When to Mark: Identify a Moment of Pride
That exact moment will depend on the dog. For some dogs, simply starting the recall without even a blink towards the cookie will signal success to the owner. For other teams, the owner will not be convinced that their dog might not change her mind until she is directly in front of the owner.
WHEN that moment is does not matter. What does matter is teaching the owner the skill of observing and responding to their unique dog. Developing that skill, in turn, will naturally improve the owner's timing, since the root of dog training is paying attention, not following a trainers instructions about how to handle each incidence of behavior.This approach changes the locus of control over the exercise from the trainer to the dog handler. Now the handler is responsible for observing their dog's actual behavior and monitoring it against their internal reaction, as opposed to simply following instructions and treating their dog as the subject. The dog is not a subject. The dog is their pet. And the most valuable thing that a trainer can do for a student is to help them learn to love, know, and appreciate their pet.
How Many Times Were You Proud of Your Dog?
And when the handler simply misses the boat altogether, and ignores the dog's correct behavior?
Ask them "Were you proud of your dog when he ignored that other team and turned back to you instead?" That's a gentle reminder to pay attention and to acknowledge their dog's good choices.And at the end of class, for fun, it probably wouldn't hurt to ask people how many times they were proud of their dogs on that day. It should be a pretty big number. Which sends the handler home thinking they have a good dog who they can be proud of. Really, what else could a trainer want?
Try it. It's works.
If you want to pick up my "Distraction Training Guide" for trainers teaching group classes, you might as well grab it. It's free so…why not? The feedback on these classes have been phenomenal . Students become very bonded to both their dogs and to each other. That means they return for more and more classes, and they want to progress on to more challenging training, which certainly won't hurt your business! If you're running one of these classes, feel free to comment below on your experiences.
Denise Fenzi has titled dogs in obedience (AKC and UKC), tracking (AKC and schutzhund), schutzhund (USA), mondioring (MRSA), herding (AKC), conformation (AKC), and agility (AKC). She has two AKC obedience champions, perfect scores in both schutzhund and Mondio ringsport obedience, and is well known for her flashy and precise obedience work.
While a successful competitor, Denise's real passion lies in training dogs and solving the problems that her own dogs and her student’s dogs present. She is a recognized expert in developing drive, motivation, and focus in competition dogs, and is known internationally as an engaging speaker and an expert in no force training for sport dogs. She has consistently demonstrated the ability to train and compete with dogs using motivational methods in sports where compulsion is the norm.
In addition to training and speaking, Denise is a prolific writer. You can find her at www.denisefenzi.com where she maintains an active blog on all things related to dog training. She is also an active writer on facebook; follow her there to learn more about her range of interests in addition to dog training. Denise and Deb Jones have recently finished a four book series, "Dog Sports Skills" which has recieved widespread acclain in the dog sports community. In addition, she has written additional books on her own, including "Train the Dog in Front of You", "Beyond the Back Yard; Train Your Dog to Listen Anytime, Anywhere!" and, for the younger audience, "Blogger Dog, Brito!" Several of these books have won Maxwell awards for Best Training and Behavior book from the Dog Writers of America.
Denise thoughtfully and persistently works to break down the barriers that prevent people from obtaining a truly interactive and mutually enjoyable sport relationship with their dogs. Fenzi Academy is the culmination of her efforts as a forward step in providing progressive information to any trainer who wishes to learn.
Author's recent posts
Play with Dogs: Play for Everyone!
October 27, 2020- August 31, 2020
