Recently I was hired to teach English as a second language. My pupils? Chinese children. The classes are English immersion. Some of them children can converse reasonably well. Others? This is their first experience with a new language and every lesson is a steep learning curve.

 

Not even five classes in, I started making connections to dog training.

Our dogs don’t understand English. When we train, we are not only teaching them to learn in our primary method of communication (the spoken word), but also the language itself.

That is a lot.

Let me say it again. That is a lot.

And most dogs do a pretty darn good job of learning despite trainers with less than stellar skills. Which is pretty darn amazing. They change and adapt to us. Even when we’re not that good at our job as an “English Teacher”

Overall I often feel as if clear communication is becoming a lost art in the age of constant communication. We say more words and but stop to think about them less.

Going back to the basics and realizing that each time you speak, you are causing another individual to learn is rather eye opening and mind boggling. It certainly makes me think more about the message that I am conveying.

So what do we convey to our dogs when we train? Did we break it down enough that they truly understand? Are we adding extra words or keeping things as clear as possible so that they can learn? Are we consistent?

Language and learning follow so many of the same principles regardless of if you’re teaching children or dogs. If you want to be a better trainer, become a more precise communicator.