K9 Musings

Communication. It’s important. REALLY important.

But how much time do we spend building a foundation of solid communication with our dogs? How do we work to perfect our abilities to be precise, consistent and have good timing? How much time do we spend analyzing behavior and learning how to read – and listen to – what our dog is saying? If we want to go far with training, our foundations of communication must be solid.

We tend to want to jump into our chosen pursuit with a new dog. It’s natural – we’re excited to start unlocking their potential and get them started on their journey to our eventual goal.

But if we don’t take time to build a framework of good communication with our new dog, we won’t be starting on a solid foundation. While we may have some good early success, we won’t have nearly the amount of tools to work with when we get a few months down the road and hit a few of the inevitable bumps. If we understand good communication, we’re going to see the bumps earlier and may be able to avoid them somewhat. Because we’re reading our dog and listening to what they’re telling us. Or, on that day at training where everything goes wrong, we’ll be able to step back, come up with a solution AND communicate it to our dog.

We’ll understand that the responsibility falls on us to break things down, to tweak our approach. We’ll understand how to work on a level where our dog can understand and learn. And we’ll have a good “language skills” in place to do so.

If you look at any well trained dog and successful trainer, they’ve got their timing mastered. In my opinion, on a basic training level, it’s the understanding and best use of timing more than the method that yields favorable results in training.

While I personally use and promote the benefits of reward based training, if you don’t have and use the foundations of communication, those rewards are often ineffective. On the other hand, while I don’t chose to use correction based training, there is no doubt that some people have had some good success with it due to their understanding and use of timing in their training. Because dogs learn through clear and consistent communication.

So work hard and focus first on building that foundation for everything.

In my rabbit trail though process tonight, I was reminded of my introduction to this breed I have come to love.

It was at the Firestone farm in Greenfield Village. I was probably 7 or 8 and there for the day with my family. Walking through the farmhouse, there was a little black and white dog curled up under a table. My brothers and I looked, but otherwise ignored as that’s what we’d been taught to do with dogs we didn’t know.  We asked her owner a few questions and then watched their wool spinning demonstration.

A few other kids entered the room, made a beeline of the dog and were promptly told by the owner to leave her alone as she was a working dog.

A few minutes later, they got up to take the dog to a quiet area of the barn and invited my family to come along (it pays to have good dog manners!). We watched the little dog in action working sheep and I was enthralled.  And then we went and petted lambs.

Nearly a few decades later?  I’ve owned the sheep, raised the lambs, processed wool every step of the way from shearing to finished garment.

Then there’s the dogs. They’ve been my right hand partners and companions for over 15 years now. From barn checks at 2 AM, to collecting and holding the sheep while I wormed and vaccinated, to putting on demos for school groups, to keeping me company through the long boring hours of college homework, to searching for missing people and being ambassadors for working dogs. They’re the best.

In the world of dog training, comparison can either be a helpful motivation tool or an albatross around your neck.

It can cause us to become better or it can lead to excuses.

It can give us a bar to aim for or it can give us a target to tear down.

It can make us a better trainer or overwhelm us.

So how do we use it to our advantage? Here are some do’s and don’ts that I try to follow –

Do find a trainer that you can respect and learn from. Watch and emulate what you respect and keep track of your progress.

Don’t assume that they are successful due to their breed of choice or their current dogs. Good trainers can make a mediocre dog great and have experienced a multitude their own disappointments, frustrations and setbacks which helped make them the trainer that they are today. Remember that the master has failed more times than others have even tried.

Do understand that each dog is different. While there are many areas that you can use as a general guideline, your dog isn’t going to check all the boxes at the same time as a friend’s dog

Don’t make excuses for your dog based on the differences. Your dog is who they are. Become the best version of that. You have brought that dog into your life and have chosen to work with them. Recognize the differences and figure out how to work with them on their level.

Do celebrate successes – when your dog is above average, enjoy it! It’s an amazing experience and should be recognized as such.

Don’t think less or different of those who aren’t in the same current position as you are. Some day you might have the reactive dog, the one who is sidelined due injury, or the one who frustrates you to tears. Or you may have the “easy” dog while they have the “hard” one.

Do let it push you to become better.

Don’t let it steal the joy of the journey.

Do let it show you what is possible.

Don’t let it cause you to place unrealistic expectations on yourself or your dog.

Do compare your former dog training self with the one you have become today.

Don’t expect your current dog to be a carbon copy of the ones that you’ve had in the past.

In summary, if you are a motivated, challenged and better version of yourself through comparison, you’re using it correctly! If you are becoming discouraged, complacent, or conceited – STOP!!

Comparison is a tool in your dog training toolbox. You don’t have to use it but, if you do, learn to use it wisely in your journey to developing the best partnership possible with your dog and version of yourself.