Sometimes you have to fake it...

Everyone is in a position at some point, where they are not 100% confident in what they are training. Maybe it’s a new skill or a new exercise. Maybe it is an unusual reaction from your dog that you weren’t prepared for. Maybe you are trying different methods to work through a particular problem.

I often see people being cautious about how they handle and train their dogs. They are worried about doing something wrong, so their commands are wishy-washy, without spelling out exactly how they want their dog to perform.

How would you feel if you were sitting in your doctor’s office and your doctor came into the room to discuss what was wrong with you. Instead of him spelling out EXACTLY what the problem was, he beat around the bush. “Maybe" you have this or “maybe” you have that. We can “maybe” try this medicine, but “maybe” this would be better. You wouldn’t have much faith in your doctor, would you?

Your dog is the same way. They want (and NEED) specific and clear instructions. They need you to apply things confidently and with purpose.

It is better to do the wrong thing with confidence, than the right thing with trepidation.

You are not going to mess up your dog, or your training, if you don’t handle something correctly; as long as you handle it with confidence. As a disclaimer (because there is always one person in the bunch)....this obviously does not mean that you should “confidently” rip your dog’s head off if they perform an exercise incorrectly, this can cause lasting problems. But, most people train with cookies and/or toys. You are NOT going to do any lasting damage with a cookie.

I’d rather have my dog make a confident, wrong decision than an unconfident, correct one. Much, much easier to fix and build on.

So, if you get into a situation where you aren’t quite sure what to do, fake it. You always hear that dogs live in the moment, and I agree with this. You can always retrain something. You can always start over. But, if you start making your dog guess what you want, you are creating indecision and confusion. Neither of which is a good thing for the competition ring.

Train hard. Play harder.
Shannon