“Sit Fido! SIT!!”
- and yet Fido won't sit. "Aaarhhh but for goodness sake, he can do it at home!". Most of us know it and it's quite embarrassing in all situations. Then the trainer comes right up and says hello to the dog and BOOM, then the butt is in the ground. Right there, the dog is usually for sale quite cheaply. We try to get Fido's attention ourselves and, as expected, Fido still doesn't sit, despite having done the same thing as the trainer. And here you feel like just leaving the training area and giving up. As soon as you come in the door and ask Fido to sit, he does it just as nicely as he usually does. Here I myself try to just smile and remember to praise the dog, but still my thoughts turn to what price you can take for Fido, who can only sit at home...
The Magic of the Trainer
I enjoy being an assistant trainer on other teams, or when my own training needs a little break, I try to get inspiration from others by training their dogs. In that regard, I have had the pleasure of an incredible number of different dogs. They range from companion dogs to hunting dogs, and each with their own mind, and I have also been put to the test now and then. Before the training starts, the owner and I always go through the basics, so that the dog gets the best out of the training. The starting point for me has always been that the training should be varied in relation to the dog's normal training. And this is where the challenges start, but still... Even though I put a lot of effort into the owner's training, I end up with a completely different dog than what they experience themselves. Now I doubt very much that I actually have magical abilities or am an unconscious dog whisperer, so that's why I went and observed how the dogs react in strange hands. It has subsequently proven to be a brilliant exercise for the teams, but that's a completely different story.
The art of wiping the blackboard clean
I always experience that my training is received differently by the dog than when the owner trains himself. And that theory, at least I believe, is because the board is simply wiped clean. There are no expectations from the dog's side about how it should act when I hold the leash. I can shape it as I please. And that is precisely the power of magic from the trainer, which we as dog owners have no earthly chance of beating. Because whether we want it or not, we are all victims of the power of habit, even when it comes to dogs. As a trainer, it is definitely more fun to convince the dog owner that there are supernatural forces involved - believe me, it can give the funniest explanations.
So how do we wipe the slate clean on our own dogs, so that the dog can also sit outside the home? And in theory, are we supposed to be fatter than the trainers? I myself look like someone who is dragged around the ring by my own dogs, but they also know me well enough to know exactly how mom lets love win in the end.
Behind the scenes of this week's blogger
My name is Cynthia Jensen and my biggest interest lies in dog sports. My boyfriend and I have 5 dogs, all of whom are hunting dogs and who are with us (almost) everywhere for tests, exhibitions and not least on the hunt. I have previously written for "Vi med Hund" and am currently writing for "HUNDEN".
I am looking forward to coming on board as a Blogger at DogCoach and sharing my thoughts on dogs in everyday life as active working dogs.
The magic of the dog trainer
“Sit Fido! SIT!!”
- and yet Fido won't sit. "Aaarhhh but for goodness sake, he can do it at home!". Most of us know it and it's quite embarrassing in all situations. Then the trainer comes right up and says hello to the dog and BOOM, then the butt is in the ground. Right there, the dog is usually for sale quite cheaply. We try to get Fido's attention ourselves and, as expected, Fido still doesn't sit, despite having done the same thing as the trainer. And here you feel like just leaving the training area and giving up. As soon as you come in the door and ask Fido to sit, he does it just as nicely as he usually does. Here I myself try to just smile and remember to praise the dog, but still my thoughts turn to what price you can take for Fido, who can only sit at home...
The Magic of the Trainer
I enjoy being an assistant trainer on other teams, or when my own training needs a little break, I try to get inspiration from others by training their dogs. In that regard, I have had the pleasure of an incredible number of different dogs. They range from companion dogs to hunting dogs, and each with their own mind, and I have also been put to the test now and then. Before the training starts, the owner and I always go through the basics, so that the dog gets the best out of the training. The starting point for me has always been that the training should be varied in relation to the dog's normal training. And this is where the challenges start, but still... Even though I put a lot of effort into the owner's training, I end up with a completely different dog than what they experience themselves. Now I doubt very much that I actually have magical abilities or am an unconscious dog whisperer, so that's why I went and observed how the dogs react in strange hands. It has subsequently proven to be a brilliant exercise for the teams, but that's a completely different story.
The art of wiping the blackboard clean
I always experience that my training is received differently by the dog than when the owner trains himself. And that theory, at least I believe, is because the board is simply wiped clean. There are no expectations from the dog's side about how it should act when I hold the leash. I can shape it as I please. And that is precisely the power of magic from the trainer, which we as dog owners have no earthly chance of beating. Because whether we want it or not, we are all victims of the power of habit, even when it comes to dogs. As a trainer, it is definitely more fun to convince the dog owner that there are supernatural forces involved - believe me, it can give the funniest explanations.
So how do we wipe the slate clean on our own dogs, so that the dog can also sit outside the home? And in theory, are we supposed to be fatter than the trainers? I myself look like someone who is dragged around the ring by my own dogs, but they also know me well enough to know exactly how mom lets love win in the end.
Behind the scenes of this week's blogger
My name is Cynthia Jensen and my biggest interest lies in dog sports. My boyfriend and I have 5 dogs, all of whom are hunting dogs and who are with us (almost) everywhere for tests, exhibitions and not least on the hunt. I have previously written for "Vi med Hund" and am currently writing for "HUNDEN".
I am looking forward to coming on board as a Blogger at DogCoach and sharing my thoughts on dogs in everyday life as active working dogs.