Hey Humans,
My dog jumps too much!
My dog barks too much!
My dog pees everywhere around my house--except outside!
Though I applaud each and every person for seeking training help, too often trainers get the call when it's way late in the game.
You don't usually wait until your engine is making weird noises to get your oil changed.
You don't usually try to tackle the complex parts first when learning new skills.
In dog-speak, waiting until the problem's ingrained means you're going to have to struggle through a significant learning curve with your trainer who will have only a few hours each week to:
Determine the cause of the problem
Institute a plan of action
Work with the human to help fix the problem. ...
...Because you do know trainers aren't going to the house to train the dog, right? They're going to the house to train you.
So what's the solution?
Preventive Behavioral Maintenance
Translation: Take the time to learn how to train before you need to learn how to train.
So here's your plan:
- Research and find a qualified positive reinforcement trainer.
- Make a list of five things that each dog should learn how to do. (Sit, down, stay, coming when called, etc.)
- Make a list of five things that you want to teach your dog to stop doing. (Pulling on a leash, barking at the windows, jumping on guests, etc.)
- Make a list of five things that you want to teach your dog that would be fun to train, but aren't really important or necessary behaviors. (Spins, roll-overs, waves, etc.)
Now when you start working with your trainer, have him/her teach you how to train using the behaviors from list number four. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, because you're learning how to train behaviors that aren't needed for the daily care and management there's no pressure. And as you gain experience training fun behaviors, you'll be learning a little bit about the science and technique behind training. When you have some success with that, move on to the stuff that you need to train or untrain.
This strategy works because if you have a solid training foundation, and some success under your belt, training is less likely to breakdown. So learn to train before challenges develop. It's much easier that way, and in dog-speak easy is fun.
Chris
Filed under: Dog training tips
