Rosebud and rePete…
Pozy Clarkia and Capella — with Harper B for Bit in the corner…
The dogs barked, the deer yawned…
And in an excellent demonstration of training, the deer simply stood there until the dogs got bored being ineffective and went off to play with each other. Well done, Deer! Ignoring behavior, when safe, is a great way to get it to stop.
Happy Sunday to you.
Dog training does not happen in weekly classes or sessions — it happens in the continuous, everyday moments of a dog’s life.
I have written about this before but it bears repeating — the microwave is a great training tool!
No, do not attempt to put the dog in the microwave! Rather, do a micro training session whenever you are using the microwave.
I do not like cold coffee and so I wind up heating coffee a fair amount each morning — the dogs know this is their clue to come to class!
Claire, Sparkle, Capella — three generations reporting to class
One of my current microwave training goals is to teach Capella a reliable down, sit, and wait.
Capella
Yes, I know she is nine months old and her siblings likely all know those things BUT she has been studying other things — like how to be a show dog.
Check out Aubrey’s jacket — the envy of all Bright Star humans!
Pozy gets quick Scentwork lessons during some microwave sessions…
Claire practices dumbbell holds while the microwave is doing it’s microwavey thing…
Everyone gets cookies when they get it right — except me. I get hot coffee…
The sessions are 30 - 60 seconds long and very effective. My dogs have learned all kinds of things while that microwave is warming up my coffee. Keep small treats handy and you will be all set…
Try it — you will be surprised at how much progress can be made in these very micro training sessions.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Getting really good at anything requires being teachable.
Moonshadow Porter with Patty. Gold Stars to Team Porter!
It seems like the farther along we get in anything, the harder it is for some to progress. I suspect one reason too many people just stay okay at something is a lack of teachability — even when that thing matters to them.
We do not lose the ability to learn! We may, however, lose teachability, which is unfortunate because being teachable is such a critical skill.
Bright Star Zuber taking a rest at agility class
Being teachable is hard because it means acknowledging to self and others that we do not actually know everything, which should not really be a surprise so I am not sure why everyone gets all defensive about needing to learn.
Dallas Nova Jr. is not too proud to learn.
Acknowledging a need to learn might also be hard because it suggests the way we are doing things is not optimal and for some reason, people seem to think it is better to keep doing it wrong than to learn how to do things better. I do not really get that but it seems to be a relatively common thing.
Life with Dogs is one of those things where people can get all defensive about their groove. It is as if the person will melt away like the wicked witch if a pail of better ideas is tossed on them.
Puzzling.
Harper B
We all need coaches and mentors and teachers, and they come in all shapes, sizes, ages, abilities, and species. Their lessons are sometimes obvious and sometimes not so much. Sometimes we learn from someone or something that passes through our life in an instant and other times it is our enduring relationships that are the crucibles of learning.
Dogs are amazingly good instructors. They hold up non-judgmental reflections of who and what we are when nobody is watching — and in doing so, invite us to learn things about ourselves.
Sometimes humans mistake the easy forgiveness of dogs for, “it’s okay — keep on being a jerk.” That is a missed learning opportunity. Just because a dog forgives us doesn’t mean our behavior was okay — it means we have been granted grace to learn and do better.
Capella
Our reactions to dogs offer clues about our teachability. When we are frustrated by a puppy, for example, it is often because we have decided not to learn.
We have made a choice that the way we think it should be done and/or the way we have always done it is the right way. This worked with our other dogs, we think, and so it should work with this one.
“You are not a nail?” Tough luck -- all I have is a hammer.
And we decide it is the puppy or the dog that is failing to learn.
Nope.