Dog Training as Male Prep for Marriage

[CecilW]

Disclaimer: This post is here for it's "Hunh? Wait just a durned minute! Hmmm..." factor -- not because the author, nor Biblical Families is particularly advocating it. Enjoy, Reflect, Respond in that spirit, please.

Interesting article about dogs' intelligence: Border Collie says, in part:

A good Border Collie can be the companion of a lifetime, but only if he is paired with a clever owner who can keep him busy with dog sports -- agility, flyball, flying disc games, herding trials, obedience, tracking -- or who will teach him to do chores around the house or farm. If you want the talented Border Collie you’ve seen starring on the silver screen, be aware that it takes a lot of time and effort to keep him occupied to his satisfaction.

If you're ready to provide loving leadership to your dog, train him consistently and fairly, and give him plenty of exercise and an outlet for his considerable intelligence, then yes, the Border Collie can be right for you.

Don't underestimate that intelligence, either. This is among the smartest of all dog breeds, and one whose owners need to pay attention lest they find themselves outsmarted. Expecting a Border Collie to spend his days in the backyard and his evenings keeping you company while you watch your favorite TV shows is a sure way to create a barking, bored, destructive dog instead of the calm, well-behaved, loyal companion you thought you were bringing into your home.

Relevance? Hmmm. Training for Male leadership of the home ...

There has been some discussion about what men ought to do to prepare for marriage -- having an adequate income, housing, spiritual walk with God, understanding of headship / home leadership, etc.

That last is the most difficult, right? The place where we men tend to so often fall down.

But what if we could TRAIN for the role, learning lessons that were transferable to our new role in a family, without our mistakes taking a human toll? Sounds good, right?

So, braving the outraged yells of those who may, well, be outraged, re-read the above passage replacing the word "Border Collie" or "dog" with "wife". Doesn't it sound like good advice for anyone in leadership? Especially men assuming the leadership of a home? "You will need to provide leadership. Keep things interesting. Try to avoid boredom on the part of your family members. Don't expect things to go great if all you wanna do is come home and veg out. Be ready to outsmart the natural urge to challenge your leadership."?

Maybe we oughta start telling fellas, "Want preparation for marriage? ESPECIALLY PM?" Get a dog. Train it well. Add another, similar in age to your first. Deal with its existing problems and train it as well. NOW, and only now, consider doing the same with a real live human.

"And btw, Good Training does NOT mean to extract obedience with a stick or choke chain. It means to draw it out as an enthusiastic cooperative response due to a loving involved interactive ongoing relationship."

Oh! Hey! Isn't the latter what God does for us? Unlike the devil, who likes to put us in chains and then drive us? The former?

Except for the expected outrage at the *sigh*, well, comparison or parallel or whatever ... I kinda like the idea.

May have to get a dog myself. Maybe one of those teacup sized models that can peek outa my left-hand coat pocket, to balance the parrot on one shoulder, Sir BumbleBerry on the other (or possibly in other coat pocket, and Freddie Teddie in an infant-carry front-pack! :lol:

(Shocked? Everybody needs a family, however weird, right? *big grin*)

Uh-oh! Sir BumbleBerry just grabbed the keyboard ... :shock: :twisted:

I can see it now. BF retreats. Hoards of single women approach male attendees, all asking the first qualifying question: "Let's see your dog(s). What tricks do they do? Put them through their paces. Let's see what kinda trainer / leader you are!" Hee-hee! :lol:

 

[steve]

sorry bro,
but i cannot equate.
animals can only be empowered to do what is in the mind of the leader, whereas humans can be empowered to go where no husband has gone before. (ok, places that i had not even considered)


empowering a person to follow their dreams, i find no parallel in the animal world.

gives me some perspective on " And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. "

 

[cnystrom]

I think one difference between animals and people is that people can train themselves.

 

[eternitee]

I had a dog who trained himself. Very useful trick - he learned to open and close the latch on the gate so he could take himself in the backyard and I did not need to leave the warmth of the house on a snowy night.

 

[P. Jagger]

I would ABSOLUTELY encourage you to get a dog! I once had a border collie-mix and my goodness are those dogs a handful! I'd compare her to a child, who both needs and wants infinite interaction. Hopefully no wife is that needy :lol: but what do I know?

The "dog training" comparison is maybe offensive to some people, but I get what you're saying. I think men should be "trained" to decode women's words. "Go ahead" is a dare and not permission, for example. "Fine" means something is very, very wrong. I mean this all in good fun, but communication could always be improved between the sexes.

Do men train their wives? Every day. A husband's/father's behavior sets the tone for the home. If he is an ineffective or poor leader, the whole family suffers even IF they're submissive and obedient. Men should be "trained" to understand that, too.

Let me go one step further and ask where men/wives should receive this training. The home? Church? School?

 

[CecilW]

Let me go one step further and ask where men/wives should receive this training. The home? Church? School?

There's the rub. Clearly from watching Superman videos! :lol:

Dunno the answer. But it is worth exploring. Haviing their own fathers train them would be ideal, but where would it start?

 

[eternitee]

Nah....Superman all the way!

 

[FollowingHim]

Let me go one step further and ask where men/wives should receive this training. The home? Church? School?

Home first, supported by church. Can't ever see a school teaching anything sensible about marriage, but it would be great...

 

[Verifyveritas76]

My son is 14 and all boy. I began with both he and his sister officially in a deer blind that would have comfortably held two men. It was pretty tight in there! They were 9 & 11 respectively so I made sure it was age appropriate. Whenever possible I am trying to present him or her with situations gleaned from acquaintances or friends to analyze. For example a week ago just he & I were riding in the truck and I started a convo with him about how approximately 71% of American males between 23-30 are refusing to get married and why. It was a great opportunity to discuss desirable traits in a mate and walk/run aways in others. Also what to watch out for. Those females can be devious. He he. Just teasin, . . . sort of.
I also have scoped out the field with my daughter on occasion and used it to ask discerning questions about different boys so that she would have an idea about what was important to her dad for her mate. Teaching her to think about it like her dad would is just my first line of defense and at this point I can say it's paid off in spades.