This is the first of a thread of posts I’ll be writing about the right stuff to harvest in yourself to become a good dog trainer. The first is what I consider to be the most important.
PATIENCE. This is where the trainer needs to separate herself from the outcome of training. Do not rush training. Do not take the pace of training a dog personally. The dog sets the pace, not you. Let training flow as it happens. Learn to meditate while your dog makes his decisions. Stay quiet. Don’t jabber.
The human species has a lack of patience. I’m not sure if it’s learned or innate, but we want things to happen fast generally. But biology and its processes can’t be hurried. Learning, itself, takes the time it takes. And when it comes to training our dogs, learning doesn’t take the time we want it to take, but the time our dogs need it to take.
When I help my students along with training their own dogs, with rare exception, one of the common points everyone can improve upon is stretching their patience muscles. Learn to count in a new language and practice it while you wait for your dog to respond as he’s learning a new behavior. Listen to your own breath, chose a mantra and repeat it, watch an ant crawling nearby, and out of the side of your eye, watch and wait for your dog to respond. Give him ample time to do this. Each animal has a different sliding time scale he needs to learn and respond along with. A dog that takes longer is a dog that takes longer. One who’s faster, is faster. So what? Don’t compare dogs because the dog at the end of your leash is as unique as you are. The reason the dog isn’t getting “it” isn’t because he’s dumb. One of the reasons is because the person training the dog isn’t patient enough.
So if your dog has to sit and stare off into space while he’s thinking about his next move, let him do so. As long as he’s in the game, give him enough playing pieces (time) to complete the task. But don’t miss the opportunity to reward when he does make that move. Be patient, but be on your toes!
Helen Verte Schwarzmann, contact me
Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-KA
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
Your Board-and-Train Dog Trainer for Weston, Plantation, Fort Lauderdale, Davie, and Hollywood in Broward county south Florida
Helen Verte
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