Training Quotes
This month we were inspired by this blog from Ken Ramirez in which he shares his favourite dog-training related quotes. We picked our favourites and wanted to expand on them here:
"Training is a mechanical skill” - Bob Bailey
To be a good trainer we should use our observational skills, practice regularly, and improve the timing of our rewards. The timing of the reward should be when the dog is doing the behaviour that we want and then we can use our observational skills to determine whether the distraction level is appropriate in order for our dog to succeed.
Once we have developed better mechanics, we are able to determine when and how to make training exercises apply to real life scenarios without setting the dog up to fail.
"Unlabel Me" - Susan Friedman
Too often we put a label on our dog and allow it to be an excuse as to why we can’t get the behaviour we want from our dog. Instead of trying to find a reward that your dog finds motivating, or adjusting the environment so they can focus, we label the dog ‘stubborn’ or ‘dominant’ and stop trying.
Once we let go of these labels we can begin to see the bigger picture and problem solve to create a plan for how to get the behaviour we want.
"Training is not a Luxury" - Ken Ramirez
We bring dogs into our lives and expect them to behave in a way that is unnatural to them - no barking, biting, digging, or chewing! Dogs do not come programmed to live in our homes, we need to teach them!
One puppy class is not nearly enough training! Most dogs are relinquished to new homes, shelters, or even euthanized between 8 months to 2 years of age, so we recommend continuing your training throughout the difficult adolescent months.
Training does not have to be a difficult, time consuming event. Your dog needs to eat, so portion his food for the day and use half of it to reward behaviours you want to see more of! You can also take a few minutes at the beginning, middle, and end of your walk to train on the go.
What are your favourite training-related quotes? Share them with us in the
Facebook group!