False Beliefs We Have About Training Our Dogs
… And Why They Are Not True!
My dog is doing this to spite me!
My dog is too old to learn anything.
Did you see that? Fido just gave me the “Oh heck no!” look. He’s so stubborn!
Puppies don’t need training.
There is only one way to train a dog and I don’t like the way dog trainers do it.
Can All Dogs Be Trained?
We are humans, dogs are dogs. That about sums it up. At least according to a dog. To a human, it’s much more complicated than that.
Did you know this is how dogs see it? They don’t see us as feeling, emotional, rational (or irrational) beings, etc. Dogs see humans simply for who we are…something bigger than them, who they want to have around so that they can get their needs met. And every dog has different needs. Some have a need to run, some have a need to hunt, some have a need to retrieve, some have a need to please everyone and some just have a need to lay on the couch all day and watch TV. (Okay so maybe that last one is a WANT and not a NEED.)
Now, when a dog’s needs are not met, that is when they act out; become what we think is emotional, or irrational. We look at this behavior from a human perspective and say, “my dog is so stubborn.” Or “my dog does things just to spite me when I leave him alone.” When in reality, our pets are simply trying to communicate to us that they are missing something.
So, if dogs all have their own needs, then what’s the best training method?
The first step is to find what your dog’s needs are. What his “currency” is. A good, certified dog trainer can help you determine what it is that will fulfill your dog’s needs and therefore motivate them to want to learn good behaviors. Is your dog a hunting dog? Does he need space to run? Does she need a job to do every day? Does she need to be involved in some sort of nose-work or tracking exercises to fulfill her desires?
Aren’t all dog trainers the same?
Not at all.
So, how do I know who’s good and who’s not?
Here is a good article on the APDT website that will give more information about some of the common myths of dog training and how to choose a good trainer.
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/myths/
Since dogs learn differently and have different needs, it then follows that dog trainers need to be different and have different methods of teaching.
At AZ Dog Smart we help you figure out what type of dog trainer you want to be by giving you the tools to set your feet on your own path. We help you fulfill your passion in a way that meets your needs.
We have a comprehensive program to get you started!
See here…
