Sree called this evening to say that the vet has offered to train Yoshee, and at the same time, observe her healing at the clinic for a few more days. There are also no other dogs at the clinic right now except for the clinic's resident blood-donor dog so there is no danger of Yoshee picking up any dog-diseases.
It sounds a good idea, especially when the vet says it is better for Yoshee to be trained before going to Sree's mother-in-law. Yoshee is smart, so it wouldn't be so hard to teach her some basic obedience.
Even in the 3 days with us, we know she was already getting very at home and fast learning what is permissible and what is not. And this is without "training"!
So, that's the plan for now, and it also means I can still see Yoshee for the next few days until Saturday where she would finally go home to her forever home.
Over the bull terrier incident, dog trainers have been interviewed and I read that all petdogs should be trained regardless of breed. Dogs are train-able, and sometimes, having some basic obedience and when they are properly looked-after will ensure a better life for them as well as their owners and those who come in contact with them.
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I also have seen all the articles urging owners to 'send their dogs for training.' I think it's important to remember that most of the training is in fact for the owners. Yes, the dogs learn to sit, stay, down, come, etc., but the owners learn how to achieve good behaviour through positive behavioural reinforcement. If we take the approach that dogs must purely submit to our commands from fear of punishment, we're setting ourselves and our dogs up for failure and unhappiness. Also, training is not a one-time exercise. Training a dog is continuous and requires consistency. It's great that the vet will make a start with Yoshee over the next few days, but Sree's mother really needs to continue over the coming years, asking Yoshee to sit, stay, etc., and rewarding her when she does so. It needn't be tedious -- it can be part of a play session! :-)
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