People complain to me all of the time about how stubborn their dog is. I surprise them by saying, “That’s great!” Great? They ask, what’s so great about having a stubborn dog? Because, I say, a stubborn dog, once trained, will stubbornly do as he has been trained!
Yes, a stubborn dog is initially more difficult to train. But, look at the breed of dog used most often as service dogs, and police sniffer dogs. They aren’t the easier to train breeds like the Border Collie or Shetland Sheepdog. The breed most often used when lives are at stake is the Labrador. Stubborn, willful, hardheaded and compulsive. Yep, best dog for the job.
You don’t want a dog giving up when things get tough. Stubborn dogs don’t give up. It also means they don’t give up when they are being defiant. But, once past that stage, the stubborn dog is the best dog there is for tough jobs. Police work, Search and Rescue, Service Dog, or hunting partner. The key is getting past the defiant “make me” stage. You need patience, skill, and a heavy dose of stubbornness yourself. It helps for the owner to be at least as stubborn as the dog. If not, there could be a problem.
Dogs are stubborn for many reasons, one of them being that they think they know a better way of doing something. And the key here is, they may!
Let me give you an example. Let’s say a Guide Dog is guiding someone down a familiar street. The blind person hears the signal change and commands the dog forward into the crosswalk. The dog doesn’t move. The handler again commands the dog forward. The dog won’t go. Swearing at his lazy dog for not wanting to go forward, the handler tries to force the dog to move. The dog calmly places his body between the handler and the street and slowly starts pushing the blind person away from the crosswalk. Sound far-fetched? This is an actual test for guide dogs-in-training. A familiar street is modified to present a dangerous situation for a blind person trying to cross. The dog must disobey a clear command and refuse to cross the street. The well-trained dog isn’t always the best guide dog. The very stubborn dog frequently is. When it comes to someone’s life, it’s usually better to go with the stubborn dog who has been well trained. The always-trying-to-please types may get you killed. The less stubborn dog may initially refuse to cross the street. But, when confronted with anger or threats, may succumb to obeying even when the handler’s life is at stake.
Most of us don’t need to rely on a dog’s stubbornness to get us through the day. We see stubbornness as a hindrance, not as a asset. But, if you are consistent, clear, and at least as stubborn as your dog, you’ll not only get him trained, but, once trained, he’ll be the best dog possible at his endeavor.
