Patience, Persistence and accepting that Perfect-is-not-all-it’s-cracked-up-to-be are fundamental to enjoyable and good positive reinforcement dog training.
…success in the face of struggle, unconditional acceptance of others, joy in all things, and that Patience, Persistence, and letting go of Perfect lies at the heart of all of these. Everyone who has potty-trained a puppy has used a type of ‘successive approximation’ like this.
Patience– – Cleaning up over and over until puppy begins to learn. Persistence – – Getting the puppy out often enough so puppy can be rewarded for ever more successful behaviors. Perfect is not all it’s cracked up to be – – Sometimes we all make mistakes.
Boo was patient…
…when he taught me to give him the time he needed to learn things. Patience allows you take your time and let your dog show you who they are. Boo’s physical and cognitive limitations made it difficult for him to answer these questions quickly or at all sometimes.
Together we persisted…
…in his training for his Pet Partner’s evaluation because his working as a therapy dog was the only way he was going to have kids in his life. Each dog will need their humans to persist in training differently. Boo needed extra time to learn new skills and confront fears. When he was afraid in the truck I had shift from convention wisdom to ways that would accommodate Boo so he could learn how to love the truck at his own pace.
For Boo to achieve his goal of visiting kids, it was almost two years of outings that slowly worked on his basic skills and treat-taking abilities in public. I had to craft alternative cues that Boo could follow and understand, much like I advise clients whose dogs are visually or hearing impaired. They can and will learn their basics and maybe even more than one might imagine, but it will have a different shape and form from traditional cues and signals.
We both let go of perfect…
…when it came time for his therapy dog testing. I knew that in spite of his bumbling through the skills portion of the test, he would excel in the aptitude portion. Too often we get caught up in comparisons of one dog to another, yet one of the greatest gifts you can give your dog is to only compare them to where they started and how far they’ve come. Each dog will reach their fullest potential once we simply focus on each successive approximation as its own victory.
Boo never did things quite like any other dog, but it worked for him.
When I would ask Boo for the paw command he’d swipe his paw in the air as if he were searching for a light switch in the dark. It in no way compared to the perfect easy-going dogs who leisurely reaches out and gently places their paw in your hand.
But when Boo does it, you could see his effort and sense of accomplishment in his simple, wobbly gesture and it always brought a smile in spite of the imperfection and probably more so because of it—like everyone cheering for the little engine who could—or in this case the little dog who could.
Jacques Boosteau
The lessons of Boo can apply to so many elements of human and canine interactions…
…from dogs with special needs like him, to dogs who are reactive, stressed, need remedial socialization, and pretty much any dog who will be destined to work as a service or therapy dog.
We are the guardians and advocates for our dogs.
It is our job is to patiently observe what our dogs tell us then persistently and at their speed craft a training routine that suites them so they can become the best they can be given who they are.
Like Boo, all dogs have potential. Our job is to find it and nurture it.
The difference between Wait and Stay can mean the difference between successful management vs everyone running down the street chasing the fluffy lighten-bolt that is their dog.
Dog training commands should be simple, but can often become complicated and confusing for the dog (and human too).
For example, if one handler uses command “X” to mean one action for their dog, and then another person uses command “Y” for the same action, our dogs are left having to remember which word which person uses for which command. And, handlers are left wondering why their dog isn’t understanding and preforming simple commands.
“Say what?”
The dog’s internal response is probably the dog version of, “Honestly, I’m not sure what either of you mean.”
To make life easier for everyone, dog, handlers, parents, kids, dog-sitters, trainers, etc., it is imperative that everyone in the house use the same command for the same behavior.
The Wait and the Stay commands are often used interchangeably.
In a home with low distractions, one dog, and no kids, this is probably not a huge problem. However, when we start layering the distractions like kids, other dogs, many visitors, etc., the difference between Wait and Stay can mean the difference between successful management vs everyone running down the street chasing the fluffy lighten bolt that is their dog.
The definitions of Wait and Stay in standard dog training are…
Wait – Hang on a second or two, (a short duration) then receive a follow-up command or release word.
Stay – Hold position, freeze in place for an undetermined length of time (could be awhile).
The difference is often hard to see at first, but in the dog’s head it is a major difference in difficulty.
Wait is something a dog can usually achieve even when they are cranked up by exciting visitors, or stressful situations.
However, the Stay is harder to hold depending on how stressed or excited a dog might be.
To understand this in terms we humans experience, we need only look to air travel. We experience differences in difficultly between a short fifteen minute wait to board our airplane, verses the delayed flight that could be hours. One is much harder than the other for different reasons for different people, but in the end, the two different lengths of delay are very different demands on us.
Here are some sample situations where I would use the Wait and Stay commands differently:
Wait
Dog wants to go outside
Ask for wait before opening the door.
Door is opened only if dog holds position for a few seconds
Aunt Millie is knocking on the door
Ask for a wait
Door opens if the dog is holding position
Once Aunt Millie is in, the dog gets the go say hello command.
Baby drops toy
Ask dog for a wait
Pick up toy before dog gets there, or redirect the dog with a touch command.
Stay
In an elevator
Ask for a stay
Dog freezes in place for the duration of the ride regardless of the number of people getting in and out
At the veterinarian
Ask for a stay for the examination, shots, blood draws
Your veterinarian will thank you
At a traffic light
Ask for a stay
Dog freezes in place for the duration of the light regardless of the distractions that go by, like bicycles, skateboard, other dogs, etc…
Your dog will learn the difference between these two commands because once you have an understanding of what the commands are, you will mark and reward the appropriate behaviors.
You give your dog the WAIT command and he holds a position for a short duration – Praise and Reward.
You give your dog the STAY command and she freezes in place for an interval between one and three minutes – Praise and Reward.
If puppies have plenty of proper toys to play with, it is easy to teach them to ‘leave-it’ and ‘drop-it’ and tell them “all done” when it comes to the items we don’t want them chewing.
Puppies need to play. Like our human children, their job during development is PLAY!
Pax`e head in toy box
Don’t limit their toys.
Pax`e sits among the toys
Instead, expand their horizons because they need to explore and chew in order to learn what is and is not appropriate.
Because of this, we can use this play to teach them how to leave their toys, drop them, ignore them, and hopefully not guard them. And, we can prevent them finding toys like boots, shoes, socks, etc.
If they have plenty of proper toys to play with, it is easy to teach them to ‘leave-it’ and ‘drop-it’ and tell them “all done” when it comes to the items we don’t want them chewing.
Pax’e is a nine week old AussieDoodle.
In teaching her to tug at my sock, she learns that commands can be fun. She learns socks are boring. And, while she may have wanted to tug with that sock instead of giving it up at first, the ‘drop-it’ command worked.
It’s never too early to start teaching, playing, having fun, and building your relationship with your pup.
Over the next several weeks/months Pax’e’s training exploits will be showcased. Sometimes with success and sometimes, maybe not.
Regardless of success, it will always be a learning process.
