Failure and Success
You have decided to help your dog. You
are seeking help from a qualified expert.
Now, how do you make sure you don't fail
your dog?
Maintain consistency
Get the entire family/room mates
on board
Be objective
Maintain realistic
expectations
Make use of the qualified
expert
Maintain consistency
Being consistent is not just a matter
of deciding to do so. Why?
- Its takes practice and awareness and
being ruthlessly committed
- A change of our own behavior takes
time (but its easier to change our own
behavior than a dog's).
- Sometimes we get lazy. Why do we get
lazy?
- Lack of motivation,
- Sometimes not recognizing when
we need a break, (that's when our
family members should gently steer
us away)
- Frustration (review expectations
which are causing frustration).
What are the ways we can help ourselves
become more consistent?
- Making lists and keep a log
- Keeping contact with a trainer
- Finding ways to motivate ourselves
such as e-groups, etc.
- Include the entire family in decisions,
plans, and celebration of progress
- Acknowledge we need break; when
we push too hard, our family members
should gently steer us away
- Review expectations which are causing
frustration
(Top of
page)
Get the entire
family/roommates on board
Some groups are better at this than others.
What are the ways of keeping everyone
motivated?
- Involve all in classes or consultation,
include the entire family in decisions,
plans, and celebration of progress
- Need to discuss the seriousness
of the situation
- Divide up responsibilities
- Encourage other family members to
do one area of research about your
dog's problem
- Discuss progress and problems regularly
with family
- Lower the expectations you have
of children
- make time for fun with the dog
Ask yourself what happens when one person
in the group sabotages training? This
is a common complaint and one of the biggest
challenges there is. If there is inconsistency
this can be detrimental to your dog's
progress.
Be prepared for family members to be
inconsistent and find ways to tackle
the issue. Is there consistency within
your family structure to work through
it? Do you ban that member from having
anything to do with the dog? The solution
will be unique to your family dynamics.
(Top of
page)
Be objective
Objectivity talks about the problems
of emotions and emotional responses interfering
with our training.
- Losing tempers and behaving irrationally
equals weakness in dogs eyes
- Our feelings can cause us to push
for things when we would stop
- Our feelings can result in our giving
up when everything becomes too hard
- Our feelings can interfere with
us from taking needed breaks from
our dog
- Guilt can cause us to "cheat",
coddling a fearful dog, focusing on
the "victim" instead of
the dog's problems, making excuses
- Unable to be objective about our
own behavior, and how our dogs perceive
us
Objectivity can also talk about not
seeing the problems for what they are
- coddling a fearful dog,
- focusing on the "victim"
instead of the dog's problems,
- making excuses
- misinterpreting behaviors such as
a dog who puts his feet on you, a
dog who leans on you and gives you
a push, etc. [1]
How can we remain objective and non
emotional?
- Making lists
- what are our desires goals
- what are our desires responses
to specific behaviors
- discussing it with the family
ahead of time
- finding support from others in
similar situations
- egroups,
or other Internet forums
- other clients
- seeing a trainer to assess how
our dog may perceive us
- reaching out when it gets too much
- researching dog behavior (see resources)
- acknowledging we are human, and
may not being seeing things clearly
- Giving permission to other family
members to help us remain objective
- Give credit t yourself for being
proactive about your problem
- Put aside judgment thinking
(Top of
page)
Maintain
realistic expectations
- We expect the dog to get something
faster when training them, or we demand
too much our of training sessions
and keep pushing
- We try to work teach them too many
things at once.
- We don't demand enough and allow
the dog to get away with things because
we feel guilty. Sometimes we give
a "good boy" or a treat
when its not warranted because we
fall for those baby browns.
- Sometimes we get impatient when
the dog misbehaves because we think
we have shown them something a hundred
times already!
Why do we let our expectations
get too high?
- a desperation to fix our problem
- public pressure,
- thinking a dog is capable of more
than he is, projecting human qualities
on them, etc.
- we haven't got an expert to let us know the speed things should progress
Why would a program not work?
- family inconsistency
- some other activity may be interfering
- conflicting messages
- corrections not strong enough, or
rewards not rewarding enough
- We are rushing behavior modification causing more anxiety and problems
- We are following an ineffective program
- Our dog is seriously beyond any kind
of help (this should be decided with
a veterinary behaviorist)
. See prognosis.
(Top of
page)
Make use of the
qualified expert
The consultant is there to teach you.
If things are not going as you hoped and
you are putting your all into it, there
is probably a reason for it that can be
tackled.
In most cases a truly qualified expert
should be able to give you some guidance
on how fast your dog should be able
to learn, and give you some sort of
schedule. If you are experiences problems,
the consultant should be able to pinpoint
what is going on in your unique situation
that may be hindering your dog's progress.
Don't be afraid of contact your consultant
over the training period anytime you
are concerned.
(Top of page)
References
[1]
Special Report, Early
recognition and prevention of canine aggression
Cornell University College of Veterinary
Medicine Animal Health Newsletter by Cornell
University College of Veterinary Medicine
Animal Health Newsletter, 53 Park Place,
New York, NY 10007, http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/aggression.htm
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