If you are a service professional, have you found that people come up to you to ask for free advice just because you are present? I would bet more service professionals than not would answer the question with a resounding yes! It eventually happens. As for me, a couple weeks ago, someone who I’ve had scant conversations with asked me a how-to dog-training question on the fly.
The question she asked me needed more than a 60-second sound byte, especially when she told me what didn’t work. And what she claimed didn’t work, actually does work when an Academy For Dog Trainers graduate applies the method. We learn the behavioral science behind training dogs and its application.
The method in question works like gravity works, which is a brilliant line from my mentor, Jean Donaldson. Gravity’s consistency is as basic as can be and everyone gets it. We don’t think “If I jump out of this window when the moon is full and the wind is blowing, I will fly!” That’s because gravity is a scientific law. You can jump out of a window any time, and you’ll fall to the ground. Every time.
In training animals, theories such as Premack’s principle, Pavlov’s classical conditioning, and B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning are going to work if applied correctly to training an animal. And I’m always glad to explain the how-tos and whys of dog training to my clients. But offering a quickie response to someone passing by on the wrong track does a disservice to that dog whose owner doesn’t understand the method’s process or application well enough to implement it correctly. In a case like that, eventually, the dog gets blamed for being dumb when it’s not the dog’s fault at all. Success in dog training always lies with whoever is holding the end of the leash with the handle.
If you have a dog training challenge that you can’t solve, or if your dog needs basic or advanced obedience training, housetraining, or fun tricks, contact Outsmarting Dogs to start and stay on the right track. We offer a variety of board-and-train dog training packages for Lee county and the surrounding areas.
Helen Verte Schwarzmann
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Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
AKC Canine Good Citizen/CGC and STAR Puppy Trainer and Evaluator
Your Board-and-Train Dog Trainer for Fort Myers, Lee county, Naples, Collier county, and southwest Florida
