Thoughtful Thursday: Defining the Behavior You Want
I often get the question of "what do I do when my training session doesn't go well" or "what do you do when your dog is floundering".
Over the past few weeks I've been doing a lot of recording for the Academy to provide real world examples of my training so they can see what happens in my training room when....
It goes amazingly well.
When I crash and burn.
When I am struggling with getting a behavior.
When I am struggling with getting a behavior consistently.
When I didn't manage my environment correctly.
When....all of the other things that happen when you are training with an animal that has their own agenda.
When this happens to me on video, I can now tell by my posture and face scratch that my brain is problem solving what needs to change. In those moments, I can tell I'm asking myself this question....
What exact behavior am I trying to get and how do I make that as clear as I can to my learner.
This requires me to know and be able to articulate what EXACT behavior I want. And yes, sometimes I do articulate it to the dog because talking it out brings more clarity. Down to the ear twitch I know what behavior I want. Because precision matters when I am teaching. (Okay, precision matters all the time, but when I'm trying to clear up confusion, it really matters to me.)
Why is knowing the exact behavior important?
Because when you know where you are and where you want to end up, you can develop a plan to get there. Then you figure out part of the behavior you want to chip away at first. That is where you start to fix the current dumpster fire you are having.
What is a current problem you are having and what is the exact behavior you want that will help solve it?
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If you are looking for training help, reach out for coaching or check the on demand webinars listed on the website. The K9Sensus Detection Dog Academy Fall 2025 Cohort will begin in September. Make sure you get enrolled!
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