretty twisted spin on loooving dogs ‘cause they’re so smart, doesn’t it?”
― Jean Donaldson, The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs

“All my seven dogs, who passed away, were great beings - a helluva lot better than most of the silly inhumane bums, mistakenly called human beings.”
― Fakeer Ishavardas

“Other useful commands to teach your dog are 'stay,' 'heel,' 'remove your snout from that person's groin,' 'stop humping the Barcalounger,' 'do not bark violently for two hours at inanimate objects such as a flowerpot,' ' do not eat poop,' and 'if you must eat poop, then at least refrain from licking my face afterward'.”
― Dave Barry, I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood

“Have you ever noticed how good it feels to stretch? Take a moment, I'll wait.”
― Eliza Knight, Queen's Faithful Companion: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Beloved Corgi, Susan, Library Edition

“Do not fail to abundantly caress him and speak kindly words, and never under any circumstances, no matter what the provocation, allow yourself to scold or strike him, as this is entirely at variance with our system, and is sure to result in the defeat of our plans.

Should he jump upon you with his dirty feet, or tear your clothes with his sharp teeth, do not get angry and cuff him, but gently yet firmly place him upon the ground or unclasp his jaws from your garments, consoling yourself with the thought that in a short time you will have him so well in hand that he will know better than to commit these faults.”
― Stephen Tillinghast Hammond, Practical Dog Training: Or, Training vs. Breaking

“But see, it can be said we endure together
The knowing in part, the fragmentation, as if it were the whole.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus

“As trainers, we regularly work with food as reinforcement for desired behavior, so it truly feels strange not to use some sort of edible reward or feeding toy during training. I have found, however, that straight desensitization is incredibly powerful in separation anxiety cases. Time and time again, I have seen dogs realize success through the process of systematic desensitization. I urge you not to get stuck or create a false sense of security, as so many trainers and guardians do, by providing “comfort” food. Perhaps if we more accurately called it “distraction” food, we would rely on it less.”
― Malena Demartini-Price

“In gundog heelwork, you won't score points for any trotting or fanciness. In fact, People would probably laugh! Meanwhile, gundogs — especially retrievers — must maintain heel position not for minutes, but for hours. Often all day.

Gundog heelwork is comparatively low energy. (Because we want the dog to conserve energy for hunting and retrieving.) And the concept of bursting-with-energy heelwork would be a bit risky to most gundog trainers: It hints at a lack of It hints at a lack of steadiness — a heinous crime. Instead, gundog trainers would rather see a lot of self-restraint at heel.”
― Jo Laurens, Force-Free Gundog Training: The Fundamentals for Success

“ON NOT REINVENTING THE 'OTHER DOG SPORTS' WHEEL
Most people compartmentalise dog sports. Instead, I would encourage you to think of (excellent training', generally — regardless of the sport involved. You never know when a skill or a behaviour you have learnt in application to another
sport, could help you in gundog training. And force-free gundog training needs this cross-fertilisation.
Other dog sports are light years ahead of gundog training when it comes to having developed effective force-free training solutions. Rather than reinventing the wheel (again), it makes sense to learn as much as possible from top
force-free trainers in other dog sports.”
― Jo Laurens, Force-Free Gundog Training: The Fundamentals for Success

“So, if you are in a country whose traditional training methods involve training like this, you will need to question and think carefully about the methods you may encounter at your local training organisations or chapters — or sessions
with 'pros'. You may already have decided not to go along with the punitive methods which occur when the dog is force-fetched or broke, maybe leaving the classes at that point. But you might not have realised that you also need question the approach which precedes this — allowing the young dog to chase game, to run far and wide and-out of contact with you, to become ever more independent. Keep in mind that all those other dogs you see around you at training seminars, will be broke at some point and forced to comply with their handlers. Yours will not be. Your ability to retain control over your dog will rely on natural biddability; desire to please, engagement, gradually increased distractions', successful prevention, the strength of your relationship, and a history of positive reinforcement.

Make your training choices with this awareness in mind. Because you may need to make very different choices to a traditional handler from the start — even before the use of aversives has entered the picture — and perhaps to model your training more on the approach which is taken in countries where e-collars are not routinely used.”
― Jo Laurens, Force-Free Gundog Training: The Fundamentals for Success

“If you have a dog who—at least some amount of the time—has to walk on the field leash, you should absolutely make sure that he is fitted with a harness. In general, using a harness instead of a collar is preferable, but if your dog is on a long leash, it is vital. The danger of injury that a dog is exposed to is extremely high when he reaches the end of a leash with fifteen, thirty, or more feet. The entire pressure of the jerk he receives when he hits the end of the line is distributed across the cervical spine, larynx, thyroid, and trachea. You can compare this to the impact of crashing into another car at about 35 mph. Remember: we humans put the seat belt across our chests and don’t wrap it around our necks—and for a good reason. In my opinion, wearing a harness is always more sensible than wearing a collar—in field leash training it is indispensable!”
― Clarissa Von Reinhardt, Chase!: Managing Your Dog's Predatory Instincts

“Distractions include things such as other dogs or people, or even just a different location filled with different sights, sounds, and smells. Only after your dog has completely learned an exercise in a safe environment do you begin to gradually increase the level of distractions.

Don’t expect too much at once. Don’t expect the high school diploma after the first class in elementary school. You have to learn to be a good teacher—and that means that you gradually raise the level of difficulty of the tasks so that your dog makes the least number of mistakes possible and can go from one small success to the other.”
― Clarissa Von Reinhardt, Chase!: Managing Your Dog's Predatory Instincts

“If you are out walking with your dog and you see anything he might take to be prey, it is important for you to stay calm and not become tense. If whenever you spot a deer or jogger, you startle or immediately pull the leash back, you will give your dog a signal that prey might be nearby.”
― Clarissa Von Reinhardt, Chase!: Managing Your Dog's Predatory Instincts

“In the first place you must secure his affection and entire confidence . This will be the first lesson, and nothing more should be attempted until you have completely won his heart and taught him to place the utmost confidence in you . At this tender age his mind is easily impressed , and will long retain the ideas then formed and it will take but a few days to teach him to love you with all his heart .”
― Stephen Tillinghast Hammond, Practical Dog Training: Or, Training vs. Breaking

“You should be in perfect sympathy with him and humor all his whims and notions, and endeavor to teach him that you truly love him. In a short time you will find that this love will be turned tenfold, and that he is ever anxiously watching for your coming, and never so happy as when in your presence and enjoying your caresses.”
― Stephen Tillinghast Hammond, Practical Dog Training: Or, Training vs. Breaking

“You can deliberately work with him, teaching him (learning) to handle potentially challenging circumstances at this opportune time in his life and development (self). The goal is to get one up on Mother Nature, not wait for instincts to kick in.”
― Kim Brophey, Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior

“This critical period gives us the largest window you will ever have in your dog's life to use learning to compete with the less flexible influences of genetics and the unpredictable and
complex nature of the environment, An ounce of prevention, as they say, is worth a pound of cure.”
― Kim Brophey, Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior

“The treat you gave your dog this morning for doing his little dance in the kitchen had good associations for him as he gobbled it up. That same treat caused him to run away from you when you offered it later to try to lure him into the bathtub. He's no fool. He can see the towel and shampoo bottle in your other hand and he knows what that means. Suddenly that chicken jerky you are holding reeks of a mean trick. The circumstances around a stimulus changed, so the meaning of that stimulus in the moment changed for him as well.”
― Kim Brophey, Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior

“The imbalance between genetics and a modern environment creates friction and ripple effects for behavioral health.”
― Kim Brophey, Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior

“The entire point of ritualized communication, signalling, and threatening behavior in nature is to avoid actual conflicts and altercations. To assume that warnings are just an indication of intent to harm is backward.”
― Kim Brophey, Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior

“What a disastrous dog owner I've been. What a squandering, through my soppy indulgence and inability to discipline a flea, of two marvellous dogs [who were put down].”
― Jilly Cooper, The Common Years

“I am not entirely sure that humans deserve the unconditional love of dogs.”
― Don Roff

“I don’t really understand that process called reincarnation, but if there is such a thing, I’d like to come back as my daughter’s dog.”
― Leonard Cohen

“Dogs may be a man's best friends, but the proverb says, "Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.”
― Tamerlan Kuzgov

“A DOG THAT SWALLOWS AN ENGAGEMENT RING IS A DIAMOND IN THE RUFF”
― Lynn Byk, The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch

“Without Sally he would have given up on himself. He needed that dependence, he needed that love, that feeling of being needed. Before Sally he had never known what it was to love.”
― Katerina Diamond, The Teacher

“Sally had made him feel like he was worth loving. She had shown him that the world wasn’t entirely hateful.”
― Katerina Diamond, The Teacher