Dogs have the mental capacity of a toddler.
There is a very good reason we don’t let toddlers decide the shopping list, use a credit card, or plan their family’s daily schedule. If that were the case, you’d likely have three bouncy castles delivered from Amazon by noon and be eating ice cream all day! Life would be chaotic and unhealthy!
Because we recognise the lack of good, informed decision making by toddlers, we don’t give them the authority to make important decisions. We made those decisions for them, and they have to follow along. That is an essential part of the parent-child relationship.
So, in recognising that our dogs also do not have the ability to make good, informed decisions, we need to apply the same principles. Stop giving your dog a vote in the important decisions throughout the day regarding where and when you walk, what they eat, the appropriate way to greet guests, etc. – make informed decisions for them and provide them leadership to follow you in those decision. You will all be better off for it.
