Learn from my mistakes - I am much richer in experience
I don't know about you, but stop now, how often you can hit yourself in the forehead and say "doooohhhhhh" when you realize that you have made another mistake in your upbringing/learning 😊
I personally can make a lot of mistakes 😊 Read and don't do like me.
As you probably already know, we have a beagle – with all that goes with it: a wonderful personality and plenty of stubbornness and, not least, resourcefulness.
Error 1)
I quickly learned that she was happy to steal – and was not interested in returning. I heard about “swapping”. That is, the dog lets go of its thing, and thus gets a treat (when you have given the “let go” command). It works fantastically, and it still does, BUT - there is just one very big BUT, and that is: When she sits and begs and has been refused 2-3 times for treats – then I can see that she comes up with something. It is as if a light bulb goes on over her head like in a cartoon. She sneaks off, goes to the bathroom, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and comes out running/sprinting proudly with a sock or underwear in her mouth – stolen from the laundry basket – because? – guess what! Yep – I will just SWAP, now that I can’t get it by begging, because I HAVE to have treats, man!!!
Error 2)
You know that feeling of standing in the patio door at *beep* in the evening? It's freezing cold and you're standing in your pajamas. The dog just needs to pee – or it's 7am and you should have already left, but the dog really wanted to go for a walk in the garden, even though you've just been out for a walk. But then that little doubt creeps in, "no, that's a shame, what if she hadn't peed all the way"... and you let her out into the garden, even though you're late.
And what is the common denominator here? The dog won't come back in!! She doesn't care about my commands at all – stands 3-4 meters away from me and starts barking a little (as if answering me). I panic a little, as I just don't want to be a bad neighbor because of a dog that barks, so I think about what tools I have and choose what I'm absolutely sure will work – BUT which I haven't thought through – trust me – and here you should NOT do like me!
I go out to the utility room and get some treats, because she needs to be rewarded for her good behavior *cough* (I know I totally misunderstood the task – I'm being brutally honest) 😊 …well, then I come in the door and show her the treat *arrghhh Lotte!!* - and say "Guf guf – come in"…and the dog comes, so I'm overjoyed and praise and give treats.
Guess what situation I'm in now every single day? Yep, I have a dog that ONLY comes in if I say the magic words "Guf-guf" - otherwise she will NOT come in. I have it on video, and I'd be happy to show it if anyone wants to see it - although I'm not proud of it! 😊
Well, I guess you get the furthest with self-knowledge, and here I am very well aware of my mistakes – but don't they say that you are always learning? 😊
A little about the blogger.
Lotte works as a customer advisor and spends most of her free time training with her dog Emma, who is a 9-year-old beagle. They have trained and competed in Schweiss's track for several years. Agility without much success (you can't lure them with treats) and now they train Nose Work 3-4 times a week, if they can get to it. They compete at NW3 level, and they have a party together when they apply <3 – because the most important thing for this dog handler is that the DOG has fun, and that you learn the most from the mistakes you make. So instead of being angry/disappointed about a test that didn't go as planned, learn from it! - in most cases it's not the dog that makes the mistake <3
Do's and don'ts - speaking from experience
Learn from my mistakes - I am much richer in experience
I don't know about you, but stop now, how often you can hit yourself in the forehead and say "doooohhhhhh" when you realize that you have made another mistake in your upbringing/learning 😊
I personally can make a lot of mistakes 😊 Read and don't do like me.
As you probably already know, we have a beagle – with all that goes with it: a wonderful personality and plenty of stubbornness and, not least, resourcefulness.
Error 1)
I quickly learned that she was happy to steal – and was not interested in returning. I heard about “swapping”. That is, the dog lets go of its thing, and thus gets a treat (when you have given the “let go” command). It works fantastically, and it still does, BUT - there is just one very big BUT, and that is: When she sits and begs and has been refused 2-3 times for treats – then I can see that she comes up with something. It is as if a light bulb goes on over her head like in a cartoon. She sneaks off, goes to the bathroom, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and comes out running/sprinting proudly with a sock or underwear in her mouth – stolen from the laundry basket – because? – guess what! Yep – I will just SWAP, now that I can’t get it by begging, because I HAVE to have treats, man!!!
Error 2)
You know that feeling of standing in the patio door at *beep* in the evening? It's freezing cold and you're standing in your pajamas. The dog just needs to pee – or it's 7am and you should have already left, but the dog really wanted to go for a walk in the garden, even though you've just been out for a walk. But then that little doubt creeps in, "no, that's a shame, what if she hadn't peed all the way"... and you let her out into the garden, even though you're late.
And what is the common denominator here? The dog won't come back in!! She doesn't care about my commands at all – stands 3-4 meters away from me and starts barking a little (as if answering me). I panic a little, as I just don't want to be a bad neighbor because of a dog that barks, so I think about what tools I have and choose what I'm absolutely sure will work – BUT which I haven't thought through – trust me – and here you should NOT do like me!
I go out to the utility room and get some treats, because she needs to be rewarded for her good behavior *cough* (I know I totally misunderstood the task – I'm being brutally honest) 😊 …well, then I come in the door and show her the treat *arrghhh Lotte!!* - and say "Guf guf – come in"…and the dog comes, so I'm overjoyed and praise and give treats.
Guess what situation I'm in now every single day? Yep, I have a dog that ONLY comes in if I say the magic words "Guf-guf" - otherwise she will NOT come in. I have it on video, and I'd be happy to show it if anyone wants to see it - although I'm not proud of it! 😊
Well, I guess you get the furthest with self-knowledge, and here I am very well aware of my mistakes – but don't they say that you are always learning? 😊
A little about the blogger.
Lotte works as a customer advisor and spends most of her free time training with her dog Emma, who is a 9-year-old beagle. They have trained and competed in Schweiss's track for several years. Agility without much success (you can't lure them with treats) and now they train Nose Work 3-4 times a week, if they can get to it. They compete at NW3 level, and they have a party together when they apply <3 – because the most important thing for this dog handler is that the DOG has fun, and that you learn the most from the mistakes you make. So instead of being angry/disappointed about a test that didn't go as planned, learn from it! - in most cases it's not the dog that makes the mistake <3