Tune in, Human!

When I first started shadowing other trainers, I was there to observe. I love people-watching, so studying the interaction between a human/dog team was, and still is, fascinating to me. There is so much unspoken language exchanged between a human and dog, or more-so, dog to human, that many times goes unnoticed by the human half of the team.

I remember the exact moment that this problem of missed communication became evident to me. I was observing an exchange between a trainer and her client where the client was expressing frustration over the fact that her dog would not focus on her. Meanwhile, I watched as the dog offered laser focus to the client throughout the exchange. The client never even noticed! She never once looked down at her dog. She missed a golden opportunity to reward and shape that behavior. Even though the client wasn’t asking for that command in that specific moment, she had the chance to reward the behavior and increase the likelihood of the dog offering it again, but missed the opportunity because she was not focused on her dog.

Life offers so many distractions that we, as humans, have to work through. Some of these distractions can’t be avoided, but many can. If you want to see a dramatic difference in your dog’s focus on you, tune out those unnecessary distractions and TUNE IN TO YOUR DOG. During training or on a walk, put the phone down, avoid unnecessary conversations and focus on your dog. When I say focus, I mean actually watch your dog. Pay attention when your dog “checks in” with you and reward that behavior every single time. If you expect your dog to focus on you, then offer them the same respect. Give your dog the same level of focus you expect from them and watch how quickly you see results in your training.

Keep calm and train on, my friends!

~Heather Pope