Well-Behaved (Taught), Well-Trained, and Relationship - ???

what is the principle behind the communication you have with shadow?

I'm responding to the original post, haven't read responses yet...

I DO think there is a difference between well-behaved and well-trained.  Take my Coke for example.  He's VERY well behaved.  He doesn't bark a lot, chews only his toys, isn't wild in the house, sleeps calmly at night, goes in his crate while we are gone....BUT I don't think he's well-trained.  If he got loose outside, something really bad might happen b/c Coke doesn't have a recall, he doesn't have a command like "leave it!" or "down!" where he stops what he's doing.  I think that a dog living in a human world needs good behavior AND training in order to simply be safe.  For me, it's not enough that my dog likes my company and generally follows me around.  He doesn't know what's good and bad for him, that's MY responsibility. I need to be able to stop him from chasing a snake, greeting an aggressive dog, or running into traffic.  All of the inherent good behavior in the world is not enough to convince me that he can do this unless I train it and proof it myself.  How well trained the dog is will depend on the owner's environment and purpose for the dog.  Kenya is much better trained that Coke, but that's b/c she's a performance dog.

I personally place a high value on training b/c my dogs like to learn.  It keeps them mentally stimulated and encourages our bond.  It's also a win-win b/c it provides a great way to constantly work on socialization and manners in controlled environments.  I've heard people say "I don't need formal training, my dog is well behaved" and I honestly think that's a disservice to the dog to waste its ability like that.  Maybe THEY don't care for training, but dogs enjoy it!!  I thought Rally-O sounded really dumb but I tried it b/c one night after obedience class another handler was playing with Kenya and discovered she was already offering most of the positions.  Now, rally is our favorite thing and we are ready for competing!  You don't know until you try, and since a dog cannot speak and say "hey, I'd really like it if we try this!", we at the very least owe them a chance or two to develop their minds and their drive through training.

I guess my main question is: If my relationship with my dog is great (very satisfying to me and seemingly so to him) and he is very well-behaved, should I also require him to be well-trained? If so, why?

Yes, I think training is a must, simply because a dog is not a static thing.  They deserve to have fun and also learn the skills needed to be safe in a human world.  My dogs don't simply exist to please me, I want our relationship to be give and take.  The dogs like going to training classes and learning new skills and I owe them that opportunity.
 

lostcoyote

what is the principle behind the communication you have with shadow?

Nothing mysterious or complex, really. I let him know when he as done right or done what I have wanted or has behaved in a more socially appropriate way by marking and rewarding that and by being mindful of what reward I can offer or allow access to that is most important to him at the time. It's not always food treats. Sometimes the reward is getting to chase the toy, after performing a sit or recall. The process involves the use of a conditioned reinforcer. And he is sensitive to tone. Times that I would cuss out someone in traffic, he would cower as if he did something wrong, more so than any hands-on correction I have administered. So, verbal markers from me might not always sound the same. But the marker I use never changes. This gets him past any tonal changes in my voice, even around a mouthful of food. So, then, the verbal command becomes important, not so much, how I say it, generally.

A correction stops something but it does not always train. As opposed to leading directly to what you want.

 responding to first post:

well I'll be honest I wanted a dog for ages and what I wanted was a well-behaved pack sort of dog.   I didn't know much of training and didn't care to spend lots of time training for tricks or competition.

What I got was Bugsy.  He is independent, confident, HIGH energy, and smart (as well as powerful and large).  His 'worst behavior' issue is being too hyper when people come to the home.  We don't have a lot of foot traffic but we have worked on it since we got him and its better but its in the more work necessary column.  Other than that his behavior has been easy to manage with regard to house training, crate training, never counter-surfed or chewed up furniture or other inappropriate stuff.  He has no aggression issues or guarding issues.  Does eat critter poop but thats not anything unexpected in a dog but thankfully doesn't roll in stinky stuff. 

However his energy and intellect necessitated my learning how to train him. He investigates everything and has a powerful prey drive so needed intense recall work and 'leave it'.  We work on tricks and commands regularly to keep him busy and remind him who is in charge.  I think he would greatly benefit from agility or tracking training and competition and wish my life allowed that at this moment.  He has a need to be constantly busy or he is asleep.

So I guess my preference is for a well-behaved dog so that it compliments your life.  this may necessitate more training than you initially plan on as it did in our case.

My relationship with him:   I love Bugs and he is my heart dog.  Wouldn't change a thing about him.  Many of you said here in the early days when I was going stir crazy that the ones that push you are the ones that turn out to be your best companion were right.  Bugs has forced me to grow in ways I hadn't expected and continues to - I do think that someone else that just wanted 'a dog' would have returned him to the SPCA though..........

Our relationship is one of trust and admiration, he knows verbal and nonverbal commands and basically stays within the allowable envelope with occasional pushes past it - which I respect is a part of who he is!