The follow through is probably the most essential ingredient in all dog training. Building behaviors with the dog is relatively easy. Creating or establishing a structure is a little more complex. The job of a good dog trainer is to accomplish both. The more important aspect in my opinion is being able to create a clear structure that the humans and dogs can come together on. Teaching a dog elaborate behaviors is useless if the human doesn’t understand the structure on which the behaviors were built upon.
It is incredibly important that dog owners begin to understand that the “relationship” they have with there dogs is exactly that. A Relationship! As a trainer I often come across dog owners that want their dogs trained and think thats all there is to it. Train the dog and thats it. It’s done right? Now they know everything and all will be perfect. Not Exactly. Relationships need nurturing. They require time, attention, presence, communication and effort.
Which brings us to the follow through. If you have taken the time and money necessary to provide training for your dog, I applaud you. However, that is only a small part of the picture. Now its time for your part in the education. Make an effort to learn the structure provided by your trainer. Practice with your dog on a daily basis. Training and structure is an incredible way for you to share an understanding with your dog and strengthen the relationship as a whole. It is no different from playing a game of cards with a friend. If I am playing by the rules of “Go Fish” and he/she is playing by the rules of “Poker” well, I don’t think that we are going to be enjoying that much. What makes the “Engagement” of the game stimulating is that we both understand and agree by the same set of rules or structure. From there we can engage one another and actually have fun doing so. This is exactly what structure with our animals looks like. Create an understanding through structure and engage one another.
#followthrough,
Nick
gold coast K-9 