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Teaching Beyond the Basic Steps
I’ve been working with a young couple and their aggressive dachshund, Scoot. They’ve been very successful thus far, improving his attention, teaching a couple of key skills, and using protocols to help him relax and to stop his lunging/barking reactions toward strangers. Yesterday, we met for our fourth lesson and I was struck by a few things they said. They clearly have been absorbing the CONCEPTS behind the behavior protocols we use and are applying them in new scenarios.
For example, the hubby described how he began working on the trigger of knocking on the door (this is before I’d given him specific instructions) and how Scoot absolutely exploded over the knock he created. But he troubleshooted on the spot – repositioning Scoot so he could SEE when the knocking happened (at first) while also reducing the intensity and duration of the knock. Voila! Scoot didn’t react and they had quick success with him hearing knocks and quietly looking to the handler to receive a treat. I told them how impressed I was with their ability to apply the concepts they’ve learned to new situations!
So, how might we help a client achieve this ability to troubleshoot independently? In Scoot’s case, I made sure to explain the planning for another task – which was getting Scoot used to visitors moving when in the house – and I explained the following:
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SCOOT is the one who sets the pace for the work, while we do our best to create training steps that allow him to remain calm and quiet. We brainstormed about what small movements would be a good place to start and how much distance there should be between Scoot and the guest.
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We discussed the need to assess after each rep and to adjust the step to an easier level if he barked or even if he just looked tense.
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I asked them to suggest in-between steps that would help set him up for success.
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I asked them to imagine and describe next steps as Scoot was ready for more of a challenge.
If our clients understand the way protocols are designed for each individual dog, instead of just having them blindly follow a step-by-step outline for one specific issue (though I do provide this as well), they are more likely to become empowered to make smart and independent decisions moving forward, just as Scoot’s parents did. I wish it was this easy with all my clients!
What techniques do you use to educate your clients in a way that helps to set them up for making effective and independent training decisions?
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3 Replies
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I want to give others a chance to jump in here, but I just have to say, what an exciting video!! How lovely to have such amazing clients, and to see your good coaching pay off.
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Congratulations, @virginiad! That is exciting to have the human component of the training team thinking about your instructions like this and applying them in a successful way. Yay, Scoop!!!
It is the most difficult part of training, getting the owner to understand and apply the concepts.
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Thanks, ladies! I’d like to clone these clients. ????
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