Pastimes
Link, one of the Australian Cattle dogs I have had the pleasure of walking, is a bundle of sweetness and energy! He's such a smart dog and has great enthusiasm for life, and he does the command "sit" very well, especially if treats are involved! He would be a fun dog to "clicker" train, as he is highly intelligent and Australian Cattle dogs love to have a "job", since herding comes naturally to them. Occasionally, Link was a bit reactive to other dogs but probably because he wanted to boss them around. I think with patience and time, Link would “heel” very well, and training him for certain “jobs”, whether it be heeling, sitting, “staying”, and anything else, would be fantastic, as training any animals, especially dogs that are bred to “work”, is really great for them mentally, as it inspires them to be creative in order to get the “reward”, whether it is a treat or a toy, depending on what really motivates them. Eventually, those rewards can be phased out, of course, but I think Link wold have a lot of fun! I know a lot of people don’t necessarily have the time or inclination to train their pet, but what is really fascinating is that training an animal actually exhausts them mentally - think of how you felt when you were in college, or had to study for a big test, and how tired (and hungry!) that made you. The same goes for the dog (or any other animal) being trained. They have to get creative and with repetition, figure out the command along with the action, to get their reward. And it’s really neat because that is how subsequent skills and tricks are learned. Sit is the easiest because dogs do it all the time; down is the next easiest one. Then, you can add on from there to the point that, if your dog is agile, can do flips, jumps, and even push around a vacuum like those youtube videos we have all seen! So, going back to sweet Link, him and I have had a great time on the few walks I have done with him, and while I don’t spend time training him (other than asking him to sit for his photo and a treat), I know he would be a total delight to train. There is something about the spark in a dog’s eye - or any animal - when they start to get creative!
3 years, 2 months ago