Why the Good Citizen Award for Dogs isn't Worth the Paper it is Written On

Where does the foolishness end ?  After dozens of phone calls from owners seeking help for their out of control dogs who have earned the Good Citizen Award perhaps it is time to add my two cents.  To understand why this trend is happening one need look no further than the ideology the Good Citizen Award is aligned with.  It is the same bridge to no where ideology I continue to speak out about as it relates to meeting the relational needs of dogs.  This ideology promotes using treats, clickers while pushing the idea that dogs can learn beyond the relational boundary lines of common sense and good judgement.  Many of these calls I receive involve owners who are seeking to use their dogs within a service capacity.  The disappointment is clear once I tell them that their Good Citizen Award isn’t worth the paper it is written on and they need to begin to invest in creating relational change with their dog.  While many are relationally blind based on selling their souls to this replacement theology it is no excuse when it comes to the fact that there are major problems with how learning is being packaged.  The issue of physical response and relational disconnect is very real and more common than people realize within these feel good systems.  Trainers who are indoctrinated to learning ideology are not in tune to this issue and assume that physical response represents a like minded state.  The interpretative script which aligns with many learning models is flawed based on rejecting how a dog’s decision making process is influenced at the relational level.  While relational change does happen within any model I clearly make the connection between high fail rates and models which oversell learning theory.  In my book, Mind and Body Connection, I expose the many contradictions within this ideology while showing how learning theory is being misrepresented on many levels.  The issue of whether this misrepresentation is intentional or not is of little consequence for those who value this ideology over meeting the needs of dogs.