Just like People dogs have a pattern with learning. Understanding how they learn in the first place will help you take your training to a new level.
The following stage of learning is when the dog learns something new
This stage is where you need to teach them what is expected and how they can correctly answer. This stage is typically the hardest part because in this stage is communication.
You need to be very clear with what you are expecting and teach them how to respond. If the communication is not there, the new skill will not be understood.
I like to think about it like this: If you start a new job or college class, the teachers expect that you lack all the knowledge, so they start from the very beginning -- I like to call it 101.
BUT for you to learn, the teacher NEEDS to know HOW to teach it.
Look at yourself as the teacher and the dog as the student. They are completely clueless to what you are going to teach them. You need to really think about how you want to accomplish the training.
With every training session, sit and think about your dog.
Answer some of these questions
* Calm to hyper?
Let’s use the following:
When you go to the doctor and you are in pain they give you a scale, right? let’s scale this down.
1. Puppy: Ty
pically, hyper with zero attention
2. Moving up: they will glance at you for a millisecond
3. Getting better: I like to call it the head tilt. BUT if something goes by running or in a fast motion, ultimately losing their attention.
4. Toddler stomp: They are focused on you but not 100% they stay with you but lose focus if they see something they want. They might move their paws up and down like they are walking or running but do not actually go.
5. Got it: They will sit in front of you and really focus on you. Nothing in the world matters except what you are trying to communicate. Typically, this is a place where training has been consistent with a sit and stay or focus training (I will have some blogs up with ideas and tricks) to get their focus.
Now that you have an idea of where they are attention-wise, you can decide on the best place to start the training.
1-4: They need to have a room with little to no distraction. You need to be the only thing they see and hear. This will make sure they are putting all their brain power into you and only you.
Now we know where to train.
Now we need to think of how to train.
Use a thinking map as I like to call it.
This is very basic but an example of the process.
Now, how are you going to get them from stand to butt. Here is where you think it though.
Are you going to guide them with your finger (A.K.A Lure)? Are you going to wait until they do it
naturally (A.K.A capture)? or are you going to break it up into steps (A.K.A Shaping)?
Will you use a food or just praise? If food, what reward schedule do you want to use? Consistent or intermittent? Or a little of both?
I can go on with the questions to ask yourself but that would be a new blog.
Tomorrow make it a point to think of something you can train your dog to do. How would you communicate to them?
Come back to see the next blog I write about stage 2 learning.