Typist: Bethany
In my many decade dog training journey, I currently find myself in a place where I have come full circle in how I measure training success. As a teenager, when I first started training my dogs, it was for fun as well as for practical reasons. My family needed dogs that listened, behaved in public and were polite when guests came. When I adopted Tynan, training was necessary to calm him down as well as acclimate him to his new (fourth) home. The instructor was enamored with Tynan's genius and work ethic and encouraged me to sample the few dog sports a mixed breed was allowed to participate in back then. Tynan and I had fun trying out different sports and training but in the end, all of his advanced training just made him a fabulous partner. Tynan went everywhere with me. He was the mascot of the sports teams of several kids I cared for as well as many of the health clubs where I taught classes. The front desk staff would argue over who got to have Tynan while I taught my classes and my students whined if I left Tynan at the front desk.
In my many decade dog training journey, I currently find myself in a place where I have come full circle in how I measure training success. As a teenager, when I first started training my dogs, it was for fun as well as for practical reasons. My family needed dogs that listened, behaved in public and were polite when guests came. When I adopted Tynan, training was necessary to calm him down as well as acclimate him to his new (fourth) home. The instructor was enamored with Tynan's genius and work ethic and encouraged me to sample the few dog sports a mixed breed was allowed to participate in back then. Tynan and I had fun trying out different sports and training but in the end, all of his advanced training just made him a fabulous partner. Tynan went everywhere with me. He was the mascot of the sports teams of several kids I cared for as well as many of the health clubs where I taught classes. The front desk staff would argue over who got to have Tynan while I taught my classes and my students whined if I left Tynan at the front desk.
Wilhelm learns from the master (Tynan.)
| This was the happy life I had pictured for Wilhelm as well. I had no intention of going as far in training with Wilhelm as Tynan and I did. But the behavior problems that Wilhelm developed when Tynan died, led us back into basic obedience classes. When I discovered Wilhelm's passion for learning and eagerness to please, we tried agility, and our relationship completely changed. I wept when my little ten pound problem weiner earned his first title. I truly couldn't believe how far Wilhelm and I had come as a team. Wilhelm had become such a wonderful dog and I was hooked on the successes of dog sport competition. Or so I thought. | Pride swells in me when any of my pets accomplish anything. The dogs, cat and parrot I currently spend my life with all love to learn new things and most especially soak up one-on-one time with me. But I don't judge success in training by completion of a trick or title. My pets and I are a success when we work as a team at anything. |
All of the training we do is a success when we can walk anywhere, anytime, just like this.
Brychwyn and Huxley were both dogs I specifically sought out to train and compete with in dog sports. Brychwyn was going to be my agility star but his mysterious shoulder issue and leash reactivity completely changed our training journey together. Huxley was going to be the first dog I took all the way to a UDX but he gets quickly bored with obedience training and prefers agility. And with all of the traveling the dogs and I have been doing for the last several years, we haven't had much time to focus on or proof any one behavior or sport. So all of the dogs ribbons are tucked away in a cupboard and I am back to training for fun and for practical reasons. I measure success not by titles but by smiles. When I say "share the road" to the dogs on a walk and they all duck in behind the stroller to make room on the sidewalk for another pedestrian, I smile and know we are a success. And if the other pedestrian smiles, that feels like a best in show score to me. The best part of my full circle journey in the reason for and how I measure success in dog training, is all I have learned about positive reinforcement techniques. I am eager to continue to hone my positive pet training skills whether I measure successes in smiles and miles or ribbons and titles.
Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley have collected more states visited than competition ribbons.
How do you measure training success? What successes have you had recently?
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This is the First Monday Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Dachshund Nola & Tenacious Little Terrier. If you have a training success story to share or any positive reinforcement based training blog post, please add it to the linky list below! We also encourage readers to share positive training stories in the blog hop comments or on social media. Our goal is to build a community of sharing, learning and support in positive based pet training. The next Positive Pet Training Blog Hop is August 4th. Our hop runs through International Assistance Dog Week so our theme will be assistance dogs. Please honor an assistance dog, share about positive assistance dog training or, as always, add any positive reinforcement based training post.
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