Being an effective communicator is key to succeeding in anything you do. When you are not clear in what you want or need it is hard for others to meet those standards. Think about how many misunderstandings take place between you and your spouse on a daily basis. There is no surprise that many owners struggle with communication with their dogs. Majority of the time we expect our dogs to do what we want without actually showing them what is expected. This is an unfair expectation we have and this portion of owning a dog needs to change. Trainers, Shelters, Rescues, Breeders and more need to properly prepare potential dog owners about the importance of Clear Consistent Communication with their dogs. The key to Dog Training is Clear, Consistent Communication. If you already own a dog and are struggling with your dog, contact me today.
Foundation of Clear Consistent Communication in Dog Training
Just like building a house, dog training needs a solid foundation of building blocks. But in order to stack these blocks to be high and stable we have establish the key to dog training : clear consistent communication system where the dog understands:
What you are saying (clarity) and why what you are saying means the same thing (consistency) regardless of your mood, day or circumstances.
If your dog can count on Clear Consistent Communication they can better understand what you’re looking for and be more able to deliver. If they are unsure of what you are asking they may offer the incorrect behavior or not respond at all. Owners than get frustrated and misocommunicate to the dog. These 3 C’s are paramount for maintaining enthusiasm and reliability in dog training.
Clarity – The Clear Aspect is impoprtant in Communication
Although saying words correcly is important it is not the point of being clear with your dog. When we teach a dog a new behavior or cue we teach them through association, conditioning and repetition on which behaviors/cues correspond with vocal cues and hand signals. This is a similar process for dog training. Dogs cannot just look at a dog sitting and know to sit but by luring a dog into a sit and associating it with a hand signal and word we are conditioning them what Sit is. Make sure it is clear the hand signal and word cue used with all participating parties is the same. This will make a difference. It is important to note clear communication assists in getting a lot more reliability from your dog.
Being Consistent Matters in Dog Training
When you were younger the way you say a word is key to how you learned the word. For example the word Apple, your teacher says ay-pple and your parents say ah-pple. Isn’t that confusing. Now imagine if they both said it the same way every time, then apple would be learned a lot faster. So Sit should mean Sit and nothing else. If you asked your dog for a Sit and they presented a Down, we should not be rewarding them for this behavior. Many owners do not realize they are giving their dogs mixed signals by not being clear and consistent in their communication.
Remember the best thing you can do for your dog is be Clear and Consistent in your Communication.
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