Post by Aussienot on May 22, 2012 22:17:52 GMT -5
Here's an article I wrote for my club's newsletter on how to be a good dog training student. I've had 4 requests for reprints.
How To Get The Best Out of Class
“Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one’s self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all.” ~Thomas Szasz
If you are attending training every week you want to make the most of each class. Here are four secrets to help you be a better student of the art and science of dog training.
Good Student Secret#1 –The Only Failure Is Not Trying
Be open to learning. Embrace the opportunity to make mistakes. Try not to be self-conscious about how “good” or “bad” you and your dog look in front of the instructor or that people are watching. Don’t be embarrassed about your dog. You wouldn’t be attending class if you didn’t want help.
We all make mistakes. By exposing your problems you allow the instructor to glean some insight into why you and your dog are having troubles and to help you. Most of the instructors have been in your shoes before.
People often allow their fear of failing to hold them back. You might be embarrassed to have the worst behaved dog in class. It might be that you have had some success in the rest of your life so you feel “pressure” to have a brilliant dog.
It can be hard to talk in a high happy voice, or to act silly and play with your dog. Let go of your ego and allow yourself the privilege of being at idiot in public. Just be open to learning. We are all human. We all make mistakes. We can all learn, and we can all become better dog trainers.
Good Student Secret #2 - You get the dog you deserve.
The first time I heard this, I thought ‘Oh NO, I do not deserve this dog, he is horrible’. But I was working hard towards making him wonderful, because we both deserved a better relationship. What it means is that if you put the time and effort into training it will pay off.
If you care enough to change your dog’s behaviour you can. If you do it half heartedly, inconsistently or if you can’t be bother to try all at all, the behaviour will continue. So you do get the dog you deserve. Don’t complain about it, fix it.
Your learning curve is controlled only by how much effort you put in. Take account of where you are now in your training and set goals of where you would like to be in 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year.
Don’t compare your dog to others in class. There will always be class stars and wonder dogs, and there will always be owners and dogs who are a work in progress. I’ve had easy dogs that made me look good, and I’ve had hard dogs that made me look a fool. It was the hard ones who made me a better trainer.
In dog training, it doesn’t matter where you start. It doesn’t matter how fast you improve. All that matters is how far you progress. Persevere. Put the work in. You really do get the dog you deserve.
Good Student Secret#3- It’s Not The Dog’s Fault.
Dogs are only a reflection of our abilities as dog trainers. This is the hard part. Resist the temptation to blame the dog when things don’t go as planned in class.
If the dog did not perform as expected, you either didn’t train it to fluency or you didn’t handle with clarity.
Dogs do what is reinforcing. They are not complex. If you have proven to the dog that there is massive reinforcement for him by performing an action, then the dog will do as expected.
If the value of NOT doing the behaviour is more reinforcing, the dog will very likely fail and find his own reinforcement. Not the dog’s fault! It is a function of training.
If leaving you to zoom around the yard is more valuable to your dog than the bit of kibble you are using as a reward for the’ sit stay’, there will always be a competition with that distraction for your dog.
The best way to overcome this battle is to build value for behaviours in a distraction free area. Raise the level of distraction slowly and make sure your dog is solidly working at that level before increasing the distraction level.
Prevent access to any other reinforcement until you can be assured that your dog will respond. Use a leash or a long line until the dog responds perfectly every time even under extreme distraction.
When training in the face of high distractions, be certain you are using your dog’s highest ranking reinforcement. Hint: Class is a really high distraction.
Good Student Secret #4- Remember to laugh
Have fun with your training. Shake off the stress of the week and enjoy your class time with your dog. Laugh at yourself and your errors. Laugh at the things your dog does. Your dog likes it when you laugh.
Schedule in some play time. Make your dog’s tail wag. Cherish your dog and the time you spend together. Breathe. Remember to laugh.
How To Get The Best Out of Class
“Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one’s self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all.” ~Thomas Szasz
If you are attending training every week you want to make the most of each class. Here are four secrets to help you be a better student of the art and science of dog training.
Good Student Secret#1 –The Only Failure Is Not Trying
Be open to learning. Embrace the opportunity to make mistakes. Try not to be self-conscious about how “good” or “bad” you and your dog look in front of the instructor or that people are watching. Don’t be embarrassed about your dog. You wouldn’t be attending class if you didn’t want help.
We all make mistakes. By exposing your problems you allow the instructor to glean some insight into why you and your dog are having troubles and to help you. Most of the instructors have been in your shoes before.
People often allow their fear of failing to hold them back. You might be embarrassed to have the worst behaved dog in class. It might be that you have had some success in the rest of your life so you feel “pressure” to have a brilliant dog.
It can be hard to talk in a high happy voice, or to act silly and play with your dog. Let go of your ego and allow yourself the privilege of being at idiot in public. Just be open to learning. We are all human. We all make mistakes. We can all learn, and we can all become better dog trainers.
Good Student Secret #2 - You get the dog you deserve.
The first time I heard this, I thought ‘Oh NO, I do not deserve this dog, he is horrible’. But I was working hard towards making him wonderful, because we both deserved a better relationship. What it means is that if you put the time and effort into training it will pay off.
If you care enough to change your dog’s behaviour you can. If you do it half heartedly, inconsistently or if you can’t be bother to try all at all, the behaviour will continue. So you do get the dog you deserve. Don’t complain about it, fix it.
Your learning curve is controlled only by how much effort you put in. Take account of where you are now in your training and set goals of where you would like to be in 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year.
Don’t compare your dog to others in class. There will always be class stars and wonder dogs, and there will always be owners and dogs who are a work in progress. I’ve had easy dogs that made me look good, and I’ve had hard dogs that made me look a fool. It was the hard ones who made me a better trainer.
In dog training, it doesn’t matter where you start. It doesn’t matter how fast you improve. All that matters is how far you progress. Persevere. Put the work in. You really do get the dog you deserve.
Good Student Secret#3- It’s Not The Dog’s Fault.
Dogs are only a reflection of our abilities as dog trainers. This is the hard part. Resist the temptation to blame the dog when things don’t go as planned in class.
If the dog did not perform as expected, you either didn’t train it to fluency or you didn’t handle with clarity.
Dogs do what is reinforcing. They are not complex. If you have proven to the dog that there is massive reinforcement for him by performing an action, then the dog will do as expected.
If the value of NOT doing the behaviour is more reinforcing, the dog will very likely fail and find his own reinforcement. Not the dog’s fault! It is a function of training.
If leaving you to zoom around the yard is more valuable to your dog than the bit of kibble you are using as a reward for the’ sit stay’, there will always be a competition with that distraction for your dog.
The best way to overcome this battle is to build value for behaviours in a distraction free area. Raise the level of distraction slowly and make sure your dog is solidly working at that level before increasing the distraction level.
Prevent access to any other reinforcement until you can be assured that your dog will respond. Use a leash or a long line until the dog responds perfectly every time even under extreme distraction.
When training in the face of high distractions, be certain you are using your dog’s highest ranking reinforcement. Hint: Class is a really high distraction.
Good Student Secret #4- Remember to laugh
Have fun with your training. Shake off the stress of the week and enjoy your class time with your dog. Laugh at yourself and your errors. Laugh at the things your dog does. Your dog likes it when you laugh.
Schedule in some play time. Make your dog’s tail wag. Cherish your dog and the time you spend together. Breathe. Remember to laugh.
