Bombproof? What A Load Of B*******
Have you heard the term ‘bombproof’?
It’s a term that’s used a lot of in the world of rescue and something I hear when chatting with other dog guardians. I’m sure you can guess what it means when a dog is described as ‘bombproof’.
- Great with other dogs
- Great with children
- Great manners
- Great recall
- Great on the lead
- Great, great, great…
Bombproof? What a load of nonsense. That’s my polite version!
How much pressure are we putting on our dogs if we believe they’re bombproof? Please, give them a break. On a good day, we’re all bombproof. When we’re being our best selves and living our best lives, we are ‘great’ in all circumstances.
The pressure on our dogs to be their best selves 24/7 is too much. It’s not realistic and pretending that they can do this, pretending that ’bombproof’ is achievable, is ridiculous.
Check-in with your expectations. If your dog barks when you’re out, who cares? The priority is ensuring they’re safe, why can’t they express emotion when they’re out? We don’t need to ‘shush’ them – mainly because they have no idea what ‘shush’ means! If your dog doesn’t return to your recall sound, then smile, give them all the love in the world when they do come back and schedule some fun recall training into your days.
Remember why you chose to share your life with a dog. I’m guessing it wasn’t to get stressed out because they’re not operating like a robot? I’m guessing it had more to do with how freaking awesome they are as their natural selves?
So, check in with your expectations, please… and enjoy your dog!