Last week I listed my “non-resolutions,” not wanting to call them New Year’s Resolutions because so many fail within weeks. (U.S. News reports that 80% fail by early February.)
But I was on the Larry Meiller Show last week, (you can listen in the archive files) and found myself thinking about how the basic principles of good dog training could increase our chances of keeping resolutions. Here’s what I came up with:
First, be realistic. Every professional animal trainer that I know has a clear sense of what they can accomplish with the time and resources that they have. Example: Should you spend time teaching a dog like a Great Pyrenees to go walking off leash in the woods? Would you like to invest in my future career as a National League Football player? (The other name for an off leash Gr Pyr is a “Dis-a-Pyr.)
Second, be specific and positive. What do I want, and how do I reinforce it? In other words, you’re not going to “lose weight,” you’re going to lose 5 pounds by the end of the month and reinforce it by buying more sheepdog training videos. (This illustration is totally random. I just pulled it out of the air, obviously.) Example: You’re not going to train your dog to “be more polite,” you’re going to write out what that means (All four feet on the ground with visitors? Walking with a loose leash?) and be 100% certain about what your dog finds most reinforcing in that context.
Third, go public. Okay, this time I’m moving from human psychology to dog training rather than vice versa, but we’re talking about mammals either way . . .The American Psychological Association lists “sharing your resolutions” as one of the ways to stay on track with resolutions. Example: I wrote last week about writing fiction for a few hours three times a week for three months. I knew that I’d feel more committed to it if I put it out in the universe. In addition, telling people what you’re working on is a great way to get support. I didn’t think about that aspect of it, but many of you sent me lots of reinforcement. It came as a surprise and it felt amazingly good. Thank you!
Fourth, keep track. When I began doing consultations I quickly learned the value of having clients write notes on how things were going. Without the notes I saw one of two things happening often: Often, clients would dismiss how much progress they’d made and leap frog from one problem to another. Conversations would go like this:
Me: “So, you came to me about teaching Rover to come when called; how is that going?”
Client: “Oh, it’s fine, I guess he does that now, but his barking is driving us crazy.”
Me: [Which version would you like? What I said or what I thought?]
Conversely, clients would claim remarkable success even though the facts seemed to suggest the opposite. That’s why keeping notes can be remarkably helpful. I began taking my own notes after working with clients and seeing the above, and found it to be incredibly helpful. Sometimes you go back and read notes from a few years ago and realize that, uh, you’re still working on the same issue as if it was a new one. Or you are reminded that a big problem months or years back is completely resolved. Either way, keeping quick notes about the progress of any resolution in invaluable.
Fifth, expect set backs. It happens all the time in dog training, and it understandably can be distressing. But it happens all the time in life too, and one set back does not a disaster make. I’ve learned that this is especially rough when you are dealing with a serious behavioral problem–a dog who is aggressive to visitors, for example. I’ve had clients who were devastated when their dog growled at a neighbor, after months of getting happier and happier about visitors. But set backs are part of most learning curves, and the trick is to carefully analyze the contexts of the problem (what was the antecedent in ABC talk?), take several steps back and begin again. Usually you can move forward through the same progression, but much faster than the first time.
And now we are full circle, because expecting set backs is one way of being realistic. (Why does that convergence make me so happy?)
Okay, your turn! What has dog training taught you about keeping commitments? Or vice versa? I can’t wait to read what you have to add to the conversation.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Another great sheepdog trial at the BYB Winter trial series. We got to run on a new field and Maggie got to run (Non-Compete) in Open, which means a MUCH longer outrun and drive, and, if you get to it, a shed as well as a pen.
The sheep were about 325-350 yards away, or on Mars, one of the two. Keep in mind that 350 yards is the equivalent of 3 and a half football fields, or a fifth of a mile. Something about the distance or the field confused Maggie (although she has run this far before) and at one point she zigged far to the left and began to run toward a road. The kind with cars on it. It scared the hell out of me; but thankfully she stopped the second I whistled, got back on the course and found the sheep.
After that she did a beautiful fetch, keeping the sheep in line all by herself, and did great work on the drive. Later we ran in Pro Novice (sheep closer) and she still messed up her outrun, but then did an almost perfect fetch and drive. Except she is sooooo slow. Argh, seriously, a person could check their email while she is driving the cross drive. It has advantages, but it also means you often run out of time.
But Maggie is Maggie, and I am loving doing the best for her that I can manage. I’m not sure she’ll ever be truly competitive in the Open class, but together we are going to be the best we can be.
Here she is looking out of the barn at our flock, looking to me a bit worried about something:
Willie got to drive the entire flock across the field at the break, which made him very happy. While doing so, I discovered a new sport: Sheep surfing, which is when a fast-moving flock of sheep runs into you and picks you up like a tsunami wave and carries you along for the ride on their backs. I won the class, although it seems I was the only entry.
No hard feelings--here are some of the sheep, who allowed me to play with my new camera lens a bit.
One of my favorite visitors to the trial was Olaf, a dear, sweet rescued (and on-leash!) Great Pyrenees. Pyr’s have such noble heads . . . (I was going to take out the little bit of drool under his mouth, but hey, he’s a Pyr. Think of it as jewelry.)
So . . . your turn. How does dog training inform your own habits and commitments? Or vice versa?
lak says
My rescue was wild, and this was my first dog. I thought dog training would be “fun”. When I got the info on line I came across the Canine Good Citizenship class and exam to follow. I told family and friends we were going to get the CGC. We had two full semesters of basic obedience. We worked hard together, practicing commands at least twice a day for short periods 10 minutes. Thank goodness she was food motivated. I learned how to train my dog, I learned how to give consistent concise commands, I learned my weakness, her strengths, our bond grew closer that I thought possible, we had fun, and in the end we obtained our goal, CGC!!! dog training taught me to set goals, practice, make practice fun and rewarding, stick with it, break the goal into small pieces, try, try, and try harder, and enjoy the rewards of all of the above, even when the goal may not be achieved.
Chris from Boise says
Sheep surfing – I can only imagine it, eyes wide in amazement. Wool is so soft…hooves are so hard. Sounds like you emerged in one piece? Congratulations (I think!)!
Elizabeth Dougherty says
This post was a great way to start my morning — thanks!! Loved the first item on your list because we just adopted a Great Pyrenees mix puppy. I’ve never been comfortable with having my dogs off leash, more to do with my lack of confidence in my having trained a good recall than the dogs themselves. Now after learning some about Pyrs and reading your statement, I’ll be able to attribute my absolute leashing to the dog, not my shortcomings as a trainer!
Loved the rest of your list, too. Keep up with the fiction writing. Meanwhile, I’ve decided my next book is going to be a dog-related memoir, necessary catharsis after a rough dog year.
Have a great week!
Judy Miller says
Funny how a new puppy can re focus and align daily goals which translate to those pesky resolutions.
Lexi is our 5th English springer spaniel. Though many thought getting a new dog, let alone, at this certain point in life…10 years retired was silly🙄well, a home without a dog is just a house. The gifts are abundant..and the goals of training a family friendly dog align perfectly with human needs for movement, regular eating patterns, sufficient sleep, cognitive agility to solvevthose peasky puppy developmental stages…enough said, Lexi is my partner in active living for 2019! I have returned to your puppy books as they served me so well with our previous canine buddies…thank you
Silke-Ryca says
Dear Trisha,
thank you for putting in words that set backs in training even happen to you. It’s such a relief to hear that neither the dogs nor I fail (this is what it feels like before rational thinking kicks in). I find it very difficult to write down New Year’s resolutions without the feeling of inadequacy. Keeping commitments in general is definitely one of my weak points, because it is my habit to expect too much of myself and I let myself be put under pressure. In contrast to that I don’t have a problem at all commiting myself 100 % to dog training. As you mentioned, writing down in a structured and precise way what I want to achieve in training my assistant dogs and at the same time trying to prioritize helps me to be more realistic,focused and at the same time take into acount what the dogs and I are able to manage day by day ( this is a positive challenge and not a frustrating New Year’s Resolution) .For me it is more about authenticity. For example being very specific in describing dog training, sticking to it and talking about it to friends helped me to find my voice in a lot of other contexts ( more than I could have ever hoped for in any kind of objective). Vice versa learning continuously in therapy to evaluate without judging influenced my way of looking at our success or set backs in training in a more benevolent way. Breathing exercises and techniques I should do in meditation (I only manage that for the blink of an eye ) are not a problem for me in dog training, because they help me to calm down my dogs and create a feeling of belonging. Maybe it is all about motivation. I think it is very important to allow yourself doing things your own way in life as well as in training without sticking to preconceived goals or opinions. Being mindful, reliable and authentic (easier said than done) you can experience success in tiny steps at a time in contrast to New Year’s Resolutions that fail.
Chris Wells says
All the dogs I have owned in my life I have been comfortable with off leash. Until this one, a rescue Golden Retriever mix. I love training dogs! And from the outside anyone would say, what a model dog! We got her CGC and we were clearly the top of the class. The trainer ask me if we would like to continue and train for Rally. I did not have time to commit to that unfortunately. And Molly is a model dog until she sees a deer! Then there is no stopping her and you are going to spend the next hour tracking her down, praying a sheep farmer or a hunter doesn’t shoot your dog. I can stop her mid stride from going after a squirrel or any other animal…but not a deer. And the funny thing is that several people have commented how she looks like she might have a little Pyrenees in her. So as much as I would love to take that leisurely walk through the woods with my dog off leash…just not going to happen. I do use a long line used for lunging horses to give her as much freedom to enjoy the walk that I can, but my hand is firmly gripped the the other end of the leash!
What an amazing camera! That picture of the sheep is frame worthy. Nice
Minnesota Mary says
My 14 year old husky can no longer visit his beloved hospice patients due to the pain and inflammation he’s experiencing. He had a seven year run and I know he misses it a lot. We’re working with a rehab vet to make him more comfortable.
My goal is to train my younger (crazy) husky to be able to pass the TDI evaluation. He was starved for the first couple of years of his life and is overly attentive to food, which makes him easy to train. It also makes it nearly impossible to walk past a pile of treats without gobbling them – this has to happen twice in order to pass the evaluation.
Pat says
We have a wonderful little Cavalier and we have not trained her as well as we should have, but more our lack of commitment than her unwillingness. But I feel that I would never walk her off leash after she took off one day after a rabbit. She feels the need to chase when she sees a small animal. Am I correct that some dogs just have a prey drive that takes over their minds and all else is forgotten?
Anyway, I love your books and your blog and encourage you to write more. I have learned so much reading your writing.
LisaW says
I did keep a daily journal when we were going through Olive’s CCL CM rehab. Her physical and emotional health are so tightly intertwined that recording her physical state and what we did that day and how she seemed mentally was very helpful. I just came across that notebook, and wow, what memories! Two steps forward, three back, four forward, and on and on.
Just like they said in the movie, Little Miss Sunshine: “You gotta let Olive be Olive.” Words we live by.
I love Olaf’s droolery 😉
Adrienne K. says
When we got our moyen size poodle Zasu 3 years ago I was determined that she was going to be a well behaved dog and part of the family, a delight to be with. We knew she would be our last dog after many years of being dog owners. She was easily potty trained and I found treats were such a big help as a reward system. Now Zasu is a delight and will do just about anything I ask but she still expects that treat to come forth. So I have learned that what we teach them and how we teach them will be a life long routine. Today I still have to walk around with treats in my pockets. Be careful what you teach them they learn it forever.
HFR says
I am surprised about the Pyr being bad off leash. Aren’t they livestock guard dogs? I’m picturing them out by themselves at night guarding the herd of cows or whatever and never going too far from the property because they have their job to do. How are they not good off leash, but trusted to be alone at night guarding the livestock?
Trisha says
Great question HFR. Many are confined by fences. (And many people have discovered their fences are inadequate. Somone once came to my house when I was too ill to do the chores, and asked how I had trained Gr Pyr Tulip to climb the fence “like a fireman climbs a ladder”. Apparently they watched in awe as she carefully climbed a wire livestock fence, paw by paw, and dashed off into a neighbor’s field.). Others live on huge properties and are satisfied with the acreage. One breeder told me that Gr Pyr’s need to patrol at least 400 acres to be satsified enough to stay at home. No idea where they came up with that #, but it actually sounds about right. And, last thing, a good sheep guard dog would never leave the flock for long. A friend with two guard dogs often has them loose, but they rarely leave the flock even though they could. But if you took them loose in the woods with no sheep to guard…? Eeee Ha!
Nancy says
Consistency is one of the first things I thought of when pairing dog training (and child training) with resolutions. As humans habits help us become consistent and consistency can help us have continued success toward our goals and resolutions. I think it helps dogs to learn that words have meanings and the meanings are the same, especially for commands like sit, down, stay, which all require consistency in our training and reinforcement.
Arnette Small says
I learned not to give up ,when one method isn’t working, rethink and try a new approach. Every dog I have worked with is an individual as are we and one size doesn’t fit all .
Andy says
I would say I’ve learned not to be afraid to redefine goals based on how things are going. As an example, I finished a KP online vet handling course and had resolved to get Cecil used to nail clippers, but it was going soooooo slow and our previous history with this instrument had a lot of baggage, mainly arousal from high-value treats and dread over the snipping sound. So, we just scrapped the goal and I built a scratching board. While I wouldn’t say he loves it – it’s not self-reinforcing enough for him to use on his own – he quickly learned how to use it and he will use it for fairly low-value kibble.
BTW Trisha, I don’t know why but I love your handwriting. It’s so kinetic and elegant at the same time.
Jann Becker says
Great portraits of dogs and sheep!
I started playing recorder after 40 years in the summer of ’17, having played through college and grad school in the 1970″s (It’s not just for second graders.) We were in the thick of basic training with Dooley at the time. Instructors kept reminding us to only raise one criterion at a time: distance, duration, etc. on a stay.
The same applied to relearning an instrument. I can pick my way through a fast piece fixing mistakes as I go, or I can blaze through it at the speed I intend it to go, but I choose at the start which it’s going to be. “Speed” means power through mistakes without slowing down. “Accuracy” is the opposite. Eventually, they merge and it plays itself.
Diane says
What I’ve learned from training my dogs is you need to be flexible. And forgiving, although I am much more forgiving of my dog than of myself. You kicked me right in the butt with “be specific” and with your example of teaching your dog to “be polite”. What does that mean to me and my crazy 3 year old golden mix?! I sometimes wonder if I am setting the bar too high for him with my generalized expectations. I do work on specific responses, but maybe not specific enough, and often enough. OMG..are you serious about the sheep surfing… are you okay? What a ride!
Jenny Haskins says
Importance of ‘behavioural objectives” :-)Of course another advantage of them is that you can tick them off, and feel a sense of accomplishment 🙂
Jenny Haskins says
I learned about the importance of ‘behavioural objectives’ when I did my Dip.Ed.
it is really important to keep these in mind when teaching or training — for oneself too, as much as for the learners.
but my current objectives are to keep Ironbark (My Big Fella) safe — he slipped on our glazed tiles (not out choice — they came with the house) and hurt his back. It is important for him to learn to walk in the house, not gallop or ‘rush madly in all directions’ 🙁
The other dogs are OK as they are so any training for them is really just revision.
Then my other objectives are concerned with my own health, which leaves something to be desired 🙂
Jency says
thanks for the wonderful article, and great comments. I would just add,
Know yourself, and love yourself. Know that your so-called “flaws” could be a gift and sources of real strength, if respected and treated thoughtfully.
With my dogs, I see that traits I once viewed as negative (e.g., vigilance in new environments, persistent sniffing to find and track down new odors, etc.) are true gifts. We’re all loving nosework!
Stacy Braslau-Schneck says
One thing that dog training has taught me about new year’s resolutions and other goals: Break it down into small steps. Be a splitter, not a lumper! While my 19 for ’19 (19 Resolutions for 2019) includes goals like “get an article published in _Bay Woof_ magazine”, I knew that I’d have to break it down into steps (contact the publisher to pitch ideas, pick one that she liked, research it if necessary, write the article and edit it to the proper length; submit it on time, re-edit if necessary, follow up). Knowing that each goal has a number of achievable mini-goals helps immensely.
(The article has been submitted and accepted!)
LunaGrace says
Maybe Maggie’s Cross Drive is like learning to type. You start with “Home Row” and go really slow until you build up confidence that your fingers know where the keys are. Once you have established a good technique, the speed comes naturally.
I have to admit that one of the things my ex taught me was how to have dogs off leash. Coming home from a show one weekend, I needed to stop after several hours and walk and water four Siberian Huskies. Ignoring my protestations that I needed to keep all the dogs on leash all of the time (after all, these dogs are bred to RUN!), he drove us a mile off the highway, down a gravel road, past large corn fields that had been harvested, stopped the car, and opened all the doors and cages, and let the dogs out! I had a screaming meltdown for five minutes knowing full well I would never see my beloved dogs again. After 10 minutes, when the dogs had been zooming around in the Open Fields playing tag with each other, he got out the gallon water jugs and their stainless steel pans, poured out some water, and Presto! all the dogs came in to get a drink of water. at which point he told me “grab two, I’ll take another two and we’ll put them back in the crates”. it worked out splendidly and we got the dogs well and truly exercised in less time than it would have taken to put them all on leashes and walk them short distances. The next time out to a dog show, I had only one dog. Still we pulled off the road a good distance and let the dog out to stretch her legs. When we poured the water in the pan she looked at us and said, “Not on your life, I’m having too much fun running around. Catch me!”. Logic and Mathematics tells us that they have four legs, we only have two, so guess who’s going to win that race? I was wringing my hands in despair when my ex said, “Get in the car we’re leaving.”. I wailed that we were NOT going to abandon this dog out in the middle of nowhere. But he said, “Trust me and get in”. We didn’t even drive 20 yards before the panic-stricken dog was hot on our tail begging to get back in the car. My ex taught me that dogs don’t want to be left behind. No matter how much they might love to run, or might love to hunt, they really and truly do want to go home with you, sleeping in a nice comfy warm house, and have three Square meals a day. Even Siberian Huskies. You just have to be careful of where you turn them loose. Downtown Chicago would not be a good choice.
15 month old Icelandic Sheepdog, Tula, and I are off for our second training class tonight. Due to a serious accident I had last year, this girl doesn’t even know how to walk on a leash without doing an excellent imitation of a rainbow trout on a fishing line. Tonight we are going to attempt to teach Down, although I am not sure I can bend over far enough to get her lured down, or get back up if I manage to get that far down. Goal is to enter her in the May shows in Albuquerque for her Beginner Novice scores. I love a challenge.
jen says
Working with a blind and partly deaf young border collie has been a lesson on the 3 Ps: persistence, patience, and problem solving. I have come to view training failures and setbacks as entirely about my expectations and skills, not the dog’s. Despite plenty of short-term fails, we have learned nose work, earned our CGC, are ready to pass our beginner tricks title, and are having great fun tracking. I’ve learned a lot about myself along the way, lessons that carry into other arenas of my life, and our work together has built trust and relationship between me and my dog. Win all around!
Judy Miller says
Though I know the blog was about resolutions I have one huge one that I need help with….crate resistance…my sweet, smart, adorable, smart, house trained etc 12 week only calm, cuddly English springer spaniel, Lexi, is absolutely in deep dislike of her crate.
She goes in and out, I have done the Kong,I have done canine relaxation protocol ,everything..done Trisha’s method, Ian Dunbar method..she is flawless with the process/ training UNTIL the gate closes and it is time just to be there. I have soft crate, have wire crate and so on…Lexi is our 5 th springer and never had this issue.
We want her crate trained until she can be trusted.
Does anyone have a suggestion? We need to get out of the house together😬
Betty belliveau says
Love this post ! You are still my most recommended author on dog behavior: ) I teach agility and used to teach pet behavior. I also do herding but dont own my own stock . So I enjoyed your sheep surfing story .
Lesly says
Learn all that I can. I have read a lot and seen different trainers in action. I have learnt something from them all. Remember that none of us are perfect (me and the dogs!), which ties in with the be realistic and I would add, be fair. We all have off days. Have fun and laugh too.
Connie says
Lovely post, thank you! My list was similar – like the other comments; set up for success, small steps, train the dog in front of you etc. But the one that I have really tried to embrace lately and transfer into my daily life is getting away from shame-based interactions. We as dog trainers (and I am just a ‘sporty’ trainer, not a professional one) are so good at trying to apply positive reinforcement techniques when working with our dogs, but so poor at doing so for our fellow humans these days, including to ourselves. Trying to reward myself for small steps towards my goals (or anything really, even chores!), and ‘rewarding’ those people around me in a conscious way seems immensely more difficult than anything I have ever attempted with my dog. We are so quick to shame each other instead – for political beliefs, life and daily choices, to not performing at work to ‘standards’ – even parenting is still predominantly shame-based I believe. I have even seen trainers publicly shame fellow trainers in a positive-reinforcement dog training class! It is my new soapbox and I am doing my best to change myself first, especially around things like setting goals and resolutions. But I really hope that treating our dogs more positively eventually bleeds over into treating ourselves and each other more kindly and effectively too.
Tala says
Hey, Judy Miller–
What about using an ex pen instead of (or attached to) the crate? If she’s stressed out about being confined in a very small space, and you’re just wanting her contained somewhere safe, it might be a happy medium…
Michelle says
Such a lovely post. Thank you! You are a beautiful writer and so fun to read.
Diane Mattson says
Don’t have a training story but do have a feel good story about a Great Pyrenees/Marenna cross. Minnie was turned into our local animal rescue for being too hostile to sheep. She came with her best buddy, Aggie, the goat. She and Aggie found a new home, with a single mom, her two young daughters, a horse and another goat. Minnie adores her new animal friends and dotes on the girls. She has 10 acres to roam around in and has found her new place in life, with no sheep!
HFR says
Thanks, Trisha. for the info. That makes sense and I had no idea! Good thing I never have had a Pyr altho I think they are one of the most beautiful dogs out there.
Jen Fleck says
On my way home from a herding lesson today, it occurred to me that in both herding and life, “good enough” isn’t really a thing. In my mind, “good enough” means good enough for a novice or for a hobby or to stop. Unless you always see the next step, have a goal just up ahead, you stagnate or accept less than your (or your dog’s) best work. In herding, this usually means that my dog starts to do his own thing, and then we backslide. In life it also usually (always?) ends up in a backslide as well.
Kat says
Your photo of the Pyr is simply gorgeous and made me miss the pair I grew up with. And your answer to HFR was spot on. Of the pair I knew growing up the bitch could climb a five foot panel fence faster than I could. The dog, all 145 lbs of him, preferred to squirm through the panels. Even seeing him do it I’m still not sure how a 145 lb dog could fit through an eight inch gap but he did. When they would decide to roam we’d get calls from miles away. Our dogs were well known in the county. Usually they’d choose to stay close to the sheep but once in awhile something would inspire them and they’d go on a ramble.
What I’ve learned from dog training is that every dog has something to teach you as a trainer. Ranger taught me that you need to know what it is you want; in other words, be specific. He also taught me that you need to be able to explain to the dog what you want. Finna taught me to celebrate every step forward and to really listen to the dog. In truth Ranger taught me a lot about training and Finna has been a master’s class in training.
Anne says
Good article!!! And very true about pyrs. I have only owned pyrs because they are such wonderful dogs. I enjoy the challenge of training them. People always seem shocked on how they manage to escape. The female I have currently Isabella would go at lengths to escape the yard so much so that I put her in agility which she loves…..along with doing tricks she does well when her brain gets tired. Lol