This was my best session with Bud, training him to “sit” and to “stay’ and to a lesser degree, to “come,” which is getting very good at. I’m speaking less, I’m more confident, I’m visualizing what I wand and projecting it, and Bud is mastering all of the distractions of the pasture.
Teaching him to “lie down” will be quite a challenge.
For an 18-month old dog with no kind of training in his life, I am very pleased with our seventh day of training. My training is two or three times a day in short bursts. I have not been so happy with my training, I feel good about it today.
To this end, I am looking at my own video and e-mailing them to trainers I know and respect, and they are giving me feedback, I am also looking at my videos and critiquing myself. There is a lot to criticize, but I feel we are both getting a handle on working together. I’ve never trained a terrier before, and it is way different than training a Lab or border collie.
I’ve kept to the track on positive reinforcement, which is important. Bud looks forward to working with me, it is fun and there are many rewards (more and more, I’m backing off the food). He never leaves the session feeling anxious or like a failure.
My professional trainers are encouraging me to be sparing with my words, to mix up the signals, to turn around and change the dynamic. Today, Bud and I clicked, we were in sync, I could feel it, and to be honest, this is great progress for a traumatized dog who came to us three weeks ago.
And for a sometimes anxious and impatient human like me. This us also it great progress for me. Bud is a great dog, smart and willing. It’s my job to make it work and never blame him.
Today, I felt the best I have yet felt about my training Bud. When you do this in public as I do, you invite everyone in the world to chime in and offer their opinions.
Some are very good and helpful, others not to much. It’s important to sort through what is helpful.
And people do, of course, become very wedded in their own ideas, which is not helpful.
I think many people lose sight of the fact that every dog and every person is different, and because something worked for them and their dog, doesn’t mean it will work for me and my dog. We are all different, we live in different environments and bring different baggage to the table.
I have a lot more emotional issues than Bud does, and if you don’t really know me, you can’t really know how I should train a dog, and if you don’t know the dog or my family, or the donkeys and sheep and other dogs, the same thing applies.
Bud trains in a very unusual environment, with donkeys, border collies, sheep, chickens and barn cats just a few feet away. It is good to train him with those many distractions, if challenging. His head is always turning.
But I see his focus grow every day. How many people train a dog that way, or should?
When we got Bud, I was warned by the rescue group to keep him away from cats. I was told he was “not good” with cats, and it was good to have that warning.
But the first thing I did was bring him to the cats (and donkeys) on a leash, he lunged at Flo once or twice and got a bloody nose out of it, Minnie paid no attention to him when he came at her. They all get along famously now. You have to get them a chance to succeed, rather than just anticipate their failures.
Dogs are the great adapters of the animal world. That’s why humans treat them so well. I need to trust my dogs in order for them live well with me.
But I have picked up some valuable pointers from people online, and I’m grateful. I appreciate my trainer-mentors very much as well. But I always have to pick and choose thoughtfully, because almost everyone in the dog world believes they have all of the answers.
So take a look, I think if you look back to the beginning, Vol. 1 and 2, on You Tube, and look at today’s video, you will see some progress in me and Bud. For me, training never ends. I learn something about my dogs every day, and I learn something about myself every day.
I take very seriously my responsibility as a steward to show my dogs how to live lovingly and peacefully in our world. Terriers have their own agenda, it is not always mine.
I am respecting Bud for his patience and intellect. We will make a great team, in training and in life.
Jon,
I attended a dog training seminar and the trainer gave a useful tip I want to share. She doesn’t feed her dog in the morning, but uses the kibble as training rewards. That way the dog doesn’t get too many treats.
Great job with Bud. I am thinking of adopting a dog after being doglegs for over three years.
I am enjoying your blog again. Hope you will take another trip to NM and share it with readers.
No money for New Mexico..we’ll do a one-nighter somewhere nearby…
Bud is doing amazingly well! You too with fewer words. LOL
In my dog training class, they suggested using the dog’s name when you wanted him to DO AN ACTION, as in “Bud, sit.” “Bud, come.” ‘Bud, heel.” ‘Bud, down.” But you DON’T use the dog’s name when you DON’T want him to do an action, as in “Stay.” It really seemed to help. Plus say “sit” for sit, and “down” for down, not “sit down” for sit. Simple things but it creates clearer communication with the dog.
Dog training is harder for the human than the dog! ?
Good job, both of you! 🙂