
Dogs need 4 simple things that every owner wants.
Truth. Not that complicated.
Visualize this for a moment:
Imagine yourself driving west down the highway at a comfortable 50 mph. Suddenly you realize that your destination is east, not west. Oops! Headed the wrong way! Gotta turn around…but not at 50 mph!
Obviously reversing direction requires you to first slow down gradually-slamming on your brakes in traffic is a really bad idea! Then you need to signal your intentions so you can get your vehicle smoothly out of traffic. When it’s safe, you can maneuver your vehicle in a new direction.
Now you can gradually gather momentum toward your destination in the east, not the west.
Since my sense of direction has never been that great, I can easily visualize myself behind the wheel going the opposite direction from my destination at 50 mph!
But that's not why I’m asking you to imagine yourself in that situation.
In my last email/post, Simple Updated Dog Training Just Makes Sense, I told you that trying to reverse your dog when he’s already on a roll with jumping, pulling, or running away is a plan doomed to failure. It’s a lot like thinking you could turn the car around at 50mph in highway traffic. Nope! Makes no sense!
What does make sense for your dog is to simply do the right things in the right order to get things gradually turned around and moving in the right direction. Simply put, give the dog what he needs and you get what you want. It's really that simple.
Simple isn't the same as easy, though.
Dogs need 4 simple things that every owner wants.
What an owner wants is a dog that greets you politely, walks beside you on a loose leash, pays attention when you call, and reliably responds to your signals.
To give you the things that you want, your dog needs to learn where to direct his attention, how to focus on a task, the benefits of self-control, and that waiting for permission is the quickest route to his destination.
Now getting back for a minute to the example of the car. An excited dog rolling at full speed ahead in one direction (jumping, barking, etc…) can’t just slam on the brakes and immediately go in the opposite direction and do what you want. Four things have to happen first.
The dog needs to:
- Pay attention to something different (Oops! Gotta turn around!)
- Focus on something different and see it as better (slow down first)
- Use self-control to figure out what’s next (indicate an intention and maneuver to go in a new direction)
- Wait for permission and then choose something different (gather momentum in the new direction)
Remember that dogs need 4 simple things that every owner wants: attention, focus, self-control, wait for permission.
Imagine your dog offering you focused attention even when he’s distracted.
What would be different for you if your dog practiced self-control in public and waited for permission to politely greet a visitor or come out of the car?
Wouldn't friends and family be totally impressed? You bet!
Same Old Problems But Better Solutions
Dog training has always addressed these questions. But the problem is that when you love your dog like family you’re emotionally invested in your dog's well-being. So you could be at a loss for what to do when training advice doesn't have your dog's best interests at heart.
If you joined me for Doggie December Doing Days 2020, then you’ll recognize those 4 simple things as the four foundation skills we covered in the December videos.
How would you like to get your hands on brand new videos that walk you through steps to train the 4 simple things and then show you how to apply them so that you can take the December 2020 videos to the Next Level?
I’m working on that Next Level series now – but first I want to be sure that it’s something that dog people like you will value and benefit from.
So please do me a favor and tell me whether or not you give a thumbs up to info about giving your dog more of what he needs so you can get more of what you want. 👍
Are You Up For Next Level?
If you're intrigued by the idea of Next Level videos, then all you need to do now is click here to vote yes and I’ll send you more details in a week or so after I add finishing touches to the new video series.
Vote Yes to Stay in the Loop
And…Just so you know…Because these videos take the December training to the Next Level, they won’t be free. But don't worry! I also want you to know that I have an incredible deal exclusively for my followers. I think you will be pleasantly surprised! So if you voted yes, stay tuned for the “reveal”.
Cheers,
Marilyn
PS –
Darlene, one of my clients, told me, “I have to admit when first starting the training with Molly, I didn't truly believe I would see a significant difference. You have made me a believer!”
I hope you’ll give yourself a chance to be a believer too!
Like Darlene, you can see a significant difference even if you’ve tried other things that haven’t worked out for you. Maybe all it takes is doing something different!
Vote Yes to get the inside info.
