As dog trainers, a big part of our jobs is actually about teaching people – not just dogs. This is something that makes our jobs so fun, unique and interesting. Many people in class already understand this and know that it’s really them that needs the training, not the dog! What you might not realise, though, is that part of our learning to become qualified trainers includes studying human behaviour as well as dog behaviour, even including a teaching qualification, too. All this means that for us, as trainers, there’s a lot more to dog training than JUST dog training! This is why we wanted to write this blog – to help dog owners to realise that they’re not alone when they find there is more to dog training than they anticipated!
We often have dog owners contact us feeling frustrated with their dogs. Perhaps their dog has suddenly stopped recalling, has been destructive at home or embarrassed them with an unexpected outburst on their recent walk – there are lots of different problems dog owners might run into that prompt them to get in touch. One thing, though, that is common across the board is this – many dog owners don’t understand how their dogs are feeling, how their own feelings impact on their dogs and how to control these variables to help ensure their training is effective.
So – we wanted to help you all out! We’re going to share the biggest secret in dog training… it’s called, “s*** happens!” This is a fact of life and you can probably take this with you to help with any challenge you face, but we promise there is no avoiding it in dog training. S*** happens – and when it does, we put our head in our hands and we laugh. Dogs are nothing if not humbling! After we’ve had a good chuckle, we think about what happened and what to do next.
When things go wrong, it’s not a failure; it’s an opportunity to learn. If our dog does the exercise wrong, ignores our cue or does something we weren’t expecting, there is no use getting upset or annoyed – as long as everyone is safe and unhurt, it's all okay. Hiccups in our training are bound to happen and the best thing we can do is look at that information so we can make changes going forward – once we make those changes, the training will work! Getting annoyed is a very human thing to do but it can be detrimental to our training – trying to correct our dogs or seeming outwardly irritated can knock our dogs’ confidence, damage our relationship and undo our training. So, learning to laugh it off and move forward is best both for our blood pressure and our future success!
None of us bring a dog into our life wanting to turn them into an obedient robot – training is something we do to keep our dogs safe, help them navigate this human world they live in, strengthen our relationship with them and enrich their lives. Our dogs are living, breathing creatures and we are all learning new skills together. Who ever learnt a new skill without making a mistake? So, yes, s*** happens – it’s what you do next that counts!
To join us and be helped through those s*** happens moments join us here at https://www.bestbehaviourdogtraining.co.uk/puppy-training-classes/puppy-and-dog-training/
