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Training for me is above all else, a passion. I can not explain the way it makes me feel when I teach a dog something that I need for it to do, or when and owner makes a connection to what they're seeing and what i'm saying. The rewards are greater than money. Makes me feel alive. So for me to say anyone could be a trainer or teacher I would say in certain circumstances. I don't think i'm a good trainer or teacher when i'm coveted by certain rules that I don't agree with. Maybe that's why I couldn't work for certain pet places. The thought of having a certain cookie cutter type of training plan for each dog just doesn't suit well for me. I think dogs are generally the same but people make them different. It's kind of a dynamic if you ask me. Since most people are different, their dogs will likely react different too. I've worked with lots of grade school teachers and they say I have unbelievable amount of patience. I say I feel you do. I couldn't do what they do. The truth is we mammals all can learn the same way. There have even been studies where clickers have been used on people to achieve better results in a mastery of a skill... and it's working. Pavlov's method has been proven to be pretty true on almost if not all mammals.
A pretty simple concept really. It can go positively or negatively. If you a see a behavior you like from your dog you will mark the behavior and then reward. A mark can be anything ranging from a verbal, to a click of a clicker. Usually when we do this process enough times your dog will offer that particular behavior to you because it has learned it is rewarding for him to do so. What also happens is you get very happy that the dog is actually learning. This also sends the feel good chemicals through the body. This experience also gets related to the dog. As they get rewarded, their feel good chemicals are going through their body. All good right? Makes sense? Sure it does. Then why is it so hard for our dog to understand when it's done something wrong? Truth is we mess this up quite often.
The art of disciplining revolves around two premises for me. When the dog messes up, do you take it personal, or do you feel yourself get emotional? Two, do you expect to know minutes later what the dog did wrong....? So timing of the discipline or "no" marker is crucial. Dogs are generally happy and want to please their owners. When we take something they did personal it makes them lose trust in us. When a dog is supposed to sit but won't you may get frustrated. Yell at the dog to sit, or say I said sit! All while your dog is showing signs of stress and now associating what was a pleasurable experience with one that is not trusting. You fundamentally change the environment when we don't discipline correctly. How to discipline correctly? Be indifferent and firm. When I say indifferent. Act like no big deal. Leave the emotions at the door. Change the tone during correcting completely fine. Firm as in move a little stiffer to the dog. Let them know they messed up. As soon as they offer you an acceptable behavior either mark it, or say good and reinforce as you get to the behavior you're trying to mark. It is important to note that if the dog is failing 5-10 times then your dog is struggling to understand what to offer. May have to start a step back and work forward a couple of times.
The best thing is that anyone can train well. If you understand that when the dog messes up it's not specifically directed at you. Your dog is not being stubborn. It simply may not value the reward, understand what's expected, trust the experience which is usually the big one, or the dog is in and environment it has not been prepped for. One note, If you find yourself in an environment your dog was not prepped for. Ride the storm. Do not let the emotions get the best of you but just stay calm. If the dog burns itself out then that's okay. What you need to do is wait. Not answering your cues, fine. Just stay quiet and firm. When the dog shows you attention, then mark the behavior.
Hope you got some value out of this blog!! If you want a form that has an introduction on the clicker training that I mention in this blog please email contact me on the web page and ask for the form!! I will send it out!
Thank you and enjoy the weekend!!