Don't Try This At Home!

“I did then what I knew how to do.  Now that I know better, I do better.”  Maya Angelou

I find this quote very fitting for the world of dog training.  I think anyone who has been working with dogs for any amount of time can easily recall our more punishing past – most likely, as is the case for me, with much regret and sorrow.  But dwelling on the past does nothing to change it, all we can do is keep striving to improve and do the best we can with the information available at the time.  I have no doubt that ten years from now I will be doing things much differently, and that’s okay.

Scientists give us a better understanding of canine behaviour and how dogs learn, but I also learn so much from each of the wonderful dogs who have come into my own life.  Right now that special little guy is Cojack, poster child for The Learned Canine.  I couldn’t ask for a more eager, resilient learner.  He absolutely loves learning new things, and sometimes his willingness to do anything I ask can actually cloud my better judgement.  Training this behaviour was one of those times.

We did it!  (But please don’t try this at home.)

After mastering running across the hanging tires at the local parkette, I thought Cojack was ready for more of a challenge – enter, ‘the chains’.  As always, the key to teaching any new behaviour is to break it down into small, achievable steps and reinforce every step of the way.  Once he realized what I wanted him to do (after multiple jumps through the chains), he was very eager to climb to the top.  However, there was a problem once he got there as the platform at the top meant a larger and steeper last step.  I noticed this as soon as he got up there and intended to make some sort of adjustment to make it easier for him.  He, however, was not to be deterred.  He was so determined that I let him try – and keep trying.  This was my mistake.  Realizing the physical limitations of my dog and taking them into account before asking him to do anything was my responsibility.  That, after all, is why he is so confident in himself and so trusting in me in the first place.  He tries so hard because I had never set him up to fail before.

I am not proud to say that he fell – more than once, to the ground from the top of the chains.  He then developed a fear of the top step which I had to work hard to get him over even after I added an additional make-shift rung at the top.  Add to this the fact that his nails got stuck between the links in the chain on more than one occasion, and it is a wonder he is still willing to climb those things at all.  And so, in retrospect, not only should I have taken his physical capabilities into account before beginning this training but I probably shouldn’t have asked him to do it at all given the potential risk of injury to his feet.  In the end I persisted because I knew he could handle it – and was as eager as I was to master this new challenge.  However, putting these pressures on another dog could have detrimental effects – on their physical well-being, their willingness to try new things in the future, and your relationship.  So, enjoy the video but please, don’t try this at home!

Debra Reid RVT, KPA CTP