DEVELOPING A WORKING MINDSET: TRUST
Trust and Respect are Siamese twins. You can't truly trust someone you don't respect. If you have respect it leads straight to trust. "I respect you, therefore I trust you and your information."
Trust comes from doing your jo0b of being right. When you pick up a baby puppy, it's scary. "I'm hanging in open air. I'm gonna DIE!!!!!!!
It's your job to be right and show the puppy that you are trustworthy. This WILL work. I can pick you up and nothing bad happens. In fact, good stuff happens...we get to cuddle.
When you turn that pup over onto his back, same thing. "This is SCARY!" It's okay. Good stuff happens, not bad. I can scratch your tummy. Trust comes from developing a bank of past experiences. All the times you where right you can draw on when you then introduce the dog to a 200 lb sheep, an 800 lb steer or a wobbly Teeter.
Each time you introduce the pup to anything new it's your job to make SURE that everything tuns out right. The first time on a grooming table, the first introduction to a strange person/dog/sheep/duck, the first time over a 2" board HAS to turn out right. Your job is to get that pup believing that, "Mom's got it covered. She's always right, always on my side."
The work is no different for an older 43-home dog. It's going to be harder because that dog is going to be more cautious and less quick to believe in you. Past experience has generally taught suspicion. The dog is a re-home for a reason. He's most likely had an erratic set of rules...or none... and people have let him down...they booted him from his pack and family. Your job with this dog is to be right every time. He's prepared to disbelieve you. Your job is to tell him, "It doesn't matter what happened before...you CAN count on ME."
Your job is to brainwash your new pup/dog that you are always right. Your dog can trust that you are infallible.
If you've made mistakes with your current dog, trust could be broken. You can't automatically pull off the "infallible mom" act. If you've gotten your dog hurt or in trouble, if you've put too much pressure on him, you need to take steps to fix the issue before you can move on. You need to learn how to be right...before you ask your dog to trust you again. Ask your instructor where it went wrong. Ask them to do a demo of the right way to accomplish the task you muffled. Go to a clinic/seminar/workshop for better instruction or new ideas. Ask a knowledgeable friend o watch you work. DON'T repeat the experience until you have better skills.
Taker the dog back to something easy. If your dog came off the A-Frame because you mis-cued, take the board all the way down to the floor and start over. Raise it incrementally. Give your dog plenty of experiences to see that you are right, the A-Frame is a doable, fun thing.
When things go wrong, go back to the last place you were right. If you've developed a problem with doing Advanced sheep work because you over-pressured your dog and pushed too hard...drop the pride...and go back to simple, month one fetching. Re-establish relationship and right answers. Then work your way back to driving.
If you got your dug run off by sheep beyond his skill level, change out sheep. Use lighter, more reactive sheep that won't fight. Take him into a bigger field on a long line. Take him around the sheep a good distance off. Work your way into a "Walk". Let him see that he can move sheep. let him see that when you command him to "Walk up" you are right and he can make them move.
The cliche' says, "Trust is earned". Earning the trust of your canine partner is ALL about making plenty of deposits of good information, good choices and correct reinforcements in the "Bank of Experience".
It's tempting sometimes to say, "Trust is more important than Respect." Or, "Attention is more important that Trust." It's a meaningless argument. Attention, Respect and Trust are the three foundation stones that your dog's life and career will rest on. Lack any one, or have a faulty approximation of one and your entire house will fall.
Trust and Respect are Siamese twins. You can't truly trust someone you don't respect. If you have respect it leads straight to trust. "I respect you, therefore I trust you and your information."
Trust comes from doing your jo0b of being right. When you pick up a baby puppy, it's scary. "I'm hanging in open air. I'm gonna DIE!!!!!!!
It's your job to be right and show the puppy that you are trustworthy. This WILL work. I can pick you up and nothing bad happens. In fact, good stuff happens...we get to cuddle.
When you turn that pup over onto his back, same thing. "This is SCARY!" It's okay. Good stuff happens, not bad. I can scratch your tummy. Trust comes from developing a bank of past experiences. All the times you where right you can draw on when you then introduce the dog to a 200 lb sheep, an 800 lb steer or a wobbly Teeter.
Each time you introduce the pup to anything new it's your job to make SURE that everything tuns out right. The first time on a grooming table, the first introduction to a strange person/dog/sheep/duck, the first time over a 2" board HAS to turn out right. Your job is to get that pup believing that, "Mom's got it covered. She's always right, always on my side."
The work is no different for an older 43-home dog. It's going to be harder because that dog is going to be more cautious and less quick to believe in you. Past experience has generally taught suspicion. The dog is a re-home for a reason. He's most likely had an erratic set of rules...or none... and people have let him down...they booted him from his pack and family. Your job with this dog is to be right every time. He's prepared to disbelieve you. Your job is to tell him, "It doesn't matter what happened before...you CAN count on ME."
Your job is to brainwash your new pup/dog that you are always right. Your dog can trust that you are infallible.
If you've made mistakes with your current dog, trust could be broken. You can't automatically pull off the "infallible mom" act. If you've gotten your dog hurt or in trouble, if you've put too much pressure on him, you need to take steps to fix the issue before you can move on. You need to learn how to be right...before you ask your dog to trust you again. Ask your instructor where it went wrong. Ask them to do a demo of the right way to accomplish the task you muffled. Go to a clinic/seminar/workshop for better instruction or new ideas. Ask a knowledgeable friend o watch you work. DON'T repeat the experience until you have better skills.
Taker the dog back to something easy. If your dog came off the A-Frame because you mis-cued, take the board all the way down to the floor and start over. Raise it incrementally. Give your dog plenty of experiences to see that you are right, the A-Frame is a doable, fun thing.
When things go wrong, go back to the last place you were right. If you've developed a problem with doing Advanced sheep work because you over-pressured your dog and pushed too hard...drop the pride...and go back to simple, month one fetching. Re-establish relationship and right answers. Then work your way back to driving.
If you got your dug run off by sheep beyond his skill level, change out sheep. Use lighter, more reactive sheep that won't fight. Take him into a bigger field on a long line. Take him around the sheep a good distance off. Work your way into a "Walk". Let him see that he can move sheep. let him see that when you command him to "Walk up" you are right and he can make them move.
The cliche' says, "Trust is earned". Earning the trust of your canine partner is ALL about making plenty of deposits of good information, good choices and correct reinforcements in the "Bank of Experience".
It's tempting sometimes to say, "Trust is more important than Respect." Or, "Attention is more important that Trust." It's a meaningless argument. Attention, Respect and Trust are the three foundation stones that your dog's life and career will rest on. Lack any one, or have a faulty approximation of one and your entire house will fall.