--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Rin Tin Tin first became famous…" description: "\"“When Rin Tin Tin first became famous, most dogs in the world would not sit down when asked. Dogs performed duties: they herded sheep, they barked at s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/susan-orlean-2207_animal_when-rin-tin-tin-first-became-famous-mos_1972992.png" --- # When Rin Tin Tin first became famous, most dogs in the… ![“When Rin Tin Tin first became famous, most dogs in the world would not sit down when asked. Dogs performed duties: they herded sheep, they barked at strangers, they did what dogs do naturally, and people learned to interpret and make use of how they behaved. The idea of a dog's being obedient for…” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/susan-orlean-2207_animal_when-rin-tin-tin-first-became-famous-mos_1972992.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/susan-orlean-2207_animal_when-rin-tin-tin-first-became-famous-mos_1972992.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73b/susan-orlean-2207_animal_when-rin-tin-tin-first-became-famous-mos_1972992.png) > ““When Rin Tin Tin first became famous, most dogs in the world would not sit down when asked. Dogs performed duties: they herded sheep, they barked at strangers, they did what dogs do naturally, and people learned to interpret and make use of how they behaved. The idea of a dog's being obedient for the sake of good manners was unheard of. When dogs lived outside, as they usually did on farms and ranches, the etiquette required of them was minimal. But by the 1930s, Americans were leaving farms and moving into urban and suburban areas, bringing dogs along as pets and sharing living quarters with them. At the time, the principles of behavior were still mostly a mystery -- Ivan Pavlov's explication of conditional reflexes, on which much training is based, wasn't even published in an English translation until 1927. If dogs needed to be taught how to behave, people had to be trained to train their dogs. The idea that an ordinary person -- not a dog professional -- could train his own pet was a new idea, which is partly why Rin Tin Tin's performances in movies and onstage were looked upon as extraordinary.”” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dog obedience shifted from instinct to trained behavior as urban living demanded refined pet manners, popularized by Rin Tin Tin and early behavior science. **In simple terms:** Dogs learned manners to fit city life. Key Takeaway Train pets with basic obedience. Themes animal behavior urbanization training culture history Mood reflective historical educational Type anecdotal historical educational When to use this quote - urban households - pet owners - animal trainers - historical research - media influence Key Concepts conditioning social learning human-animal bond Questions to Reflect On - How did urbanization change pet expectations? - What role did media play in shaping training ideas? 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