Just for fun, let your dog choose her own favorite treats.
Have you ever watched a professional dog trainer get your dog to quickly respond to cues, new and old? Have you ever wondered what strange magic the trainer possesses? Is it possible for you to learn that same magic?
I believe good dog trainers share a lot of skills but there are a few that really stand out in my mind.
The first is simply part of the job; we work with large numbers of dogs of various breeds and temperaments.
We learn to stay connected with our dogs or end the training session.
We try our best to be consistent with our cues.
We develop the ability to read a dog’s body language, judge distance from triggering items or events before the dog reacts, and when to use management instead of trying to train.
We spend a lot of time learning and perfecting our mechanical skills. How to handle a leash, a long line, move our bodies, hands, and eyes in a way to support what we are trying to convey to the dog. We practice all of our skills without a dog until it’s second nature.
We learn about reinforcement. We spend a lot of time discovering what our dogs love and when they love it. Then we provide those reinforcers in the best and most effective way we can.
My clients don’t want to be dog trainers, they want a companion to share their lives, but a sprinkle of magic never hurts either end of the leash.
In the next blog, I’ll talk about all things reinforcement!
Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Once upon a time there was a dog training business named Mindful Manners. For many years MM shared their expertise and joy of all things dog with clients and their furry family members. They helped pups learn to navigate life in a human world and pup owners to learn to teach, enrich the lives and communicate with their dogs.
Then one day an awful thing happened: Mindful Manners Facebook acct was hacked by a vile person. That resulted in being banned from FB for something out of their control with no way to appeal. It’s not an isolated occurrence but something that happens frequently. It’s inconvenient as an individual but a nightmare as a business that uses the platform to stay connected with clients and reach new potential clients.
What do you do after all attempts to contact FB fail?
Well, you rename the business and hope to rebuild what was lost.
I’m delighted with our new name, Scholars with Collars. It reflects my current mindset about the dogs we live and work with. They’re smart and eager to learn, usually way more than most people realize. Whether your dog is your snuggle buddy and enjoys neighborhood walks, is your beach or hiking pal, future therapy dog or sports dog, they all need to use their brains for more than fetch (don’t get me wrong fetch can be fun) and sit. The more your dog knows, the more freedom he has to do fun things with you.
We’ll continue to work with clients in the Charleston area helping them teach their furry family members the social skills needed to be welcome in all the places their humans want to take them. Working with shy and anxious dogs has always been my passion and I look forward to seeing that glimmer of hope on the face of an owner when they notice BRAVERY beginning to peak out of their dog’s eyes.
I’ll be writing blogs about training and dog related things that interest me. I’ll be trying to build a new social media platform using YouTube and TikTok. It’s going to be a big learning curve for the technologically challenged me, so please bear with me as I struggle with a new platform. I would much rather be working with dogs and their people than sitting at a computer. And video, good grief! I’m not even sure how to get started.
I was so proud of what Mindful Manners brought to the dog training community in Charleston and I’m excited to see how Scholars with Collars will continue to support the people and dogs who love them in our community.
Cindy