When Helping Your Dog is an Illusion #12

We all love our dogs and want to help them, but sometimes that help has the opposite effect of what we intend! That’s what I’m covering in this episode, so you can get the behaviour you really want. Learn how letting go of control will have your dog buy-in to your training and create a relationship of mutual happiness.

🐾 Key Episode Moments
00:00 Teach dogs calmness and self-control.
00:32 My unique way of creating drive in dogs.
01:53 Engage opposition reflex for drive in dog sports.
04:00 Example of wrongly helping a dog.
06:32 Allow your dog to fail in the context of games.
09:11 Use games to teach a dog any lesson.
11:44 Controlling other animals is a mistake.
12:51 Dog training success is a result of engagement.

In the episode you'll hear:

• About triggers, opposition reflex and drive.
• What self control really is, and how our control is an illusion.
• How games are a win for everyone even if there’s a fail (yes ... the F word!).
• Why your dog’s buy-in to your training results in a lifetime of joy.

Resources:

P.S. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you get notifications of new videos!
- - - - - - -

Dogs That is brought to you by Susan Garrett and the Say Yes Dog Training Team.

Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science. Since then she has developed into a preeminent dog trainer and canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last three decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years.

A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is world renowned as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply science-based learning principles to both competitive and family pet dog training has been pivotal in changing how dogs are trained.

Susan is now helping many thousands of dog owners in 82 countries have the best relationship possible with their dogs. The real joy for her comes from bringing confidence to dogs and their owner through playful interactions and relationship building games that are grounded firmly in the science of how animals learn.
- - - - - - -

There’s always something new happening at Dogs That, so if you’d like to be the first to know, visit our website, register to receive updates, and we'll keep you in the loop.

[rosieleat]

I love your wild hair lol lol xx it's got a mind of it's own rofl

[yuminagaoka]

Now I know why whenever I want my dog to move away from cars and bicycles running on the busy street, he actually go towards them. It's because I pull the leash and making the opposition reflex. Wow, I understand, yet so hard to fix my habit! I will try to use the hand target instead.
And sometimes, this youtube channel makes me cry. My husband never understands why I am crying listening to a podcast about dog training.

[karlawilson]

“Control is an illusion”.... “Failure is inspiring”
Great examples and explanations that put a shine on these gems!

[IsabelSBazan]

OMG! you said: "READYYYY!" and the dog is coming with the toy LOL

[gitana]

Here listening to you about dogs and you just inspired me also on how to work with my daughter who is struggling with reading … oh thank you so much x

[hannahcresswell]

Listened to this episode 3 times now and I still love it. Such great words! Changed my relationships 😊

[JennyYasi]

You're such a great coach! I'm struggling with M'Ocean's GREAT excitement around a particular dog. We've been doing "social group leash walks" through the park, and he really really wants to sniff her butt, and he is consequently pulling me pretty often, but she does NOT want her butt sniffed. I'm realizing I need to make the game easier for him, and I need to stop helping him! He's so darn strong, so so strong, I get torn between the need to socialize and exercise him, and setting the rules. I need to just let him find out that if he is pulling, we will not be able to keep up with the other dogs. I've been tending to err on the side of letting him get away with a little bit of nonsense ("He wants to walk in front of the pack") because I need to take him for a walk, but I guess I need to do more long distance socializing and just make the whole experience easier for both of us! Yesterday was frustrating, as you describe! This was just the pep talk I needed today!

[cherylblack]

"True success comes from inspiring the behavior that you are looking for." Sounds like a pipe dream, but you show by example that it is possible. Thank you. And thank you for continuing to try and get this message to the whole world. Another thought came to me while listening...for the rewards to be astronomical for the individual we are trying to inspire we must learn what the highest value reward is for that particular individual. Seems like a no-brainer, but that requires knowing the individual which means spending time with them on more than a cursory level.

[judydugan]

These podcasts are great! Training with games! I love that dog training can be applied to other aspects of your life - teaching your children!

[azogal]

A failure within a game is not only okay, it is good! What a mind blow! Love these podcasts 😄

[annfry]

I like the gem: Control is an illusion - rather think inspiration and engagement. Get your dog to buy in through playing games. Let your dog fail gracefully but learn with enthusiasm.

[AffyisAffy]

Thank you I needed this. I was wondering why he bolts when I say break to keep him from going out the door first. I was starting to wonder if he thought BREAK meant RUN because he seems to normally have no interest in going outside in any rush. In fact the opposite. So it's interesting that in building drive for running out the door. It's ironic because I was doing this purposely to teach fetch, but he already had some drive and fetch ability so it was obvious that I was building drive.

[milbrymcdowell]

Gem: "Strive to Inspire, not Control." (Control is an Illusion.) 👍