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Stay Clear Of The Training Will Fix It Trap

In response to the many comments to this Original Poster about training the a dog instead of rehoming it. I felt that it was important to put some information out there. And I wrote:


I hope this OMG adorable dog has found a lovely home willing to cater to her needs. I want to comment for community education on one massive misconception about training - And I quote from OP: "...not getting this issue trained out of her fast enough." Behavior modification has nothing to do with getting rid of behavior and certainly does not train a behavior out of an animal. In fact, that's an oxymoron.
If training is to teach and 'getting rid of is to remove a behavior... Then you consider that we never fully unlearn something that is learned... It's not possible to train a behavior away.
Now, this isn't to throw shame on the Original Poster! On the contrary, finding the dog a better home to suit her needs is THE BEST thing you can do for the dog and the family.
Please be mindful. Training is not the end-all answer. Be wary of anyone saying they can train a behavior out of a dog or even fix a dog's behavior. Behavior modification takes time, consistency, understanding, and patience.
The most successful behavior modification is observed when the appropriate environmental changes occur with the dog's welfare in mind. Unfortunately, many training techniques practiced by professionals in the dog training industry do nothing more than suppress the behavior and exhaust the dog. Please don't fall for the TRAINING WILL FIX IT trap.

I was so shocked by the number of people who bashed this Poster saying how they shouldn't have got a puppy and that they were irresponsible.


Some puppies are more challenging to rase than others. Sometimes the puppy you hoped would be a good fit for your family doesn't feel the same about living there.


I noticed some comments about how rehoming was punishing to the dog! This is so flat out miss-informed. The dog will be effected by the new environment but the fact is the dog can no longer stay in the current environment. In it’s current environment it poses a risk to the family's small children. It's easier to re-home the dog than try to educate the children, yourself, and the dog how to coexist.




My message is that although even I offer consulting that can solve some very challenging situations including this one successfully we should not discredit the most powerful tool in behavior change. That is environmental change.



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