The Doggie Twilight Zone: Something Really Weird is Going On!

I suppose I'm dating myself a bit with a reference to the Twilight Zone.

Once upon a time it was not only a popular TV show (admittedly before even MY time), but it also became a part of our language and culture.  When something would seem upside down, or completely bizarre in nature, one might make a reference such as 

"Is this the Twilight Zone?"

Maybe you get it, maybe you don't.

Either way, as I look around the world of dog ownership I'm seeing some pretty characteristic stuff that warrants a "twilight zone" reference.

But first, let's talk about health and money.

HOW TO BE WEALTHY & HEALTHY

Want to know why there are so many books out there on wealth and financial success?

Because there are a lot of people who want more money!

So in their quest to achieve greater financial success, they consume material that will help them in their missions.  Often times those books, that content, is created and provided by someone who has already achieved what the person hopes to achieve for themselves.  They understand that if they want to have "X" amount of money in the bank, they should probably observe, learn from, and model their own behavior after the person who has already done it.

Understanding the value of such modeling behavior, those producing content to help others make more money will share every detail of their life.  Morning routines, diet, what fabric their underwear is, etc, are all outlined for others to observe.  This is because they themselves have learned that if you want to have what someone else has, you probably need to learn from them and do what they did.  

Maybe wearing the same underwear is irrelevant, but you get the idea.

Needless to say, when it comes to the world of financial growth and success, the concept of learning from, and modeling your own behavior after those who are successful at it is typically not up for debate.

The same goes for health & fitness.

People wanting to gain muscle and improve physical performance will go to great lengths trying to implement every detail of what someone they identify as having accomplished what they desire, does on a daily basis.  This has actually lead to many people running into problems as in the context of health and fitness, there are a lot of variables at play and often just because one person does "thing A" or "thing B" doesn't mean that those things will work the same way for another individual.

This requires a bit more knowledge and understanding of how the human body works to identify exactly which habits or "things" are responsible, and more importantly, transferable, to another individual hoping to achieve the same results.  That is a bit different from the money context, but nonetheless, the same overlying principle applies.  

Do what those who are successful do, and do NOT do what those who are successful do not do.

You would think someone is joking if they said they hope to be wealthy, then in a FB group for financial advice, they brag about how they just leased a new car way outside of their income means.  They go on to talk about how they put hundreds of dollars into playing lotto every month, and how they really like eating out as much as possible.  

Imagine if they constantly spoke about all the things they are doing, and all those things are the exact OPPOSITE of what nearly every financially successful individual does.

Let's look at the health and fitness example.

Imagine someone in a FB group for how to lose fat, increase muscle, and live a longer healthier life, is posting about how much they love eating at McDonalds.  They then go on to constantly ask questions about how they are having problems losing weight, BUT they don't want to stop eating a pint of Haggen Daz ice cream every night.  Just for the record, I have an ice cream problem myself, and admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, so yeah, I have a problem.  Anyway, what would you say to them or at the least, what would you be thinking?

How on earth can somebody who wants to be fit and healthy, not understand that eating pints of ice cream, not exercising, and generally doing the exact OPPOSITE of all those who have achieved success at transforming their lives, is a major problem?!?!

Let's be honest though...

How often do you see such examples?

Rarely...

Why?

Maybe there is that thing called logic and common sense that gets in the way.  People know that their habits are part of the problem, and they know if they want to change the results they should change the process, and that process should look like those who have already been successful at it.  You won't see too many people having meltdowns because they think they should still be able to have shredded abs while drinking copious beer nightly, or demolishing entire pizzas all week long.   They know what the deal is.

At this point, you're probably nodding and almost bored as you agree with everything I'm saying, and have no idea how I'm going to bring this back to a dog-centric topic.

Let me ask you this...

Ever been in a dog group on Facebook?

How about one of those "breed specific" groups on Facebook?

Do you see where I'm going with this yet?

WELCOME TO THE DOGGIE TWILIGHT ZONE

While people know that if they want to be fit and healthy they should model the behavior of those who are fit and healthy, and if they want to be financially stable and secure they should model their behavior after those who are financially stable and secure...

Go into a Facebook dog group and watch in awe as THOUSANDS of dog owners, who have zero control over their dogs along with endless behavior problems, will INDIGNANTLY do the exact OPPOSITE of what those who have been successful with their dogs do.

Seriously, it's so bizarre and so common, it can make you question reality.

Or at least question the fate of our society considering how many people are this absent of logic and reason.

If you want your dog to behave like the dog owned by the dog trainer, why would you brag about doing the exact opposite of the dog trainer?  Why would you flat out attack them on social media when they give you suggestions of what you could change?

Does it make sense to attack the personal trainer, who beat their own battles with junk food and being overweight, when they tell you to eat less junk food and exercise more?

Then why, every day, are dog owners who are having serious problems with their dogs, rejecting literally ANYTHING that comes from those who have successfully avoided or resolved those problems in countless dogs on their own?

Scary isn't it?

I spend time in some of these groups as it's a necessity for my job in working with and helping dog owners.  I need to know as much as possible about their challenges and even more so, their aversions to doing the things that will actually help the dog.  While suffering through the experience, I see some very disturbing examples on a daily basis, of the upsidedown world that is consuming much of dog ownership.

Here's an example...

I don't know a single dog trainer, dog handler, competitive dog owner, real dog enthusiast, or basically, ANYONE who has a well trained, obedient, healthy, and well-behaved dog, that "free-feeds" their dog (that means leaves full food bowl out 24/7).  

Not a single damn one.

Yet if you see someone asking for help with their dog's behavior, and you find out they are free feeding, and you suggest that is one thing to address, holy shit, look out!

Keyboards from all over the globe will be smoking as hundreds of dog owners, none of whom have anything even resembling control in their relationship with their dogs, will be viciously defending the practice, that literally NOBODY in the world of dog training partakes in.  (here's an article I wrote about free feeding if you want to know why)

Let that sink in for a moment.

Everyone is literally doing the opposite of what good dog trainers do, then asking for help about why they can't control their dog.  Give them meaningful and effective advice, and they will try and crucify you via bandwidth and modem.

Can someone please tell me anywhere else this type of behavior exists?

I've honestly never seen it before.

You don't see people with broken-down cars arguing with mechanics about why they don't need to change their oil to keep the car running correctly.

You don't see people with diabetes arguing with doctors with vitriol and hate, about why they should be able to binge on candy and pastries daily.

Yet every day, dog owners who have serious behavior issues with their dog, will indignantly do the exact opposite of those who have zero behavior issues or those who have successfully resolved any previous issues with MULTIPLE dogs.

Many dog owners have dogs who will freely use aggressive behaviors to control the behavior of the humans around them.  While labeled as "protective" many are instead possessive, treating their human owner as nothing more than another toy or bone to claim ownership of.  When its discovered that the human allows the dog to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, and showers the dog with unsolicited and never-ending affection, the cause for the problems becomes very clear.

Then there is the presentation of some solutions.

Tell them that they need to re-evaluate the relationship they have with their dog and you might as well spit in their eye....with a COVID 19 goober.  At least, that's how they will respond.  It doesn't matter how many dogs you have helped overcome their behavior issues.  It doesn't matter how many owners you have helped change their relationships with their dogs permanently and with great success.

Nope...

Instead, they will flip out when the person with the proven track record of success, and the dogs who behave the way they want their dog to behave, says something.

Then when people who have dogs just as poorly behaved, or worse, give input, you will see responses like...

"I'll definitely have to try that!"

HUGE TIP FOR TRAINING YOUR DOG

You're not supposed to point out a problem without providing a solution.

The problem at hand is a collection of all sorts of typical issues dog owners face.  From destructive and aggressive behavior to simple failure to teach the dog to reliably come when called, here is one HUGE tip to help you...

Don't do the opposite of the people who demonstrate the results you want.

Life-changing advice right there....

You're welcome

All sarcasm aside, think about it.

If you want to improve on anything in life, find those already doing it with success.  I mean REAL success, not fake edited highlight reels of success.  That might take a little bit of work on your part to validate their background and results, but work is part of any worthwhile journey.

In the meantime, if you want to join a group where the only mission is to get you and your dog in the right path, head over to Operation Dog Advice for Dog Owners.  I created that group specifically in response to the massive amount of potentially dangerous advice I see given to dog owners daily. 

That won't happen in my group.

Not EVER.

Click HERE to join other dog owners getting the help they need.