Over the last few years Professor DeRose has asked me to translate some of his books from Portuguese to English. Some of his books are more technical, others are more like stories, but one of my favorite so far has been one called Furry Angels in which he talks about how he educated his four legged companion.
I wanted to share with you the start of this book and later I may share one or another chapter which I consider to be important. I hope you enjoy!
Preface
Several people have suggested that I pen my ‘secrets’ to how I educated my Weimaraner to be such a well-behaved angel.
Once we decided to have a ‘four-legged baby’, Fernanda and I read Cesar Millan’s book, we studied Alexandre Rossi’s book and hired an excellent dog trainer. Therefore, I must be explicit: there are no secrets, I didn’t create any new systems of any kind.
However, even when learning from experts, who knew more about dog training than we did, it was natural for us to apply the concepts using our own approach. This is because we believe it is crucial to participate in the education of our own pet. There is no point in handing a dog over to a trainer if its humans are not active participants in the lessons. Moreover, no education works without consistency. It requires continuous, tireless, methodical and daily training. Therefore, the coherent attention that Fernanda and I gave Jaya certainly helped a lot.
I’m convinced that the excellent results we achieved with our dear daughter were also due to her own nature.
A dog’s breed contributes to certain tendencies. Some breeds tend to bark more often; others can be more aggressive, and so on. Furthermore, from the earliest days of a litter, each puppy will already exhibit its own unique personality, which is distinct from that of its siblings. As such, some of the tips I will share in this book may be more or less successful, depending on the pup.
For dogs, and humans
The tips I will suggest here should work for all mammals, although they may be more effective for some than for others. As humans are mammals, we are subject to the same principles of positive reinforcement and rewards.
The key, when dealing with dogs, children or all humans, is to cultivate coherence and consistency. For example, if a certain behavior is forbidden, it must remain forbidden without exception. If it is allowed on one occasion, and not on another, the result will confuse the subject, whether dog, child, friend, partner or employee.
I hope this book can contribute to making the world just and perfect.
The tenderness of a thousand angels
If you do not have a dog, you have no idea what it is like to wake up to so much affection in the morning. No human being is capable of saying:
“Please can I give you a cuddle? Oops, sorry I licked your face, I lost control. It is just that I love you sooo much! I spent the whole night watching over you to protect you. I observed you to know when you would be ready to receive my loving look, and maybe – who knows? – even get some attention back from you. I ask so little of you! If I could just get one look from you, I would already start wagging my tail, so you can see how happy I am to be yours, and to be able to live by your side!”
I wake up. I open my bedroom door. I say good morning to Jaya. She rests her head in my lap, as she always does when she wants some affection. She looks into my eyes with the tenderness of a thousand angels, and this wells me up, leading me to shed a tear of gratitude. And, yet, I owe her more than she owes me.
If you would like to acquire this book email me at Fabio.martins@DeRoseMethod.org