das gut dog
how are the dogs of Berlin so good? an investigation
Hi from Berlin where I temporarily live! I am one month into my Burns Fellowship, and I have one month to go, and it is great. I am so happy. I haven’t even been to Vibali or Berghain yet*. Setting aside for a moment my individual preferences, I as a parent am feeling confused. Here, there are playgrounds on every corner. kids roam free, without censure. daycare is free, it is FREE. which has forced me to do some thinking, which has led me to the horrifying realization that… that’s been an option all along. To have free daycare. It’s a choice that a society can make. what even are we even doing in the US? (Leaving, apparently!)
Of course there are many things I cherish about the United States of America. my family is in it, for one. And I am well aware of Germany’s flaws. But it has been hard to remove my rose-colored glasses. Most of all with regard to how freakin’ good the dogs are.
There are dogs everywhere in Berlin, and they are SO GOOD. So many of them, off-leash, trotting next to their people, totally focused, totally unbothered??? This was the first thing I noticed when I landed, before the graffiti and the fashion. My fellow Fellows also commented. WHAT is going on with the good dogs?
So, naturally, I had to investigate. That investigation yielded perhaps the best work of my career. Here it is, translated back from German (after my editor took such care to translate it from English in the first place):
Germany's well-behaved pets: Dog owners, what's your secret?
Demi is a good dog. But as soon as she gets excited, she jumps at everything — humans, dogs, squirrels. And she licks everything. Not everyone appreciates this. For years, my husband and I tried to train this out of her, but eventually we gave up.
Then I came to Berlin, where dogs sit next to their owners and chill under restaurant tables without begging. They wait calmly at super busy intersections or relax on subway floors without the slightest peep. Some employees even take their four-legged friends to the office. This has completely changed my appreciation of what dogs can achieve.
My North American friends are baffled, too. Online forums are filled with questions and theories from expats: Why are dogs so well-behaved here? What's the secret? In the U.S., dogs are much more nervous: they bark, pull on the leash and jump on people. This happens on sidewalks, in parks, and, just for example, in my own home.
In a park I met an American who lives in Berlin, Marcus Riggs, whose cocker spaniel Prince is proving his talent in a repetitive loop: he trots away, then sits away, then sits, returns. Each time he gets a treat.
They trained for a long time, Riggs says. They used an extra-long leash to teach Prince to judge distances. The work has paid off. He now can run around freely -- a privilege for which owners must have the “Hundeführerschein” dog license. Animal rights are enshrined in Germany’s constitution.
Such freedom is unthinkable in the US. There, dogs are allowed without a leash only in certain parts of certain parks at certain times. They can run free less, and therefore have less contact with other dogs. Pets are legally considered to be private property. Electric shock collars and spiked “choke” collars are widely used, as well as "crate training," in which the dog is locked in a cage for many hours. This is illegal here. In the U.S., training is voluntary. In Germany, many states require dog owners to have a "Sachkundenachweis." All that adds up to a greater investment, in time and money. Having a dog here is less of a casual undertaking.
In this country, too, with a good 10 million animals (21% of households), proportionally fewer people have dogs than in the US. There, there are just under 78 million pet dogs (34% of households).
The relationship with the owner is crucial. Berlin-based dog trainer Kim Marise has noticed her American customers asked completely different questions: "Can you train my dog and give me my dog back?" She says that German owners better understand that training is not about the dog, but about their relationship with the animal.
One of the main reasons dogs behave so well: It is expected of them. This allows them to be integrated into everyday life. If they are not on the leash, it is because they have proven that they can. If they are in a restaurant, it is because they are trusted to be there. The only public place Demi has gone is Home Depot (she loved it).
After seeing Berlin's good dogs, I now know that Demi is capable of so much more. I now know she was never the problem; the problem was me. I look forward to telling her the good news.
Thank you for reading. It’s even better in the derivative German.
I also recently wrote my first book review!! The first book I’ve reviewed. For NPR, of Andrew Lipstein's THE VEGAN. I really liked it!
And we recently(-ish) published my segment of the three-part Planet Money LIVE show we put on in Big Sky, Montana this past February. It was SO much fun.
It happened because my brilliant friend and fellow Watson Fellow John runs the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center there and got the idea that we should come do a show. He had no basis for thinking this, necessarily; there was scant evidence that we, who perform a scripted narrative podcast in the safety of our studios, could or should pull this off. But he’s a genius, and we are nothing if not brave!
And Greg really likes winter sports, so.
Obviously I was a bit of a theater dork in high school (I assume you can just tell), but getting back on the stage as an adult was thrilling and terrifying. It’s not clear I was ever any good in the past, so, again, no basis for confidence. To prep, I watched lots of standup and Judd Apatow’s Masterclass.
And, not to brag, but we did so great. i’m so proud. we had it in us all along. all we needed was a robust team (Joanna! Emily! Dave! Jesse! Josh! Everyone who ran sound and lights and tech! JOHN!), some fun economic lessons (honestly not that hard to come by), and a little bit of luck.
And the reports are true, Big Sky is staggeringly beautiful. I’m so glad we got to go. it was so refreshing and restorative. We hiked and snowshoe-ed and saw animals and looked at the sky. I swam in the hotel’s outdoor pool when it was almost too cold to be safe (!)(oops). I was happy to be reminded of that special intensity that I think only comes from a group putting on a show together — trusting your colleagues with your entire dignity, pouring every last bit of yourself into the production until the end, feeling the electricity of a live audience, feeling the absolute ride-or-die for each member of your group, forever. Nothing better!!
So, as I keep telling everyone, please feel free to hire us for your next corporate holiday party, bat mitzvah, wedding, birthday party. It’s completely normal to do that!
ok that’s all for now I love you auf Wiedersehen!!!
*I have been to the Kantine am Berghain, which is the music venue, which is separate from the club, and which absolutely rules. the concert-crowd vibe here is top notch. I suspect from my exposure thus far that it’s parallel to club culture; I am preparing to investigate further.
Greatly enjoyed this essay! Just as I did your Gross book -- and working with you at BB back when all the Gross stuff was happening. I always knew you'd be a superstar. Congrats!