TRAINING MY Dog

The Handler Attitude Class

Preface.

The first thing to do in training your dog is train yourself.

Remember this puppy thing was your idea not the pups. You have voluntarily taken on a large responsibility. Let go from there, just what are my responsibilities. Everything that the pup, dog needs is a minimum. From there you must love them enough to do the best you can for them. Dogs are a pack animal. A pack has a leader, and your pack is you and your dog(s). Your responsibility is to take on the task of team leader. A dog wants, needs a firm, fare, consistent team leader. A good team leader does what is best for the pack. Then the individual then themselves.

The first thing most people who are dog owners needs to do is throw out what you think you know about dogs.

A full cup can hold nothing new. So empty what you think you know and think of this dog as an alien that has landed, and you must make first contact. You must figure out the creature’s biological needs and supply those needs. You must supply a happy and productive psychological atmosphere for this creature about whom you know nothing. That is only YOR’S Physical and mental needs. You must supply love, security, and a purpose in YOR’s new life. It is YOUR responsibility
to do these things. How does one do that when they know nothing? First train yourself then and only then work with {YOR}. {YOR} is the alien’s name. {That way I do not have to keep writing the “Alien about whom you know nothing.” So YOR it is}

The next thing you must do is open the lines of communication. YOR, you have found out, is a nonverbal creature! YOR has no words in his communications OR thoughts. How does one communicate with a creature who has no words to communicate with?

Try sign language

{remember the famous Tarzan bit “me Tarzan you Jane.”} When working with YOR we are going to call this new language, “Body Language.”

Now we have a plan to start communication through this new language.

What we are going to do is create a Meta-Speak. Which is a language about language. The most familiar sound to begin with is “sit”. Then come, his “name,” wait, stay, down, down stay, let’s go, heel and along the way we will teach the true meaning of the word “NO.” The earlier list is named, “the basic ten” that all well trained YOR’s can perform. These are going to be the first sounds in your Meta-Speak. Did you notice I said sounds? Yes, sounds remember YOR has NO
words. So, in the beginning we must speak clearly, consistently, and slower than is normal. Remember YOR is never going to be able to speak words or think in words. But YOR can clearly learn! They can learn very quickly, {you will NEVER see a male YOR pee on an electric fence more than once.} I will show you a Meta Speak box. You put the sounds “stimulus” in the box that YOR can perform reliably, which is a response, we will be using stimulus/response/reinforcement, throughout the dog’s entire life.

Keep track of what you can put in your Meta-Box. Over time, you will be pleasantly surprised at how large a number you can name. All of these sounds, communications will greatly reduce friction and let you experience the true wonder of owning and training a dog. As you learn how to train your Dog, you will be using positive and negative reinforcement as your main tools. Going back to YOR and the electric fence, in that situation a YOR can adapt his behavior almost instantly. Definition [We know that if there is anything a YOR is quick to learn it is what is to his/her advantage.] Definition continued [Therefore it is the handlers RESPONSIBILITY to put that situation, in front of the YOR, so that YOR, can CLEARLY see where his/her advantage lies.] There is YOR training in a nutshell. The application of that definition will be a continuing learning curve over the years. With a sharp learning curve in the beginning. If you have never had a trained dog, believe me when I say, “they are a great gift and companion.” There will not be a day go by that they don’t make you laugh! Be the person your dog thinks you are.