Every dog needs direction

PACK LEADER / ALPHA DOG

By now most everyone accepts the idea that the dog needs a PACK LEADER or ALPHA DOG or whatever other buzz word we have decided to use this week. The simple fact is children, puppies, students etc. all need guidance and direction. We need to have a person in charge who keeps everyone on track and shows how and what is expected.

Of course our student can grow up without guidance and direction. He just learns on his own. The problem is we don’t necessarily accept what he becomes to believe is normal practice. If he stands in the middle of the table and devours the chicken it’s only wrong in your eyes. He is simply enjoying a meal that was within reach and he’d never been taught that what he did was wrong. There are obviously lots of examples but the point is WHAT IS WRONG IN YOUR OPINION IS NOT WRONG TO THE DOG IF HE HAS NEVER BEEN TAUGHT DIFFERENTLY.

Your student needs regular guidance. All parties involved need to agree on the rules regulations, and limitations expected in your environment and

have to agree to teach them and to enforce them on a regular basis. The student can’t get one message from one party one time and get no message or a completely different one from the other person at a different time or place. The same holds true for performance. A SIT or a COME can’t have a different standard of performance to different parties. All we get is a confused student. Keep it simple. Use as few words as possible. Remember your dog is learning a new language. Go slowly be CONSISTENT and PERSISTENT and with a little time and lots of PATIENCE you’ll both enjoy amazing results.

Clip and save the Trainer's Four Basic Rules. If you can accept and practice them, your training efforts and results will be easier.

THE TRAINER’S FOUR BASIC RULES

       MOTIVATION      The student always needs a reason

                                       to perform the task. This is the motivation

                                       to act. With positive motivation the student

                                       is happy to repeat the tasktask.negative                                                                                                                                                                

                                       motivation the student is reluctant to repeat the

                                       task. If the task is EASY  enough                                                                      

                                       MOTIVATION is LARGE enough the student        

                                       will learn the task.

        CONSISTENT      All parties involved in the training process

                                       must be consistent in their commands, signals,

                                       and expectations of performance.

        PERSISTENT      Remember PERSISTENCE and

                                       DETERMINATION always win in

                                       the long run. If we give up and don't complete

                                       the task we compromise and the student

                                       becomes proficient at performing the task

                                       improperly.

         PATIENCE          More dogs have been ruined through lack

                                       of patience than any other trainer's error.

                 “If the student didn’t learn – the teacher

                                   didn’t teach”