THIS IS TRAINING ...
Sometimes training goes beyond the basics! Here's some insights to common myths, misconceptions, handling errors, and more to improve your relationship with your dog!
THIS IS TRAINING: EMOTIONS HAVE NO PLACE IN TRAINING
Yes, I know, we all like to celebrate when our dogs succeed - but how good is that celebration really when we make a big deal over every interaction? What about handler frustration? Anger, annoyances, and reacting emotionally can be a real buzz kill to your relationship.
Emotions have a place, but they should really be reserved for big moments. Whether your dog has surpassed your expectations or has mastered a challenging exercise - now is the time for celebration. In the same stroke - reprimands and corrections (if even applicable) should be applied tactfully, with purpose, and by giving your dog a clear choice ... your dog is not a punching bag.
Drop ALL of the baggage, refocus your efforts onto the human side of the leash, and work on improving your timing, handling skills, and communication! If need be, work on mechanics and be a robot! Dogs need to be set up to succeed and not fail! Try focusing on smaller, more attainable goals rather than getting bogged down with futuristic ideals. You may be setting yourself up for failure and you don't even know it!
TRAINING IS THE ROAD TRAVELED NOT THE DESTINATION! You need to be able to adapt, detour, reroute, and even get stuck in traffic at times. Make sure to focus on the now and enjoy the ride!
THIS IS TRAINING: TRAIN THE DOG YOU WANT!
I was working with a behavior case of a dog who is not immediately everyone's friend. He can be hesitant and become frustrated by social interactions.
3 lessons into the program, he starts soliciting me for treats. Awesome! After tossing a few he begins sniffing me, inspecting my clothes, and offering eye contact. A big milestone for this pup!
Later in the session he was able to sit for me (a challenge due to vulnerability issues) and ultimately jumped and placed two paws on me. Hallelujah!
I explained to his humans that I will not be teaching him to get off of me. We had just built somewhat of a relationship and agonizing over jumping habits (right now) would set us back. They responded with "it's ok we let him jump on us!"
I explained "awesome! My little guys get to put their paws on me too!" In my household, the dogs under 20 lbs are welcome to place their front feet on me, the big dogs are not allowed unless invited.
Now, I know everyone thinks good dog training is a dog who avoids jumping, who does not get "people food", or one who never blurts a peep. But here's the reality ... who cares? I know, major shock right?
There are no cardinal rules that will unleash hell if you don't follow them. The MORE important thing is that you decide on, maintain consistency, and follow through on YOUR rules, for the dog YOU want!
With my own personal dogs, I prefer they put their paws on me so I don't have to bend as far. This also means sequestering them when I am about to head out with nice clothing (management) and putting them in a stay to greet strangers (prevent jumping in context) and ensuring I move my head when Olive comes to divebomb me. I could stop the behavior all together, but I like it - I WANT it, and if that's no one else's cup of tea... cool, I'll keep MY dogs away, no problem.
My dogs give me 110% when at a competition or in the ring, they recall like badasses, they travel well, they adapt to any environment, they will focus amongst distractions. THAT is what I value in their skills. And yes, I enjoy working on impulse control while sharing *people food* (newsflash, it's not for human consumption only, it's just food...). I rather work on stays so my dog earns a morsel than withhold food to address begging.
In the end ... remember, train for what YOU want your dog to know/learn/perform. Demand absolute excellence in the skills you are curating. Focus on behavior, impulse control, and engagement as much as obedience drills, and in the end ... it's ok to allow your dog to exhibit habits that 1. Please you 2. Don't cause behavior issues and 3. Help improve the bond with your dog. Enjoy every moment!
THIS IS TRAINING: GENERALIZATION
Generalization: taking your dog's skills and either a) practicing them in a variety of settings and/or b) utilizing skills in different contexts.
Generalization makes up 33.33333% of your dog's education! It is something that takes time and patience as your dog relearns and adapts to a new situation. Generalization is also where owners often fail!
It's a simple paradigm: the dog who learns sit in the kitchen, ONLY knows how to sit in the kitchen.
Dogs are terrible at generalizing - which often comes in conflict with their human counterparts who have evolved to generalizing machines. Give a man a hammer for a nail, he'll be wondering quite quickly how else he can apply a hammer. Next thing you know the human is smashing glass to bits, bending metal, carving, and doing all kinds of crazy things with that hammer.
As a rule of thumb, your dog needs to learn, and then relearn skills in a minimum of 5 environments before generalization can occur. This may be even more challenging for breeds which are easily distracted or lack biddability.
Photos of Lily at Home Depot during her last Private Lesson. Did you know? Our 8-12 lesson private training packages include working through distractions and applying skills in the real world!
We kept things simple with loose lead walking, wait, and settle. It helps to only work on 2-3 skills at a time when generalizing concepts. Your dog is already facing challenges in a new environment - help them out!
THIS IS TRAINING: FAMILY, FRIENDS, and MORE
Shoutout to the partners, spouses, kids, and family members who join in on training!
We have always been a family friendly establishment and welcome anyone from your home willing to participate to join in! We've had kids take over training lessons, husbands surprising their wives, spouses come to an agreement where there used to be tension over the dog.
The more people are on the same page, the more consistent things will be, and the better results you will get!
I even encourage families to make a master list of commands and keep it on the counter or fridge. This helps minimze a lot of handling errors. Is it "down" for lay down? Or "lay"? Or does it mean "get off that"? Are you using "lets go" to walk or "with me?". Is it "come" or "here" for recall?
My master list starts from the top and just keeps expanding. I keep things simple and obviously defined by simple actions.
Example:
Name = give me eye contact
Sit = put your butt down
Down = lay down
Off = get off of that
Come = move towards me and arrive
Stay = hold your position
Wait = stay behind the threshold
Etc etc etc
Consider making improvements to ensure everyone is using commands consistently in your household!
THIS IS TRAINING: BREED MATTERS
Whether you have a pure bred dog or mixed breed ... genetics are a big part of your dog's engagement, drive, motivation, and distraction levels.
Scenthounds are designed to ignore everything but odor. Guarding breeds are meant to be suspicious and protective. Sporting type dogs are very human oriented and biddable. Herding dogs are control freaks. Terriers are designed to kill, kill, kill!
Mixed breed dogs may display behaviors of the various breed or none at all! Genetic testing for breed makeup can help weed through some of the traits.
Breed matters because what works for one dog may not be appropriate for another. Challenges will vary. Only by accepting your dog's makeup can you begin working with the dog rather than against them. Understand your dog's breed traits, adjust expectations accordingly, be realistic (you can't expect the same from a Shepherd than a Golden) - you'll be surprised at how much your training and relationship will improve!
THIS IS TRAINING: DON'T WAIT ...
If your dog is showing signs of behavior issues such as fear, anxiety, compulsions, reactivity, or aggression ... the time to address these concerns was yesterday. Get on it NOW!
Unlike training, behavior modification is about addressing your pups underlying conflict to stressful triggers and situations. Only by teaching coping skills, confidence building exercises, and adaptation skills will your dog be able to successfully navigate these challenges. This takes more than just showing of your dog's obedience skills! It takes a lot of time, patience, and room for your dog to acclimate!
Behavior is influenced by more than just your dog's history - genetics, socialization, breed traits, nutrition, mental stimulation, exercise, and household dynamics / lifestyle may all contribute to your dog's reactions. A holistic approach assessing all aspects of your dog is required for long term success.
Behavior modification and handling behavior cases is not a one-size-fits all problem that is conducive to one-size-fits all approaches. Stay clear of cookie cutter training methods and ensure you tailor your approach based on your individual pup. If you need help - work alongside a certified behaviorist or veterinary behaviorist to get to the root of your dog's needs! Your dog will unlikely "grow out of it" without purposeful guidance and support ... we are seeing this with a resurgence of COVID dogs right now.
You're pup may be worse than you realize ... animals tend to hide stress, discomfort, and fear as it makes them vulnerable (and in the wild, that may mean being left behind or death). Odds are your pup was already experiencing a behavior shift before obvious outward signs are noticeable. Try to use good prevention, management, and redirection to prevent your pup from failure as you work on rewiring their brains!
