Your dog is learning every day.
Are you?
We learn every day. Or at least, we should!
Not a day goes by without me learning something …
Sometimes it’s a major step forward in something work-related.
Sometimes it’s saying something and finding that it didn’t land as I wanted.
Sometimes it’s something practical, or general knowledge, why the earth isn’t flat, and suchlike.
But of one thing you may be sure - your dog is also learning .. all the time!
The question is, is he learning what you’d like him to learn?
Paying attention to your dog
One way to ensure that he’s learning the right stuff, is to spend time paying attention to what he’s doing.
Dogs react.
They react to things they see/hear/taste/smell.
And they see patterns.
When this happens, that happens next.
It’s the reason sheepdogs are so clever with sheep - they anticipate the sheep’s every move. Just a twitch of an ear can mean the ewe is about to break. Whoosh! The working collie is round in a flash to cut her off and return her to the flock.
And this anticipation isn’t confined to sheep!
You put on your coat - excitement! Are you taking your dog for a walk?
You pick up the lead - major excitement! This is one of the sure signs.
Anticipating things is what the dog is very, very, good at.
When I put on my tennis shoes, it means I’m going out without dogs. The two dogs who are crated when I’m out will be lying in their crates before I’ve even tied the laces.
This sort of anticipation is very good. They know what’s going on, they don’t get excited, and they aren’t disappointed.
Building patterns for your dog
So it’s worth looking at your sequences of behaviour and noticing when your dog reacts. You could change things so that he doesnt get over-excited.
Or you could change things so you get a calmer response.
Perhaps when walking your reactive dog you see another dog coming. Your hands tense on the lead. The lead tightens. Over time this established pattern means one thing: ALERT! To your dog this means for sure that something alarming is about to happen, so he stiffens, barks and reacts.
Do you see how changing something as apparently simple as how you handle the lead could change everything for you?
Want some help with this?
Start with one of my free courses at https://my.brilliantfamilydog.com
There are several which go into why your dog does what he does, and how to get both of you onto the same page!