At Your Happy Dog Coach, I don’t train dogs…
** GASP**
Instead, I coach the human, based on their desired outcomes, to train their own dog.
Using relationship based methods and having a bond & connection with your dog is the key. When you and your dog are connected, they will want to please you, and you will help them learn how to make good choices so that you are happy with their behaviour…
And that is better than anything I could do with your dog myself!
Obedience is not the goal… teaching your dog how to make good choices, is.
We’ve all see the militant dog heeling and only staring at the handler/human and thought “Wow, that’s a well training dog! I wish my dog could do that.” But do you, really? Have you ever wondered what had to happen to create a dog that walks within inches of their humans side and ignores the rest of the world? Have you thought about whether or not that dog enjoys it, or if they are being cheated out of just being “a dog”? (There’s a bonus video at the bottom of this article you might find interesting.)
If that’s the type of training you’d like for your dog, Your Happy Dog Coach probably isn’t a good fit for you. Instead, as an ethical trainer, my focus is on your dog and your relationship with your dog, ensuring that they are as happy and relaxed as they can be, while also doing the things you value, and behaving in ways you appreciate. It is not quick and easy. It doesn’t make for exciting “life changing” content, because it takes work, patience, and consistency. but if you are willing to put the work in, an ethical trainer can give you the tools you need to create that environment for them so that both you and your dog will live happier lives together.
As our Canadian favorite The Tragically Hip says: "No dress rehearsal, this is our life"
This applies to our pups as well
Everything they rehearse becomes their life, whether they are things you want them to do or things you that drive you crazy. The more they get to rehearse a behavior, positive or negative, the more that behavior becomes the way they live their life.
Management is so important
If there is something your dog is doing that you want them to stop, you will need to manage their environment so they cannot rehearse that behavior.
This goes for food stealing or counter surfing, jumping on people or barking at the mailman, chasing birds or refusing to come back when you call them… you name it!
They more they self reward by doing these things, the more they will do them.
If you want it to stop the behaviors, you must manage the environment so they cannot rehearse them.
• Make sure there’s no food on the counter or they’re confined to another room/crate while there’s food out.
• Keep them on a leash or long lines so they cannot reach the person they want to jump on or chase the bird that’s flying away.
• Keep them away from windows so they aren’t triggered by the mailman. Manage the environment.
Once the environment is managed, you can start small, manageable training sessions to change their emotions and mindset about their triggers or teach them the appropriate behaviours you’d rather see. They need to be successful in each tiny baby step for the behaviour modification to work!
You could teach them to lay on a mat while you have food, or, teach them how to watch the birds without chasing them, or maybe see the mailman without barking, or greet people without jumping….
BUT none of these things happen immediately.
Think of it this way
Would you expect a child to be ready for the university before finishing kindergarten?
Probably not.
They couldn’t write a dissertation before even learning how to write, right?
THIS is where I come in… I can help you break things down into small, manageable steps that your dog can master before moving onto the next small step.
If they’re not successful in the small steps, how could they be successful with a big step?
I like to think of it like building a house
- A house needs a foundation first.
- Then you can add some framing.
- Next, you would put on the roof.
- You’d put in some windows.
- Then, add some shingles and siding on the outside.
- Gyproc the inside walls… but wait, before that, you need wiring. If you put the Gyproc up first, you’d just have to take it back down and add the electrical work.
- Put in the furnace.
Install the fixtures and appliances. - Add paint, and furniture.
Now, would you want live in a house that missed the step of a proper foundation?
Or a house with a roof without shingles?
Your dog simply cannot do big things without first being successful at all the other little things in order, just like building a house.
Again, this all comes down to YOU and how much work YOU put into training.
If you don’t do the work, your dogs behavior will not change.
But you don’t have to do it alone. Someone had to teach that university student how to read when they were in kindergarten. And that contractor learned from someone else how to successfully build a safe house, step by step, right?
As Your Happy Dog Coach, I can help you understand your dog, and give you the tools you need to work with them so they can meet your goals. I can show you what works, and explain why it works, assessing your dog and breaking things down into steps that they can be successful in, so that they can take bigger steps, which will ultimately help them meet your goals.
As a Family Dog Mediator, I can also explain the applied ethology behind why your dog behaves as they do, what innate behaviours they are trying to express, and figure out ways to satisfy those needs in ways that you, as their human, deems more appropriate. It’s a win, win.
Bonus:
This video is from The Mutty Professor, a trainer from the UK who is masters degree qualified (clinical animal behaviour), a peer reviewed author, and 13 years experience working professionally with dogs.