Dog training tip o' the day: Train smarter, not harder.
The best dog trainers in the world are able to get phenominal performances out of their dogs. Their dedication to their craft is commendable and awe-inspiring. Perhaps surprisingly, they do not spend all day training their dogs.
Great trainers' training sessions are often no longer than five minutes.
Great trainers normally enter their training sessions a plan as to how they will work to improve a selection of behaviours.
Great trainers do not drill behaviours repeatedly, ad nauseam.
Great trainers keep written and/or visual records of their work to track progress and help better prepare subsequent training sessions.
Great trainers ensure that their dogs have a solid understanding of foundation behaviours before moving on to something advanced.
Great trainers do not reward substandard behaviours because if they do, behaviours will remain substandard.
Great trainers know when to end a session and to ignore the allure of "just one more...".
Great training is as much art as it is science, and very few people are able to reach the upper echelons in a given sport. We may never get there. However, we can learn from those who have. We can take these lessons and apply them to our own training and move just a little closer to becoming great ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment