Trouble-Shooting.
Some Times our dogs do not “CONFORM”
to what the books, trainers and videos say they should when it comes
to training.
It is times like this when the Owner or trainer needs to get creative to find a solution to the problem.
Every dog is DIFFERENT, just like humans, a dogs way of thinking is shaped by several things
-Instinct
-Genetics
and
-Environment.
Those three things make up how our dogs see the world, see us, and react to life and situations.
Just because our dogs have been raised in a wonderful loving home from day one does NOT mean they
will be perfect members of society or easy to train.
While it DOES help and gives a dog a good chance- it is not guaranteed.
Think of it in terms of Humans (since we can relate to other humans better then dogs)
We as a social species- are all attention seekers (YES- even you rebels who hate to admit you enjoy the company of other like-minded people)
So- INSTINCT dictates our desire to seek out human companionship (Attention)
GENETICS dictates our style (are we confident or stand-offish? cute and flirty or easy to talk to?)
and ENVIRONMENT dictates our actions (do we flex our muscles to show off our biceps? do we keep quiet untill someone notices us? do we simply jump right into the conversation?)
Many People automatically assume certain dogs have been physically abused when they cower or are fearful.
When we know this is not always the case.
Some dogs are genetically predisposed to being nervous, anxious or shy.
Many Owners become embarrassed when there dog snaps or barks at other dogs because it seems to reflect the owners failure as a good owner.
Try not to feel embarrassed if your dog does not conform to what you feel he or she “should”
some examples would be
“I don’t understand why she is suddenly aggressive towards other dogs? We have been socializing her since she was a puppy!”
Some dogs are genetically pre-disposed to Dog aggression- it DOES HAPPEN (despite what some people would have you believe.
Suck it up, and learn how to MANAGE your dogs aggression and leave it at that.
“He is Shy of children, even though he lives in our household with young children and loves them!”
Just because he has had good experiences with young children and trusts them- doesn’t give him a reason to trust ALL of them!
Just because you trust ONE man who is in his 30's with red hair and brown eyes does that mean you ought to trust them ALL?
What about women with Blonde hair? Do you trust ALL blonde haired women with your wallet?
No? of course not!
Its the same for dogs.
So, What is one to do if there dog doesn’t follow the rule book on training?
What if you want to clicker train your dog-but your dog DOESN'T respond?
What if you cant find a motivator to get your dogs attention?
What if your dog does extremely well learning how to heel- until he is around other dogs?
It Happens! And that is when we need to sit down and figure out our dogs and be fearless when it comes to making things up as we go along.
While I whole-heartedly intended on ONLY free shaping “focus” with my male- he just did NOT respond without a lure.
What if your dog is neither food nor toy motivated?
Well, think outside the box.
Does he enjoy nibbling your ears?
Does she LOVE wrestling with you?
Use these things!
Where ever you are- Use them!
My male had trouble ignoring other dogs on walks and would pull me off my feet to greet them He was not food or toy motivated in that instance, HOWEVER- he LOVED climbing into my lap
so, one day when he was ignoring me to pull towards another dog, I simply sat on the pavement.
His curiosity overcame his interest in the other dog and he ran to climb into my lap.
Even changing steps in order to fulfill you and your dogs way of learning.
Does your dog automatically start at step 2 and become confused by step 1? then by all means- bypass step 1 and go right onto step two
I have hit road blocks many a time with my own dogs, I draw a blank and feel nervous that we are doomed to fail.
Times like that I put the training on hold, take some time to myself to sit down and sort out what the problem might be, what might be causing it, and ALL the things I could do to prevent the problem or help the problem along by thinking about my ultimate goal.
Most times I find a solution in small increments, like a puzzle over the course of a few days or weeks while taking a total break and simply observing the dogs behavior.
Some times, if you cannot find a solution yourself, try bringing in some outside help Via a trainer or behaviorist- sometimes even explaining the issue to someone over the internet via a forum can help and you can get a lot of feedback form what has and has not worked for different people and different dogs.
Some times meditation can help too.
Relax, take deep breathes and work out the problems slowly- there is NO rush.
It is times like this when the Owner or trainer needs to get creative to find a solution to the problem.
Every dog is DIFFERENT, just like humans, a dogs way of thinking is shaped by several things
-Instinct
-Genetics
and
-Environment.
Those three things make up how our dogs see the world, see us, and react to life and situations.
Just because our dogs have been raised in a wonderful loving home from day one does NOT mean they
will be perfect members of society or easy to train.
While it DOES help and gives a dog a good chance- it is not guaranteed.
Think of it in terms of Humans (since we can relate to other humans better then dogs)
We as a social species- are all attention seekers (YES- even you rebels who hate to admit you enjoy the company of other like-minded people)
So- INSTINCT dictates our desire to seek out human companionship (Attention)
GENETICS dictates our style (are we confident or stand-offish? cute and flirty or easy to talk to?)
and ENVIRONMENT dictates our actions (do we flex our muscles to show off our biceps? do we keep quiet untill someone notices us? do we simply jump right into the conversation?)
Many People automatically assume certain dogs have been physically abused when they cower or are fearful.
When we know this is not always the case.
Some dogs are genetically predisposed to being nervous, anxious or shy.
Many Owners become embarrassed when there dog snaps or barks at other dogs because it seems to reflect the owners failure as a good owner.
Try not to feel embarrassed if your dog does not conform to what you feel he or she “should”
some examples would be
“I don’t understand why she is suddenly aggressive towards other dogs? We have been socializing her since she was a puppy!”
Some dogs are genetically pre-disposed to Dog aggression- it DOES HAPPEN (despite what some people would have you believe.
Suck it up, and learn how to MANAGE your dogs aggression and leave it at that.
“He is Shy of children, even though he lives in our household with young children and loves them!”
Just because he has had good experiences with young children and trusts them- doesn’t give him a reason to trust ALL of them!
Just because you trust ONE man who is in his 30's with red hair and brown eyes does that mean you ought to trust them ALL?
What about women with Blonde hair? Do you trust ALL blonde haired women with your wallet?
No? of course not!
Its the same for dogs.
So, What is one to do if there dog doesn’t follow the rule book on training?
What if you want to clicker train your dog-but your dog DOESN'T respond?
What if you cant find a motivator to get your dogs attention?
What if your dog does extremely well learning how to heel- until he is around other dogs?
It Happens! And that is when we need to sit down and figure out our dogs and be fearless when it comes to making things up as we go along.
While I whole-heartedly intended on ONLY free shaping “focus” with my male- he just did NOT respond without a lure.
What if your dog is neither food nor toy motivated?
Well, think outside the box.
Does he enjoy nibbling your ears?
Does she LOVE wrestling with you?
Use these things!
Where ever you are- Use them!
My male had trouble ignoring other dogs on walks and would pull me off my feet to greet them He was not food or toy motivated in that instance, HOWEVER- he LOVED climbing into my lap
so, one day when he was ignoring me to pull towards another dog, I simply sat on the pavement.
His curiosity overcame his interest in the other dog and he ran to climb into my lap.
Even changing steps in order to fulfill you and your dogs way of learning.
Does your dog automatically start at step 2 and become confused by step 1? then by all means- bypass step 1 and go right onto step two
I have hit road blocks many a time with my own dogs, I draw a blank and feel nervous that we are doomed to fail.
Times like that I put the training on hold, take some time to myself to sit down and sort out what the problem might be, what might be causing it, and ALL the things I could do to prevent the problem or help the problem along by thinking about my ultimate goal.
Most times I find a solution in small increments, like a puzzle over the course of a few days or weeks while taking a total break and simply observing the dogs behavior.
Some times, if you cannot find a solution yourself, try bringing in some outside help Via a trainer or behaviorist- sometimes even explaining the issue to someone over the internet via a forum can help and you can get a lot of feedback form what has and has not worked for different people and different dogs.
Some times meditation can help too.
Relax, take deep breathes and work out the problems slowly- there is NO rush.