How would you describe a scene where a dog is being trained? What about a student taking piano lessons? Or a gymnast being coached? What might the dynamics be like between the teachers and students in those different situations? In which situations might you like to play the student? The teacher? Which ones would you not like?
“Oh, I don’t want to work on training him. I’m trying to build his trust towards me, and training would be counter-productive to that.”
I was working with a couple and their young rescue dog whom they had acquired a year earlier at the age of 3. “Dug” had become very attached to Kris, the wife, but was still wary of Josh, the husband. When Kris wasn’t home, Dug would retreat to their bedroom and hang out on Kris’s side of the bed until she got home even if Josh was home the whole time. Josh was very patient and would sit and wait for Dug to approach him in his own time if he wanted to, never forcing him to engage. When I asked what he’d worked on with Dug, he replied, “well, I make him sit sometimes and then I give him a treat.”
After chatting a bit, it became evident that Josh was straddling two worlds: one in which “training” means “do what I tell you, NOW” and the other where we are kind towards our animals and don’t pressure them to do something they may be fearful of.
But they had reached a plateau. Even after a year of doing this, there was no obvious improvement. In fact, Dug had ritualized Kris’s leaving to mean, “lie on her side of the bed until she returns. Avoid Josh.”
Josh never made an effort to make himself particularly relevant to Dug, whereas Kris played with him, fed him, took him on walks and made him feel safe. In addition, some interactions with Josh were stressful. Despite our hypothetical playbook instructing us to demand a sit from every dog we meet (that’s another blog subject), sitting in front of someone it isn’t sure of can be stressful for a dog. “Sit. SIT. SIT!” What fun is that? Do it, take the treat and leave ASAP.
What behaviors do dogs find fun and engaging? “Sit” probably doesn’t make the top ten. Or even the top hundred. What does your dog like to do? Run? Chase? Jump? Why not incorporate some of those?
Training IS a means to Trust
First, Josh confirmed to me that he was sincerely interested in building a better relationship with Dug and was willing to do the work. I want to note that sometimes the status quo is acceptable even if it isn’t ideal. After all, Josh would have to change his behaviors, and that takes effort. Many people aren’t willing to do that, and that’s okay if everybody is safe and happy.
I helped Josh modify his idea of training to mean a coach/student relationship vs. a commanding officer ordering his minions to do something. It’s a journey we travel together. Sure, we may take a leading role with a goal in mind, but we will have a willing student if our mindset is “I’m going to teach you a fun game” rather than “do this or else.”
“Gamify”
Bowling Dug
Dug enjoys chasing and treats, so I had Josh say his name happily, just once, then toss a high value treat for Dug to chase down and consume. Repeat. Josh occasionally dropped a bunch of treats at his feet. This is a very active game that can be played in many different spaces. What is Dug learning? Coming when Josh calls him. Josh is fun!
Targeting
I instructed Josh to hold his hand down low with a “pretend” treat hidden in it (fingers together). The moment Dug got close, Josh said, “yes” and tossed a treat. This is a versatile game we can play from any position – seated, standing, moving.
Besides these simple games, Josh is now feeding Dug often and sometimes turns mealtime into a fun scavenging game (distribute the kibble throughout a space). Instead of asking for a sit for a treat, he’s inviting Dug to target his hand in different positions, then tossing the treat to restart and repeat (Dug likes to jump up, so he’s learning to target his nose to a handheld high).
Check out my website to learn more about targeting, its uses, and how to train it. You might find a training video or two, too!
These were simple things to help build a relationship - and skills - and we will keep adding to them as Josh and Dug learn together.
Happy Training!
Diana Logan, CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge-Assessed
Pet Connection Dog Training, North Yarmouth, Maine
www.dianalogan.com | 207-252-9352