Managing our Responses

Thoughtful Thursday

One of the hardest things we do as trainers is respond to the stimuli our dogs present. We are training them to respond in specific ways to specific stimuli.

This may be a verbal cue, a visual cue, or a scent/odor stimuli. We want them to respond quickly. With no latency. However, with some things, we want there to be a pause. We want them to pause before they chase that deer or house cat. We want them to pause and use their 'thinking brain' when confronted with something that inspires a predatory reaction.

Our responses to others often require us to put a pause in our response. Us humans are funny animals on how we respond to verbal behavior. How other people talk, the body language that goes along with it, and then our interpretation of what they said versus what they meant.

So in the case of our dogs and the stimuli, we typically want no space.

But for working with the human end of the leash, there often needs to be a space. A space where you can be curious, ask for clarification, or repeat what you heard and ask if that is what was meant.

Give yourself, and the person you are speaking with, the grace of the space.

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