Dog Training Enthusiasm

I love seeing motivated students. They get the most out of their dog training lessons: lessons are scheduled; appointments are kept; homework is diligently applied; supplies are obtained; attitude is excellent. Sometimes I see students who try to get ahead of the homework. That is usually a mistake. Proper technique has to go hand-in-hand with enthusiasm to get the best results…

I saw this yesterday. We are early into the lessons. They were trying to do more than we have worked on so far, and it wasn’t working. Fortunately, I don’t teach harsh methods, so the things they tried produced no harm. That could be, however, a disaster if working with a trainer who uses harsh methods. I see this sometimes with people who work with dog trainers who specialize in using electric collars. These homemade approaches make things worse, and we have to fix what they have damaged.

In my lesson yesterday, I showed them the proper techniques, worked on them together, and now the dogs are doing more than they were the previous day… correctly. The owner was surprised how easy it was for me, and when they started doing it correctly, it started working for them, as well.

Enthusiasm is great energy. It just has to be channeled properly.