You might not be saying what you think...

Over the years I've run into people who tell me they’ve been training for years. We go out onto the field, and I see a dog that they have wasted years interacting with but not training. Meaning the dog is either unable or unwilling to follow instructions (commands). It takes multiple commands to get the dog to do simple tasks if they do them at all. Repeating commands and getting the same wrong response repeatedly is not good training. If you give a command and the dog doesn’t get it right, repeating it won’t help. Your dog thinks it is doing what you want. 

I feel bad when I must tell them that the dog is not trained as they think. Unfortunately, some get offended and take it that I'm saying they are a “bad trainer”.  When all I’m saying is that there is a better way to accomplish their goals. What I'm saying is that the message that they are sending is not getting through to the dog, or the dog is getting a different message than the one you think you are sending. Because if your relationship with the dog is good, they are doing what they think you want them to do. 

What most people don’t understand is like with all creatures’ body language is the most powerful way to communicate, words are lower in the order of communication.  Many people put words first, hoping the dog will read their minds and just know what the words mean. So, if you are having to repeat a verbal command multiple times to get a reaction from your dog, check your own body language as you are saying your verbal command.  As you make subtle changes to your body language your dog will begin to respond with action you want from the dog. 

Here at DTC, we teach that body language is the first order of communication and words come later when you are training a dog.  We need you to communicate with your body language as you “shape” your dog’s behavior to mimic the response you want and then you can attach a verbal cue or word.    If you are a multi command repeater, your words mean nothing more than blah, blah, blah to the dog and you will continue to get ignored.

I was blessed to learn this from a behaviorist. Marie Anne Johnson enlightened me to this knowledge, and it changed my training for the better. With this knowledge I achieved my goal of one command one behavior obedience. 

Let us help you achieve your goals, check out our training workshops.