[nagdu] cooperation vs. force

[Tracy Carcione]

At first, I put Ben on tie-down at my desk in the office, but, after a
while, I saw that he wasn't going to go anywhere, so now he doesn't even
have his leash on.  On the other hand, Amba had a magnet on the end of her
nose that led her to people's trash cans, so I did keep her on tie-down
pretty regularly, though I did take it off occasionally to see if she'd
reformed her ways.  So I guess for me it depends on the dog.
When I first got Ben, I had a bit of trouble, and had trainers out 3 or 4
times.  One of them said to me "Who's in charge here!"  She was trying to
jazz me up into drill sergeant mode, but I just laughed.  It was pretty
obvious to all three of us who's in charge.  Another trainer said Well, I
hadn't broken Ben's spirit, like at least that was a good thing.  I
wondered why I might want to break his spirit.  I love his confident,
cocky self.  I love the way he trots along with his tail in the air.  I
would hate to see him cowed and servile.  And drill sergeant just isn't in
my nature; in fact, I'm getting even mellower over time.  Which is not to
say that, if Ben bumps me into a pole because he was sniffing, he's not
going to get a correction, and probably a chance to try again.
I have no objection to positive methods.  If I knew them, I'd use them. 
But the old affection and correction methods are what I know best.  And
the bottom line is, am I safe with this dog?  And then, is he reasonably
safe?  And, are we living together in a way that works for both of us? If
the answer to any of those questions is No, then I have to look around to
see if something can be done.  Otherwise, it's pretty much whatever works
for me and the dog, and that is a fluid thing.
Tracy