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Monday, 22 June 2009 08:47 |
Two essential items to be brought along on training nights are sincerity and a sense of humour!
Sincerity tops the list.
Adopting a front risks missing out on so much. Dogs recognize artificial behaviour in a blink, and a false face creates distance. Dogs are uncomfortable in the presence of the unnatural and the unreal. Phoniness is not of their world—a patronizing manner belies and insults a dog’s natural openness and conflicts with the animal’s inherent freeness of spirit. Since communication must occur in a manner a dog can understand, a handlers persona must parallel the dog’s inborn tendencies to be honest, straightforward, open and positive. Teaching in a responsible, secure and positive manner results in a reliable, confident, happy worker. If training occurs from a negative, overbearing and contrived stance, confusion and isolation are the almost certain result.
A sense of humour - keeps perspective alive (and sanity intact).
Without it, capacities for forgiveness and learning are severely handicapped. Openness goes out the window. One becomes unable to distinguish between disparate behaviours as out-and-out disobedience and simple insecurity. An overly stern, inflexible individual can actually place a barrier between himself and pooch without being aware of having done so.
It’s a two way street.
Dog training is establishing communication between 2 species. The irony is that your dog already knows how.
He was born with an instinct to accede to a pack leader’s wishes!
A dog will readily and happily comply with any reasonable request.
He usually knows already how to do it.
The handler, however, must formulate the request in a manner that is understood by the dog. |
