 |
Training Thoughts to Help You and Your DogThe Resource for Everything About Dogs |
|
|
|
Training Thoughts to Help You and Your Dogby Audrey Frederick
If you or your dog trainer are having difficulty training your dog to do basic or advance commands, here are a few thoughts to consider. Every dog, (like every person) is a unique creature created with a mindset that is their own. In a recent study (2006) 70 percent of the dog trainers surveyed stated that dogs do indeed have different learning-style characteristics, different levels of motivation and different preferences for either visual or auditory learning. Some of the findings have shown that dogs in the sporting, herding and terrier groups were more highly motivated, persistent and trained easily using either visual or auditory training methods. The non-sporting and working groups were motivated and persistent but were more receptive to the auditory training rather than visual training (hand signals.) The hounds and toy groups responded more to visual training and showed a good level of persistence for leaning. However, just because a certain breed of dog shows certain characteristics for training does not mean ?all? dogs of that breed are going to respond the same way. Some dogs are avid learners like some children are. Some dogs are lazy and will learn a command or two and then lose interest in learning anything more. The lazy (or non-interested) dogs need to be enticed to learn. Finding the right treat or toy that motivates this dog is the trick to getting him/her to learn and stay interested. Think about people you have known in your lifetime. Some were very smart and interested in everything, while others just seemed to learn only enough to get along. Dogs though they are not ?furry people,? can respond to learning in the same way. If you are having problems training your dog to become what you want it to be. Take a moment or two and try to understand your dog. Identify your dog?s learning preferences there is a possibility that you are using hand signals to train your pet and he/she really wants to respond to voice signals. The dog cannot tell you, but you have the ability to try both and see which works best. There is also the possibility that your dog just needs a little more motivation, maybe a better treat instead of that old biscuit. A piece of cheese or a piece of meat might bring about a whole new outlook. Also consider the amount of time you are spending on the training process. Dogs as a rule do not have long attention spans. Like children they get bored and want to do something different. Vary the commands and if your dog makes a mistake, ignore it and go on to something else, do not keep repeating the same old command over and over again. If you ever had to write, ?I will not chew gum in school? a hundred times on the blackboard, you know how boring that can be. No dog is dumb or stupid all dogs, can be trained to obey basic commands. Once in awhile it just might be the trainer and not the dog that is at fault.
Return to Index |
|
|
|
Cannot find it here? Search the internet with the power of Google: |
 |
