The Art of Training … Humans

This fall we welcomed a new addition to our household – a bouncing young Basset Hound named Lukas. It has been several years since we have had a younger dog in our house, and we had forgotten what having a young, untrained dog in the house can be like. Fortunately, we have both trained dogs before, and we also have an older dog Bear who is very willing to be a teacher. We enrolled Lukas in obedience classes once he became adjusted and settled. One of the things the trainer, Marlys Staley of Circle Tail, reminded us is that training does not just happen in class, it is a continual process. Obedience class time was for the humans to learn how to teach the dogs what to do. We found ourselves becoming much more aware of how we interact with our animals, and the effect each interaction can have when teaching a new behavior.At least 50% of the client calls we get have to do with an animal’s behavior. Usually the animal is exhibiting behavior that the family is finding unacceptable or puzzling. One of the first things we do is ask questions about the animal’s health. Often a sudden change in behavior can be the result of a physical problem, and the animal should be seen by their vet. In other cases, a change in behavior can be a reaction to a change in the household. Sometimes something as simple as a minor change to a family member’s work schedule can upset the pet.Often, we find that the family has unconsciously “trained” the behavior. We find ourselves doing the same thing with our animals. A great example is how we react when Lukas asks for attention. We have trained him to sit when he wants to be petted. What happens when one of use forgets and pets him if he jumps up? Two things – he gets rewarded for jumping, and he gets a mixed message about whether or not he really needs to sit to be petted. The next time he wants attention, he may think that he can get it by jumping because we rewarded the jumping behavior the last time.We recently went to see “Marley and Me”, a great movie and a great book. I found myself watching the movie in two ways – as entertainment, and as a communicator. Every time one of the main characters complained about what a “bad dog” Marley was, I found myself identifying the behavior the humans exhibited that inadvertently trained Marley that that behavior was ok. Marley was a challenging dog to work with, but he also was living in a family that didn’t understand their roles as leaders and trainers.Living with our animals is a constant challenge to us to be aware, to examine our actions, to understand how we continually shape the behavior of those around us. It reminds us that we are all connected together, but that we are each responsible not only for our own behavior, but also our impact on those around us. So, the next time Lukas jumps up on me, instead of fussing at him, I’ll remind myself that we need to be consistent with him in order for him to do what we ask. He’s a very bright guy, his humans just need to be a little bit more aware and give him more chances to learn and succeed.Happy New Year to all!