Recently I was doing some math. I was looking at all of the dogs I have trialled in agility since I decided to train without physical or verbal corrections (that was in 1994). There is;
Buzz (born in 1996), DeCaff (born in 2000), Encore (born in 2004) and Feature (born in 2007).
Swagger hasn’t trialled yet so he wasn’t included in my data, but as you can see from the picture here, his start line training is well under way! This pic was taken this past weekend, I was walking a course and just left him outside the ring in a chair for 15 minutes. When I first put him there there was no one else around. Dogs and people started showing up after. I actually forgot about him after the first cookie reward. Although he did jump down to say hello to his friend Vince, other than that he was a model 6 month old puppy. Crate Games training has given him a great understanding of “do-not-move-until-you-are-given-a-release-word.”
So back to my math. If you consider how many times I have lead out from the start line in agility with all of these dogs. Knowing I never do a running start (I am just not fast enough) for every class I ran with these dogs, each of them was left at the start line while I lead out.
Now Buzz and DeCaff both had seven year careers, Encore so far has had six years and Feature three years. That is 23 years of leading out at the start line. With approximately 45 days of trailing a year and an average of 4 classes per day. That is 4,140 start lines I have lead out in agility without a dog breaking a start line. This doesn’t include the thousands of start lines I have done with these dogs while practicing sequences or doing jump grids at home or participating in workshops over the years.
Now I am not saying my dogs will “never” break a start line, after all they are dogs, but the stats so far are pretty compelling aren’t they? 4140 successes zero errors. I think the evidence shows that I have a good handle on how to train sit stays (or stand stays) without force right?
That being so, I hope you will agree with me that if a dog ever breaks a “stay” position, it is not he that should be given a verbal or physical correction because the dog is only a product of his trainer’s understanding.
So in the past at one of my workshops, when someone verbally or physically corrected their dogs I would go a bit nutso on them. I mean correcting any dog for breaking a start line is really blaming the dog because he wasn’t trained by someone that had a great understanding of how to properly use reinforcement in training right? It was unfair and I would always would jump to the defense of the dog who was taking the blame.
You can’t blame me . . . it sounds appropriate right? Well it does unless you are the student on the receiving end of my “verbal correction.” Chances are you were unlikely to ever return to another Susan Garrett seminar.
As an instructor, this is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Over the years I am certain I lost the respect of more than one student when I over reacted to their actions. Even though the trigger for me was anything the student did to disrespect their dog and my intentions may have been noble, the action I took did more harm than good in helping the dog know a better way of life.
I have several Anthony Robbins quotes I refer to on a regular basis. One of my favorites is this one;
“You can not influence someone while you are judging them”
I may not have it exactly right, but the meaning is clear; if someone feels you don’t respect them they are going to shut off from taking in your opinion. Now it doesn’t matter how talented you are, or how much good you have to share, it will all be lost the moment you disrespect the person you are trying to “help.”
Did I intentionally “disrespect” any student? No, I love to teach and I would never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings. The same is true of the student. They didn’t intentionally disrespected their dog. They are only a product of what they were taught. They likely came to my seminar wanting to learn more and I might have been able to have helped them but the moment I “corrected” them I likely lost their trust and faith in my ability to do so.
Amazing how life imitates dog training isn’t it? It always fascinates me when I see how life’s lessons transfer so nicely to dog training.
Perhaps Tony should have said
“You can not influence the behaviour of any animal while you are judging them”
Embroider that on your tug leash to read every day and see how it changes both your dog training and your everyday relationships with people.
Anytime you find yourself calling your dog a “bar knocker” or “shut down-sucky dog” or “out-of-control manic” you are judging their potential based on your limitations as their dog trainer. I know this to be true because I did it myself.
This also is true when debating dog training methodologies. All too often the differences between how you train and how you would like others to train is expressed as a judgement. There is no way we can open the eyes of those we would like to influence if we are throwing stones at them for the choices they are making. Difficult when we so want to help “their dogs” but critically important if we sincerely do want to help “all dogs.”
Today I am grateful for Speki and Buzz. Of all the dogs I have owned, these were the two dogs I “labeled” the most for their shortcomings. I now realize that these short comings were just a reflection of my limitations as their dog trainer and these dogs were only trying to help me overcome these weaknesses.
One of the really great things about dogs is that they do not want our regrets it doesn’t service any purpose to them, but our gratitude sure does.
Great blog post filled with tons of good information! On a side note, I’m giggling about the photo above the post where the gentleman sitting next to Swagger appears to be “flipping off” the camera . . . 🙂
Thank you Susan for this gentle reminder. I will be reading this again over the months. Frustration is a hard emotion to control, and certainly not one to take out on your dog. More, reading and practicing of your methods and listening to everyone’s daily problems and how to work through them offer an outlet of enormous value. I have found your website just in time for my new wirehaired vizsla puppy. I have been training in a positive way with my now almost 4year old WHV, but now I will be able to fine-tune, and hopefully help both dogs to become all that ‘we’ can be. I am very much looking forward to this coming year of training. Thanks so much again, Chris.
Susan, this has to be one of the best blog entries I’ve read. I train in Schutzhund, and while I was absolutely never sucked into the compulsive side of training it can be very hard to find a decent trainer in this sport that doesn’t believe the answer to everything is an adversive correction. Earlier in the year I broke the connection with my trainer, mainly because of his own sour attitude. He was a brilliant trainer but his people skills? Oh boy. Most times in the beginning of my learning to handle a protection dog I left the field feeling great about my dog but horrible about myself. Instead of getting taught skills and receiving encouragement, I got yelled at about everything I was doing wrong and to do things better. I had never done these things or handled my dog in this activity before so how was I supposed to do everything perfectly? It makes me really sad thinking about those lessons even now. It sucked all the fun out of what is supposed to be the most exciting part of my sport.
At the same time I want to be the best trainer in the world. 🙂 I want to learn everything from everyone. One of the things I haven’t been able to do is tap into the “clicker freak” world. Most ‘positive’ trainers are just like the old you, except they also compromise their dogs’ behavior with it. I have absolutely embraced the Puppy Peaks program and this has given me a fantastic opportunity to peek into a world that I previously felt excluded from for “doing things wrong”. We’re all trainers, we all think differently and learn differently which I think makes this so much fun
I have greatly appreciated the opportunity you have given me: to learn without judgement. I am enjoying your training and already, just one month into the PP program, I know that you have revolutionized my way of thinking about training. I hope that I can transmit this message, beside my dog, onto the Schutzhund field and get others thinking about what their training could be.
Hmm well as much as I would also like to claim to appealing to a respectful training methodology. When I fail on my journey I do judge not only the dog but also myself which leads to a spiral of failure which continues the upset etc. When one is able to take the pressure off and realise that this is just a rewarding game it makes a huge difference to the outcome. My biggest challenge is the balance between focusing my mind into “I can do well” (and really believe that) and at the same time take the pressure off the dog “To do well” (rather to just enjoy the game) – so to be competitive and have fun is a huge challenge for me!
Tank you, this is such an important aspect of teaching on any level. Very often we are so emotional when it comes to our dog, especially when there are challenges, and to be labelled disrespectful or ignorant when one is trying one’s very best is hard to handle, and it certainly does’nt create the best environment for learning.
That was an inspiring post. What I like it is how “safe” it makes me feel. Dog training can be kind of stressful for people and dogs. I’ve seen my students act with “embarrassment” when their dog reacts to another dog, or when their dog barks obnoxiously, and I sure understand those feelings! I get “embarrassed” when my dog misbehaves, and I guess that is really just an unsafe feeling, where I fear I will be judged or my dog will be judged. Human animals are so dependent of the approval of the group, social ostracism is so painful, and I have a six year old dog who used to be so incredibly dog reactive. When I would take her back and forth on the ferry, she would sometimes snark or bark at other dogs, and I got glares and stares and whispers (“she thinks she is a dog trainer?). And what a great humbling lesson. When I carry Tigerlily, she feels a lot safer and she is as good as gold, but then I would get comments such as “Cesar Millan says the worst thing you can do is carry your dog.” haha! Can’t win! Everyone has an opinion but I am the who has my dogs! We are all doing the best we can, and we all deserve to be safe. Thanks Susan!
Very true, and I might add that you can’t be influenced *by* someone (or your dog) if you are judging them. We learn by observing our own dogs and by watching other trainers. And that to be fair to our dogs and ourselves we must not get too stuck or stubborn. I’m very glad that I stepped outside my judgemental mindset and am completely on board with Recallers. Every day I wake up so excited to try something fun with my dogs.
Sorry
forgot the movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv49RFo1ckQ
This is a great movie about putting labels on a dog.
Just chance the word “kid” to “dog”.
When I see the words by the kids , I can imagine myself a dog with the same “label” and it often makes me smile 🙂 Because if you looking trough it, they are so beautifull
Marleen
Belgium
The relation with the human relations strikes me – you’re absolutely right in this!
Thank you so much for this post. This really drives home some things I’m trying to get away from and working hard on that! I’m a newbie to agility with a newbie dog who had almost no drive when I started a year ago. At varying times I’ve labeled my dog as unflattering things, partially because *I* feel terribly inadequate next to all the more veteran trainers (who have “green” dogs but know the game well!).
Recently I’ve gotten more away from feeling like this and my dog has started to open up more, gain more confidence, and she’s starting to really “get it.” We’re having much more fun and it’s showing in how we BOTH act during class.
Thanks! I have only recently started using your method with my 1 year-old Springer… what a difference from luring with food!! Also, this post helped me understand my actions for the past year or so as I struggled judging myself since I was taking classes from instructors who taught via food lures to get the dogs to work… I haven’t wanted to go to class at all and was at a loss and was about to give up on training my dogs. I felt my dog and I were being judged all the time in class! I thought I was just over-sensitive.
It took me 4 years to get a CD on my first dog, and then I found out about your method. Within 5 minutes of Crate Games I had my 1 year old trained to wait inside the crate until I released him!!
Susan, on a related note of shutting down a student what I experienced early on with most of the trainers I went to was not getting on me but disparaging my dogs. I heard over and over and over, they are Siberians you just can’t get them to do what you want, they are Siberians they don’t do agility, what do you expect they are Siberians, and on and on. It was only when I got with a lovely trainer, Bridget Mcknight, at a seminar and she said WOW what a fantastic dog, lets see what we can change to make this more fun for him that I really saw the “joy” in finding ways to train. It was because of that positive feedback that I started searching for better ways to train and found you. Crate games completely changed my understanding of training!!! I had even gone to a clicker expo previously and heard the same “its a Siberian, you can’t shape them” but Crate games proved that wrong!!! So for all trainers out there it is not just judging the person but judging the teams potential could potentially limit the joy that dog can experience in life!
Well put Jenny!
Thanks Susan. Your comments are always so inspired. I realised when I came back from my agility training on Saturday that I felt I was no longer learning from the trainer or the class. Perhaps, even I am coming to disrespect my trainer – you gave me food for thought. It was your dvd Success with One Jump that helped me have a very good wait at the start line. My trainer (who is not very much more experienced than I am) still has no proper wait at the start in trials. I realise, that one I did and that my contacts were more secure than hers, in my mind, without thinking it I have started to judge her – ooops! I did tell her that I was doing the Recallers Course (Dylan had speeded up a lot all of a sudden thanks to that) but she wasn’t interested unfortunately. But thank you so much for these comments and I think I may change Tony’s quote from your amendment of “You can not influence the behaviour of any animal while you are judging them” to “You can not influence the behaviour of anybody or animal at all while you are judging them”
Susan,
Thanks for the post, each dog we have is special and sent to us for a reason to learn life’s little lessons, being training lessons or other lessons :)) “My special one”
Since reading Shaping Success I’m very carefull about what I say about my dogs or my students. Thanks for making us better dog owners and better people.
It’s rule #1 of dog training – it’s always the handlers fault! Sometimes this is hard to remember so great to read it again – thankx.
I am interested in this concept and, wondered when you are looking at Stand, Stay and not breaking the line – do you see a difference in time required to teach this method WITH DIFFERENT BREEDS – OR GROUPS OF BREEDS?
@Diana the difference doesn’t lie so much between the breeds as much as the dogs. You can have a terrier that learns it amazingly fast and a Border Collie that doesn’t. Since all training is done in the framework of a game it doesn’t much matter; the dog is having fun, the trainer is having fun it is all good really!
Jane – GREAT IDEA!!! I love it!
Nice discussion happening in Puppy Peaks around this topic!
Been thinking – those of us who follow SG’s blog, PP n Recallers do so because we want to learn and improve our relationships with our beloved pets (and people) and put a quality into all of our lives. So here’s the thing, Victoria Stillwell has done it and Ceasar Milan has done it…..ain’t it time Susan Garrett did it and reached the masses out there that don’t realize yet that they also want to improve their relationships with their pets. Don’t you think Susan it’s time to get your own
t.v. show up and running, when you get a minute that is!!!!!! I’m excited just thinking about it.
Susan, this post spoke to me on a few levels…
First, the reminder about labels. My favorite chapter in Shaping Success is “The Danger of Labels”, I have re-read it many times!
Second, THANK YOU. I am a vet tech and constantly hear refrains of don’t you just want to yell/smack/swear at stupid pet owners? It drives me nuts, if you want to help the dog/cat you have to communicate with the owner in a way that doesn’t alienate them. Now I have a much more elegant answer for those who say that. I can also pass this knowledge on to those who I train to help even more animals. Again, thank you!
Lastly, this is a post that needs to be shared on the CAPPDT facebook group. I was a member but got so disheartened by all the negativity that I left the group. Insults and back handed comments do nothing to educate, they just make people shut down and stop listening. It is something that all dog trainers need to learn to effectively help the dogs.
I love this blog and find gems in every post, keep them coming!
Wow! I was trying to make this point to my trainer more than 6 months ago when I did not understand what my body mechanics were supposed to be for a rear cross. I even commented later to someone that she says she uses positive reinforcement but she sure doesn’t use it with her students. I’ve really struggled and struggled with feeling like no matter how hard I try, I always do something wrong. I even suggested at one point she use a clicker to click when I had the body movement right but she wouldn’t even consider it. I told her that when she tells me to do something and I repeatedly don’t do it, it’s because I don’t understand what she wants me to do. She told me that wasn’t true, that I really do understand it. Huh?
Now I am going to be a Supplemental Instruction Leader for an anthropology class at the local jr college. At orientation we were talking about how to ask a question and wait for an answer. It reminded me of shaping my dog and waiting for him to offer a behavior. We talked about rewarding right answers (correct behavior) and again I went back to what I’ve learned about dog training.
One of our goals is to break the Dependency Cycle or learned helplessness. The Dependency Cycle can be outlined by: tell them – tell them again – tell them again more slowly – give them something shiny to play with. Unfortunately a lot of teaching happens that way. The way to break the Dependency Cycle is to tell them – get them to tell each other – get them to tell.
At an agility trial this weekend where I was not the cookie, I realized how important that reward of a little ribbon is and how motivating it can be. That helped me understand why in orientation they told us to use candy, stickers, cute pencils or other small tokens – have some reward for completing exercises. I’ve been thinking of seeing if I can set up an exercise and actually use a clicker.
Jean
That was supposed to say tell them – have them tell each other – have them tell you.
Wow! Loved the blog post. Perfect timing for me, and my 2 wonderful furry kids (that I was labeling – thus hampering their capabilities). Thank you again for the generosity, sharing so much, you are improving so many lives, doggies and people 🙂
I have to say that I’m really glad that your looking at your teaching style. You made me cry two different times over the years because of how you reacted to what I was doing. Although at the time it just shut me down, I knew that you had a lot of good information to impart to me. So I have continued to follow your wisdom on dog training over the years.
12 or more years ago, I was an agility newbie and I was one of those people (shoulders not as broad as Deb’s) at a SG seminar. Seminar was informative, but I was not eager for a repeat. I actually never thought I would be following SG blog so religiously. Thank you, Susan. I am so impressed with your own growth and with your willingness to share.
My very first time at Say Yes was with my 8 year old miniature schnauzer. I went to your Master’s Handling camp. I was warned by several people that you could be harsh, but I figured I had broad shoulders and could handle it. Day one I just hung back and followed everyone else. Day two you put me on the spot and asked how I would handle a sequence. When I said what my plan was you said “Are you sure you can get there?”, of course I thought I was wrong but you told me to run it. I have you on video saying “absolutely beautiful, I couldn’t have done it better myself.” Well, just 20 minute later Jake broke his first start line of the weekend. What you didn’t know is that I didn’t know how to train it, and after 7 years of allowing him to break it, I was finally taught how to teach it by one of your instructors just 3 months before the camp. When Jake broke I put him back in a stay and shoved my hand in his face shouting “STAY”. You flew out of your chair so fast and were across the field in no time shoving your hand in my face and saying “STAY, how the hell do you like it, maybe if you trained your dog……”.
How did I interpret this? 1. You gave me lots of reinforcement for handling my dog correctly. 2. You were absolutely correct, it wasn’t Jake’s fault that he broke, I reinforced him for breaking for 7 years. The reason why this didn’t bother me is because I didn’t see you being “mean” to me, what I saw was someone that was an advocate for the dog. And that is what I always see from you, even if it is harsh. There is never malicious intent, just someone that is passionate that we are fair to our dogs.
I have told this story to several people as being my first experience meeting you and why I continue to train with you when I get a chance.
My first 2 dogs now have different start lines. Jake’s is a managed one, and I plan for him to break by walking the course starting at perfect position and where he could potentially break, and that’s OK with me….he’s over 11 now, and my Aussie has a stay because I trained it as a pup starting with crate games.
Once again, you have set a wonderful example of discussing training in a way that advances and enlightens people, without shutting them down.
Well written. Something I have to work on for sure, although I find it’s mysel I fling labels at and not my gorgeous doglet. Just because my dog broke her sit-stay today doesn’t mean I’m “s**t” or “useless” (which is what I told myself and my other half, though you’ll be pleased to know the dog got no reprimand- it was a high distraction environment, a level to which we haven’t trained yet, it was inappropriate for me to ask it of her). It just means it’s time for me to go back to basics, to find the joy again. An opportunity to learn and grow.
Labels can block us forming good relationships, not only with our dogs but with other humans too. The worst thing is when we start to believe the ones we put on ourselves. Although, looking at my dog tonight, contently flopped belly up in her bed I am tempted to use “adorable”, “companion” and “superstar”. And me, I will quite happily label myself “lucky” and “grateful” every single day.
Recently in certain circles I’ve been reading trainers who are definitely knowledgeable and wonderful people otherwise coming across as judging/elitist. Statements they would make clouded my ability to learn from their informational posts because although none of their judgements were targeted at me specifically, I felt their scorn regardless. This post is quite timely and I really hope people will take the message to heart.
It’s one I’ve been trying my best to practice since I started volunteering with my dog club (hopefully on my way to a professional career). Am I perfect? Just being aware you might come off as preachy isn’t enough, I nearly drove a student entirely away from positive methods because despite my best intentions I made her feel judged. It was a good lesson for me! I can only keep working on myself and my delivery methods.
This speaks volumes to me. I’ve felt this way many times, especially recently due to learning more and more from the webinars and blog posts you’ve been sharing with us. Thank you for this good reminder and a great blog post (as always).
Can’t say anything better than all the responses above…just thank you. :o}
Do you find that your HUMAN trainees also benefit from your decision to train them (not just the dogs) without verbal or physical corrections?
One of the things I learned from dog training was that my human high school students learn faster and more thoroughly if I use a “no-reward marker” (“not what I was looking for, thank you”) rather than verbal corrections during teaching. Letting my students work to learn–just as we let dogs work to figure out what gets them a reward–also pays off.
This is a wonderful post Susan. I turned the page to no correction training 11 years ago & have never looked back. Keep spreading the word as someone with your success is in a position to vastly influence other trainers. It hurts me deeply to see dogs still subjected to corrections & trainers that justify it with their own successes. But at what cost?
Good response Crystal. Corrections are necessary but not those that convey negative measures: however, the strength of a correction should depend on the strength of the dog’s “hardness”. Have found that receptivity to training has alot to do with positive response from dog. Young receptive dogs are more easily trained than older dogs that have never had any expectancies. Don’t mean to get strung out on this subject, but some old dogs have a hard time learning new tricks; therefore, pressure may be necessary to convey correct behavior responses in training stays.
Wow…how do you keep cranking out these brilliant posts? I re-read this one twice because so many things were running through mind while reading. Little pearls of wisdom scattered throughout, but I think “You can not influence the behaviour of any animal while you are judging them” is tatoo-worthy, as a Puppy Peaker likes to say 😀
Since hearing this at a lecture I often remind myself to think what others would say about my dogs based on what I say about them!
Great comment,Susan. I do my best with only using positive methods but do occasionally use correctives. Not because I want to, but because I find myself responding to others’ reactions to my barking dog – smooth collie, always letting me know if anything might possibly be of any concern. I personally have no problem waiting it out until he settles and responding to the positive behavior, but there is tremendous pressure from others to ensure that his vocalizations are minimized. First, there are plenty of dog-phobic people where I live, and my boy has a deep and resonant bark which often scares people who do not know them. He actually responds well under these circumstances to my reminders to “never mind.” But, a big problem I have is at dog training facilities where either barking is encouraged or my dog is judged harshly for his excited vocalizations which have previously been reinforced in similar circumstances. I was recently at an all-day seminar at a local canine club. For much of the presentation, I opted to leave him in the car so that it wouldn’t interfere with the transmission of information for which all attendees paid. I thought it was only fair. But, I thought lunch break would be a good opportunity to bring him back in to socialize him and begin again the process of training calm and quiet with being crated in the facility. He was not out of control by any means but does have “that collie bark” that seems to be notorious. I was fine with the process until I overheard one of the owners of the facility say with a curled lip of disdain “uch, that collie.” Until that point, I was excited to try agility classes at this facility since they seem to have a very dedicated and successful team. Following that comment, I felt decidely unwelcome and figured that they would be negatively judging me until he was as perfect as her golden retriever. Fact is, I’m a newbie and doing the very best that I can. I need encouragement and support as I continue to make every effort toward giving my dog the very best care, love, and training that I possibly can.
Karen, I empethize with your situation. My aussie was such a barker in obediene class. I was embarrassed and tried so many ways to correct the behavior. Rather than listing my failures and successes on that, let me tell you a couple of things I have learned. People are people and we all make mistakes. It would be disheartening to hear that kind of distain from a trainer, indeed. But even that trainer has had something to work through with their own dog, even if barking wasn’t the issue. I found that taking a moment before or after class to let the owner/trainer of the facility know what I am working on with my dog was very helpful. For me, it was my dog’s barking and reactiveness to every little thing. This clued the trainer in and challenged them to make suggestions along the way. It actually made them want to understand my dog and my desire to be a good student and trainer myself. I guess you could say that it turned the table…they came to respect me and my dog and they lost the judgemental mindset. The second thing that you must remember is what Susan always reminds us. Be patient. Be patient with your dog and be patient with yourself. You could add to this by saying, “Be patient with other people, even your teacher.” You have the opportunity to help THEM, too. Celebrate the small successes. As Susan says, find the JOY in your training as you find the joy in your collie.
Thank you for your response, Terri. Your suggestions are well-taken and your words of wisdom and chosen messages from Susan “fit” on so many levels. Your support and encouragement are also very much appreciated. Thanks again.
What a great post Susan.
How much better would we have a chance to be as HANDLERS if positive reinforcement wasn’t just for the dog portion of the agility team?
I have always loved reading your posts, but the last few posts are just fantastic (and a one-time-read is just not enough).
I do not know if I love them so much cause I have grown since recallers and pp and understand so much better (my dogs love it) or why else ..
I am always lookîng forward to your next post 🙂
Hi Susan
I think this is one of the most important point that you might make. Thank you for that. Besides all of what you do to help us be better dog trainers and adopt more efficient fun approaches for our dogs, we still have to deal (for some of us) with humans.
I always thought that you cannot be a good teacher if you do not at least try to do the things you are teaching. This said teaching dogs with positive reinforcement on one hand while not using them with the people you are trying to teach to on the other hand,is incongruent. It creates noise, background noise. It does to the people what it does to dogs it startles them and may frighten them, it diminishes their receptivity the same way it does to dogs…creates confusion just as it does in dogs.
I am sure that being who I am I would absolutely have been crushed by you going nutso on me in the unlikely event that I would have been hard on my dogs. Not that I am always the perfect model of patience but I try to catch myself. Not that I am the best trainer but I improve everyday. Or try to.The thing is for me it would have created noise, first on an emotional level but also on a rational one as in not logical…If we need to be using positive reinforcement for dogs and we do .then it should be the same for people. I have been witness to that in the “dog world” educators / trainers speaking with indignation about older methods and how we need to be more enlightened in our approach to training dogs or other animals only to turn around and demolish someone else in public without even acknowledging what they might have had to offer that was good and sound.
So Susan kudos to you for your honesty and as mentioned in a previous post, your desire to share your own learnings and insights with others in order to help everyone evolve. Mostly thank you for your own effort to be that congruent trainer who does what she teaches with her human students as well as with their dogs.
Very well said, Marie-France. Thanks for posting.
Wow. Made me cry. Brilliant post.
One of the best blogs yet – definitely one to print and read regularly!
What you have said is VERY thought provoking, but not only in relation to our dogs, but to our students or fellow students. We need to (objectively) review our own behaviour and identify the ‘teachable moments’ or the ‘gaps in our learning’ with regards to positive training…and build on that to improve our own behaviour. Taking this approach with students as well as their dogs would, in my opinion, be a win-win approach.
Very enlightening!! This is something I need to work on. Thank you for sharing.
Susan,
I read your blog all of the time but rarely comment (not because they’re not comment worthy, but because I would frequently just be echoing what others are saying). I think that one of the things that makes you a great trainer and educator is your ability to not only share your brilliant insights on positive dog training but your illuminating insights on your own behavior / actions / life – successes AND failures.
Thank you for this post – it is one more way that you’re helping us to be successful!
Thank you Jennifer for your kind words and for taking the time to write. Sometimes these things just come out, almost in an unconscious way. This one has a 3 AM special. No sense trying to sleep while this is inside me:).
I have to agree with Jennifer; one of the best things I like about everything you’ve done, Susan, is the fact you talk not just about your successes, but your failures too. In that, I know I can look at my own issues that might lead to failure and repair them up so I won’t fail.
I’ve never been so inspired to be a dog trainer as I have been since joining PP and watching your work. So thank you and I’m sure my future dog will thank you, too. 🙂
I have Been following you for a few years now. This post is one I will keep and share with all of my own students. I really appreciate all your wisdom, and the fact that you share it so willingly.
Thank You.
Thank you for this! A great reminder to see the potential, not the challenges. Not only does this apply to our dogs, but it can also be applied to how we look at ourselves in our training. Instead of saying “I can’t”, or “I always mess this up” we should be embracing what we can do and using the energy to find new ideas and a whole new mindset about what we will do.
Great reminder!!!! What seems to be even more difficult is when others “label” your dogs.
This was one of the hardest things for me when I was starting out with my first BC; newbie trainer, newbie high drive dog with some control issues but tons of potential. What did I hear over the years? – ‘boy you will be such a great team when you get it together’. But few if any offered help when they could see us struggling (except the ‘you need an ecollar’), even when I asked for it. It was in my dogs later years that we were finally connecting with people who understood the dog I had. In fact I remember after reading Shaping Success I emailed Susan with such a big thankyou – finally I had come across someone who had a similar dog (about 5-6 years ago)! I never expected a reply as I knew she was a busy person but I did receive one in just a few days. So now that is what I remember more about my dog than the label others gave him….
TY SG!
Fantastic and insightful, as always.
Wow- what an inspiring post. Thanks for the honesty and insight.
Thank you for this reminder! One can’t read or hear this enough. I am guilty of blaming my dogs for my shortcomings; but am gradually trying to become the trainer my dogs deserve.