CONFUSION, EFFORT AND READING YOUR DOG

The biggest key to having a happy, responsive dog that enjoys training is to make all of your lessons clear to the dog, to reward effort, and to properly read your dog’s responses to the work you are doing. Be absolutely sure not to confuse a dog’s confusion with obstinance.  One measure of this is effort. A confused dog that is trying to do the right thing will often make mistakes, but they seem to be honest mistakes. Does the dog keep trying to complete the task? Is he anticipating your commands consistently? Anticipation is both a happy event, and an undesirable event. We are happy to see anticipation because it usually indicates that the dog is understanding the task On the other hand, anticipation also means that the dog is taking control of the situation, and may soon begin to feel mentally superior to you! So, when you see anticipation, it usually means that you have made your point, but now you need to make it clear that the dog must wait for your command. Once the dog begins anticipating, you can be fairly certain that he fully understands, and any mistakes are most likely the result of obstinance, not confusion. And now you must assess the dog’s level of effort. Does he appear to be truly trying to do things your way? Or is he responding half-heartedly in an effort to just shut you up? Again, reading your dog will be extremely valuable in these situations. Reward true effort, even if the dog’s response is less than perfect. Carefully correct half-hearted effort, being sure to recognize that the dog is trying. With certain dogs, you may even accept less than your standard (only a few times, however!) in order to reward the effort, then eventually return to your standard. Be careful that you don’t accept half-hearted effort often enough that the dog believes it is acceptable! Correct anticipation when it occurs, again recognizing that it means the dog is understanding.

Don’t be afraid to interrupt a training session with a fun bumper, especially if your dog is stressing. In most cases, one well-timed fun bumper provides a good reward/release, then you can get back to work. Watch your dog for an adverse response to fun bumpers; that is, he seems to conveniently forget the previous lesson. If your dog is unable to recover from fun bumpers (he can’t concentrate anymore, or the earlier lesson didn’t seem to sink in), be extremely careful in using that reward system. That dog may benefit more from withholding exuberant praise until the end of the training session.

The ability to read your dog reaches paramount importance when you are doing any kind of pressure work, or when the dog becomes confused. Making a mistake as a trainer can create problems that may be extremely difficult to overcome.

Soft dogs in particular require a handler with a strong ability to read the dog’s responses. The soft dog is usually recognized by it’s submissive response to correction. This type of dog can work well in the field if the handler will set a standard (it doesn’t need to be a stringent standard, just a consistent one!), and will keep sessions short and sweet.

Conversely, a stubborn dog needs a handler who can also recognize that characteristic, and meet it with determination and perseverance. Convincing the stubborn dog that it was his idea (to swim, to go straight through cover, etc.), while maintaining style and momentum can be the magic key to success.