ADVICE: The Common Sense Dog
Sometimes we want results fast. We want to lose weight fast. We want to make money fast. We want success fast, but if life teaches us anything, it’s that good things take time.
When we are working with behavioral cases, it’s important to set realistic timeframes for our dogs and for ourselves, especially if the undesirable behaviors have deep roots.
True rehabilitation is not about suppressing behaviors (this can seem beneficial at first but a band aid cannot cure internal bleeding.) It is about creating new habits in our dogs, and habits are more difficult to break and rebuild than we think.
I bite my fingernails. I have since I could chew. My parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, and just about everyone else in my life has corrected me for biting my fingernails, and I still bite them. Nine times out of ten, I don’t even know I am biting them. This is a strong habit within myself. Believe it or not, I even stopped biting them for an entire year in high school to impress a boy, but the urge was always there.
How many times do we flip the light switch when there is no electricity? How many times do we turn on the faucet when there is no water? How many times do we drive to our old address just after moving to a new home? If you’re anything like me, it’s a number you’re embarrassed to admit.
Now let’s apply it to our dogs. How many times have they pulled on the leash and gotten where they wanted to go? How many times have they growled and we gave them space? How many times have they had an anxious meltdown in the car?
It adds up, and sometimes fixing the behavior takes more than a simple correction or two. This is why board and train programs are long. It’s not because it takes trainers that long to teach behaviors. Teaching is the easy part. Making those new behaviors a habit is what takes time.
A few years back I trained a dog for anxiety and fear. After my evaluation with the owners, I felt I could fix this dog in a couple weeks. Throughout the board and train process, I learned that his issues were much deeper that I had anticipated. I tried my absolute best, but two weeks came and went and the dog wasn’t ready. I called the owners, feeling like a terrible dog trainer, and asked for one more week. He was much better by then, but still not ready. It took four weeks before the dog was making consistent good decisions.
Although I felt like a failure at the time, I understand now that there was nothing wrong with my training. My timeframe was unrealistic for the dog and myself. After those four weeks and consistent follow-up training with his owners, the dog is now a certified therapy dog and helps people all over the state.
Whenever you feel like a failure, remind yourself that training takes time and patience. Not all problems are easy fixes. Embrace the small victories and lather, rinse, repeat.
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Stephanie Vichinsky is the owner/head trainer of United K9, LLC in Post Falls. 208-964-4806
unitedk9training.com