Dog Training is Simple
By the time I'm called on to help someone "train" their dog, it's usually because the dog is doing something the guardian wishes it wouldn't, and the human wants me to help make it stop. Things like jumping up, barking, stealing socks or food. I can definitely help, but my helping almost always requires the guardian to shift their current way of thinking. You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome, right? Skepticism is something I encounter regularly. Some of the techniques I show my clients may seem a little crazy to them at first…until they see that they work (“ta-da!”). I will even go so far as to say that dog training is really very simple. But don't confuse simple with easy…If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, and I’d be out of a job.
First, let me tell you that there's nothing new to say that hasn't been said about "dog training." Nothing new under the sun at all, in fact. What's more, the words dog training mean different things to different people. People who tell me they've had dogs all their lives have some pretty ingrained ideas about what they should be doing; about what works. Others have watched videos on YouTube, read books, and spoken to friends who've given them all sorts of advice. Yet, even with all this knowledge and experience, sometimes you just need another perspective. That’s where I come in.
While I will certainly be skewered by some who don’t like the comparison of people to dogs, I’ll say it anyway: the principles of learning apply to all living creatures, be they canine, equine, feline, or human. Trainers may "brand" their systems differently, calling things by different names, but at their core, operant principles (you’ve heard of BF Skinner?) apply to learners of all species.
The first and most important thing to realize about any behavior is that dogs, horses, cats, hamsters, and people do what works. If your dog is jumping, ask yourself what they are getting out of it. How is it serving them? Attention? (even if it’s just you saying “no,” it’s still attention…). Getting food from the counter? Sneaking a better view of what’s outside the window? Releasing stress? It may not be obvious at first, but look harder, because if there were nothing in it for them/if it wasn’t serving any purpose, they wouldn’t be doing it.
It sounds so simple, but this realization remains the biggest “lightbulb moment” for people. Because, once you figure out the purpose of the behavior, instead of just telling your dog what NOT to do (if you tell your kids to “stop fidgeting,” does that ever work?), you can focus on what you want them to do instead (here’s a coloring book…), to serve the same purpose/meet the dog’s needs in a more acceptable (to humans) way.
In this series, I’ll be addressing many of the most common issues I come across as a 100% positive reinforcement trainer (including explaining more about what that means…). Actually, I prefer to be thought of as a teacher, or a coach, because helping people and dogs understand each other and speak the same language is the key to living happy lives TOGETHER.
Looking forward to seeing you in the next one. Now go make a dog smile today!