What makes a good dog trainer?

Although this post could be considered more about opinion than fact, I wanted to share some of the things I thought were important qualities to have when you decide to train your dog. The title of this whole blog is "Dogs Speak! Let's Listen...." so that is where I will start. Dogs communicate in a number of ways, many of which we have covered here already. Our job, as trainers and owners, is to listen to the feedback. Dogs are constantly responding in ways to try and tell us something. If we take the time to stop and understand the why and how, often, communication becomes much easier. Along with the ability to listen, a huge mindset I prefer to have is not that we are trying to teach dogs how to speak our language, but instead, we are learning to speak theirs. Dogs are incredibly intuitive and smart. Often times, we're the ones who ignore or pretend that dogs are feeling or thinking a certain way even if we're wrong. Why may that be? We as humans would like to be right. We'd like to think we're correct and that we understand, but the fact is, many of us don't. Not to worry though, because that is why so much extensive research and so many studies have been done. We are constantly learning, ever changing and hoping to learn more about these creatures we so affectionately call "Man's Best Friend". If we're going to give them such a title, then they are certainly more deserving of us understanding their behavior and thought process.

"My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet." -Edith Wharton

Most if not all of their lives, dogs do their absolute best in trying to understand us as people and pleasing us. They find joy in making us happy. We owe it to them to be the best communicator and trainer we can be. This includes a variety of other things such as patience and giving dogs our time. We must understand that dogs are living creatures just like us. Not only do they deserve respect but we must realize that they are by no means perfect. No dog, no matter how well trained will be a robot and always get it right. Even the best trained service dogs have their off days. Sports competitors such as agility dogs, flyball dogs and frisbee dogs among other canine athletes have their downfalls and their bad days. This doesn't mean we should be angry or upset with them. We make mistakes, too. If we think about the grand scheme of things, the fact that our dogs are able to do things, that we train them to do, so well is fascinating and worthy of noting.

When we train, it's important to keep an eye out on how you as a person act. Are you stressed, angry, upset or sad? Don't train your dog. Dogs as stated are so very intuitive and pick up on things. Along with this, we as people can get very emotional and even more upset if things don't work out exactly as planned. Training goes no where if you and the dog aren't 100% in it and enjoying it. We want training to be fun, effective and enjoyable. So, if necessary, step back, evaluate and make sure you're in the correct mindset to do some training.

High value rewards are another big point for me. It's often mentioned in dog training that "you wouldn't work for free, would you?" So, why ask your dog to do so? Find what motivates your dog. More on this in my first ever blog post called *Motivation* back in the December 2012 section. Use what motivates your dog and be a fair "boss" so to speak. The dog has earned his paycheck if he does what you've asked or participates and makes excellent choices. This is what makes training fun and what keeps him coming back. If you didn't get paid on a regular basis or with a high value (money), you wouldn't want to keep working either.

Be fair and be honest. Dogs make mistakes just like us and get sidetracked as well. Be fair to your dog and offer a chance for them to do it correctly without scolding them. We don't always do things right the first time we try something new. Dogs are no different. On the basis of honesty, if you click, give a treat. This is even if you click at the wrong time. If you're a clicker trainer or someone that uses a clicker frequently, such as when shaping new behaviors, then we don't want to devalue a click. Be honest and give your dog that cookie because one wrong click/reward in a sea of correct ones doesn't will not poison your behavior or cue.

While there are many things we need to take into consideration while training, these are some of the top things that jump out at me. It's about creating a positive relationship with your dog. In order to get your dog to respond positively to you, YOU must work on being a good trainer. Use compassion, kindness, and understanding to communicate. This will make the process much easier for you and your dog!