Why I Train Dogs
Why I Train
During COVID shutdown, I, like many others, decided to get a puppy. He was smart, quick and beautiful but when I finally took him out into the world he wasn't any of those things. Instead I saw a dog who was scared, which made him mean and looking for a fight. I went to trainer after trainer, and none thought he could amount to much, some going as far as to advise that I put him down. I decided I couldn't give up on this dog that I had a large hand in making into what he was, so I dove into the nuts and bolts of dog training. I devoured every piece of information I could find on the subject, and it turned out I really excelled at creating a plan to move us forward as a team.
Rhonas now has multiple obedience titles and he walks through stores with me focused and confident. He is a different dog than my COVID puppy and I can count on at least one compliment about how happy he is during our outings.
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I named my business after my first puppy who is part Border Collie. If you have ever seen a Border Collie's eyes then you know they are INTENSE! I took all that intensity he was projecting at the world and pointed it at me, until I got him to focus on me and what we were doing. I watched his eyes ignite with joy and expectation of doing the right thing. Instead of insecurity he found confidence when he knew he was doing the right thing, The ability to turn your dogs eyes to you, in an expectant, waiting manner then to watch that dog's eyes shift to pure joy and confidence is truly the instant that I call igniting your dog's eyes. I want every dog to have ember eyes--to be lit from the inside out by joy and connection with their owner.
Mission
My goal is to help you and your dog develop a communication system so that you both can have a happy, healthy and productive relationship.
How I Train
To say it simply, I am a balance trainer. That means I will use all four quadrants of learning that dogs have: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. In this training theory punishment is not pain or fear, it's about adding or removing something to decrease a behavior. Dogs naturally use all four quadrants to communicate with each other and I aim to communicate with dogs in a way that they understand.
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Training happens in two phases: teaching and proofing.
While teaching I use almost exclusively positive reinforcement. Dogs learn best in a happy mind state and dogs in general want to learn if it's fun!
When the dog has complete understanding of what I am asking of him or her, I move to proofing where I use other quadrants of learning to cement the concepts that the dog knows in a broader sense, but proofing should be fun too!
I want to give people and dogs a better communication system. That includes markers, for when the dog is doing well and when the dog is not doing what I asked. Markers are often just a word, but I also believe that clickers can be very powerful to teach concepts quickly.
I do use tools including treats, leashes, collars of various types, harnesses, toys, clickers, and props like foot targets or place beds. It is important that we find the appropriate tools for the dog and the handler as a team. I will not just slap a tool on your dog, hand it back to you and say "all is cured". My theory on tools is that they are used to get the dogs attention not to instill obedience through fear. For example, if I am super distracted staring at my phone then most often my wife has to tap my shoulder to get my attention, but if she is distracted I can say her name and I have her attention. The same is true for your dog; do they need a tap or a gentle nudge, or is saying something enough? We have to find a combination of tool that gets through to the dog and that you are able to effectively use.
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A tool only helps you communicate if both sides understand the language being used. If I handed you a telegraph station with no instructions, would you be able to communicate with it? Maybe if you are given enough time, but if I teach you Morse code first then you'll be able to get what you need to across immediately without all the fumbling attempts. This is why the teaching phase must happen first and must be thorough, otherwise the dog has to guess what you want and mistakes become scary, leaving your dog more scared and less curious about the world. I want dogs to happy, feel that exploring the world is safe and that their owner is the best person they could have wished for.
