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What was your hardest thing to learn so far?
Even being a dog parent or a dog trainer new or old, What is one thing you learned along your journey that you know you won’t do again through an experience? I like how @catherine explained her story with the puppy that bit while sitting on the floor. Listening to her story ( me being a very new trainer just starting) I thought I would definitely do the same thing. Being on the floor. It’s just a puppy:)
Today I learned a lesson. Having my own dog in a store, a puppy approached asked if he was friendly. He is and they came up. I noticed how tight they had the leash, I didn’t want to say something ( thinking I will look like a know it all) and the puppy sniffed way too long my dog accepted and started to walk away and the puppy jumped on his head so mine corrected with a growl ( no contact) just a no thank you. The people looked like my guy was the monster. I get it- not understanding dog language at one point I would of too. But lesson learnt for me absolutely no leash greetings and make a u turn when they approach or say I am in training sorry. If I was working with someone else’s dog these are the steps I take, why didn’t I with my own dog? I guess it was them already coming in. I am not perfect, and was hard on myself but in dog context it was a conversation. People not educated would not understand. So that’s my new rule, and one I had to learn.
What is something you learned?
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16 Replies
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I am sorry this happened to you. I have been there myself. We can not predict what the other dog may do and, we think we know our own dogs well enough. I certainly use the “thanks, but we are in training” statement a lot having pittie type dogs. (no matter who may start it, the pittie will always be blamed). I don’t think I will ever be perfect, if I was, I would be at the end of my learning journey and I don’t ever want to reach the end of learning!
This is a great question to ask! There are so many things I have learned along the way as a “lesson”. I think the most important one for me is, never take what the client is saying as the full and complete “truth”. For example, in an initial conversation of a dog struggling with strangers who approached him, I was told “the dog only growled and bit, but missed”. Later, the client had freely mentioned about how the dog bit her, and 2 other people requiring some level of medical attention. I could hear how she realized she caught herself for saying it.
So the case went from no bite on record to 3 bites on record, which can change a lot, especially the prognosis. I think many will provide incorrect info out of guilt (they are scared or embarrassed that they have a “bad dog” and blame themselves. They do not want us to think badly of them or judge them, in my opinion).
I try to take more time with my questions, use different questions and approaches, in hopes to make the client more comfortable in being upfront about potential behaviors.
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@jenz Thank you so much for telling your story! That is a big jump from no bite to three bites. I love hearing your story and hopefully others- so I can learn as well. I agree. It’s always a learning journey, such a good choice of words. Asking more questions I will always keep in my mind now at intakes. You are right, people do have a different way of describing things and maybe do feel embarrassed etc. This is such a great point! Thank you for your support and being so kind!
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@jenz btw. Your profile picture is so adorable!!!
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I hope all of our info and experiences circulate to help others!
That is one of my pups, Titan! He seems to enjoy sitting in chairs next to “his” people! ????
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What a great question, @pawsup , and I’m sorry you had that recent experience.
I feel like the longer I’m in this field, the less I know. It’s humbling, but also the continuing educational opportunities keep things very interesting.
One thing I was reminded of recently is how individual family members can describe the dog’s behavior quite differently, and how valuable it is to get everyone’s input.
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@virginiad This is so good!! I will definitely keep this in mind- to get everyone’s details because it can be described so different by each individual family member. I also love that I am not alone about always learning and feeling like there is always something new to absorb and learn myself.
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I also agree with the learning aspect of being a dog trainer, just when i think I have a good handle on things, something new comes up that I have never heard of before. For example I was in a meeting with some other trainers and one of the trainers put on a small demonstration about “splitting” and “lumping”. I felt embarrassed that I have never heard of this before. Last month I contacted a nationally known trainer about a housebreaking problem that I couldn’t resolve. The trainer asked me about the dog’s gut rate. I really didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. I’m not a new trainer and I have been doing this for over 20 years. This is the hardest thing. Plus with new studies and research coming out ,things are always changing. I don’t think I can absorb anymore knowledge about dogs. Ha Ha
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@bmacwatt , you should never feel embarrassed about not knowing something. No one is capable of knowing it all, and the continued learning opportunities are so satisfying when we remain curious. Did you ever find out what a dog’s “gut rate” means? That’s not a phrase I’m familiar with!
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I haven’t heard the term, “gut rate” either, @bmacwatt so you are in good company. If I had to guess, I’d bet it was how long from “intake” to “output” – but for sure I’d ask for clarification.
So far as “splitting” and “lumping” – these are clicker training terms that have to do with how much behavior you are asking for with each rep. I’m a “lumper” who works hard on splitting. In other words, I tend to expect a dog to do a bigger chunk of behavior all at once, rather than rewarding very small increments toward a goal. A good splitter will mark and reward for tiny little incremental changes toward the goal, rather than a large chunk. Think of teaching a dog to “Down” – a lumper wants those elbows on the floor, while a splitter will mark and reward the chin dropping 1/4 inch on the first rep, then 1/2 inch… until the dog is lowering the head regularly, then dropping the shoulders, then bending an elbow, etc… Does that help?
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Great explanation – I am definitely a lumper!
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It’s easy to do! And often, the dogs accept it and figure out what we want, so we’re rewarded for it. I love when I get a chance to break it down though, and to help build success together, in smaller steps. It’s fun.
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Yes to all of this -I’ve had different family members have completely different stories and relationships with the dog – very often. One of the things I do with every behavior consult is send my clients a list of questions to discuss about how much time and money, how much training and who will do it – because unless everyone has come to some kind of agreement about the effort and expense this will take, it’s a waste for all.
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What a fantastic (and humbling) topic, @pawsup – thanks so much for opening this conversation. I agree with what everyone has said, so far – there’s no way to know it all, and like Virginia said, the more I know, the less I feel I actually am sure of. The dogs are the experts, and every one of them teaches me something. We have to just keep our minds OPEN, continue to have discussions and learn from each other, the best we can.
On the flip side, there are people (in every industry) who like to consider themselves better than everyone else and may coin a phrase you’ve never heard of, just to sound superior. Or they may use an obscure term to show their “knowledge”. I’ll just say, “I’ve not heard that term before, what do you mean?” Or simply, “What do you mean by (term)?”
I love this community for the transparency and authenticity you all keep bringing, as well as the knowledge sharing that is taking place. THANK YOU ALL, for making Digging Dogs a fabulous place to learn and grow.
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@bmacwatt i am curious of gut rate too! What a great explanation of split and lump @catherine i never heard of lump. Now it all makes sense.
Everyone who has replied on this thread I agree with @catherine I am so grateful to have somewhere to go and get some support. I honestly kept going over things in my head ( like we all do) what if this? Why didn’t I think this? What was I thinking? And hearing everyone’s thoughts and kindness made me feel “normal” You really don’t find social media today that builds you up and supports others and Digging Dogs is definitely one of a kind!!! So grateful!
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So glad you’re part of the group, @pawsup !
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@pawsup – Krista, thank you so much for your kind words. You made my day/week/month! We are definitely doing a very cool thing here and each member is contributing to our culture. Thank you so much for being such a special part.
And, by the way, that little voice, the one that says, “Maybe I should’ve done this or that…” never really goes away, at least in my experience. It becomes less annoying as you build skill and grow confidence, but I definitely still have cases where I need at least a debrief with other dog pros so I can can learn/improve/grow and add to the support I’m already able to give clients.
The people who think they have nothing to learn are correct. And they won’t improve.
The people who think they still have a lot to learn are also correct. And they will continue to improve.
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