Soft Dogs??

[Sharon]

Interested in your opinion.

I attended an excellent seminar by a well known, highly - regarded trainer on the lecture circuit.

He believes that there is no such thing as a "soft dog".
He believes that the dog assumes this positioning/ style to avoid complying just as a "head strong " dog assumes his behaviour.
This was a whole new thought to me. What do you think?

[markj]

I think some dogs like some people are "meek" timid so to speak. Each has its own "personality" seen it in horses too. Some are all fire and go, some are lazy and all slow.

[ezzy333]

Of course dogs are different just like every other spiece. Some are stronger willed and we call those hard headed and some are soft and timid. I know some say it isn't so but there is no way you can deny it if you have worked with a lot of dogs. I think some do act submissive as a way of dealing with pressure but I don't think a dog can think well enough to decide how to act to get out of work.

Ezzy

[romeo212000]

He is full of Bull. Some dogs are more timid than others. Some require more correction than others. My dog requires a stronger correction sometimes than my friends. Many times all he has to do is call her name in a sharp short tone and her behavior is corrected.

[mtlee]

He is full of Bull. Some dogs are more timid than others. Some require more correction than others. My dog requires a stronger correction sometimes than my friends. Many times all he has to do is call her name in a sharp short tone and her behavior is corrected.

My 2 are polar opposites in that respect. It takes a 2x4 to the face to get the Shorthair's attention, a strong "hey" will catch the EPs attention and he'll stop whatever he was doing.

[Rick Hall]

I think you could wear yourself out on the semantics of "soft" - or "hard-headed".

[gonehuntin']

I think you're trainer you listened too was wrong, or you interpreted what he actually said, incorrectly.

If you define a "soft dog", as simply a dog that takes less pressure to train, and a "tough" dog as one that will withstand more pressure, then certainly there are, soft and tough dog's. This has nothing to dog with how tractable a dog is or how intelligent a dog is, it is about how much pressure is applied to a dog for a specific result.

With some dog's, you can take them from beginning to end with a 6' lead and a choke collar. Others require a pinch collar and a heeling stick for minimal results. They're all different. Is there such a thing as a dog that is too soft to train? No.
Which one is more enjoyable to train, the soft dog or the tough dog? I'll take the softie every time.