Training

Training dogs is a very personal activity. As in parenting, we come to dog training with a default style that can be adapted, but is always there in the background …just like one’s mother tongue. When we are not mindful (tired, agitated or distracted), we tend to slide into that style.

On my worst days, when the the dogs act up in seeming unison, I feel like the prison captain in Cool Hand Luke. I have to catch myself, lest I utter his infamous words, or something like them. With as many dogs and pups as I sometimes have, it is easy to lose one’s cool. Apologizing afterwards does work. Dogs are more forgiving than most humans …but better to catch oneself before an apology is necessary.

There are some good books on dog training. I don’t really have any favorites. There are more bad books than good ones. Good mentors are better than books and videos.

My advice to people is to be mindful of (attentive to) the situation. Focus on your dog and yourself (and how the dogs sees you). Take a step back and think about your approach, what is working and what is not, then try some of the devices and styles you might have read about or seen on a video.

My training method is rapport-based. I first establish a rapport with a pup or dog, before we start training on sheep. The dog needs to know and trust me. I may try 8-week-old pups out on sheep, but I won’t begin training a pup until months later. We have to develop a rapport and the pup needs to mature before we begin serious training.