Dog training is not a complicated process. We, as dog
owners, make it so because we do not understand how dogs learn. We assume they
are like us and learn the way we do. NOT ENTIRELY SO.
Dogs are bred and born with various instincts. A good
example is the desire to chase or hunt, be it birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc.
In the case of pointing dogs, they have the instinct to stop on approach to
game; POINT. Retrievers have the instinct to catch or pick up things and bring
them back; RETRIEVE. Plus all dogs want to please their owners. Our goal is to
take those natural instincts and make them work for us. We want our dogs not to
hunt for themselves, but to hunt for us. That is where the training comes in.
When we understand how dogs learn, we can train them to hunt for us rather than
themselves. In fact, with this understanding, you can train your dog to do
almost anything.
So, how do dogs learn? Here’s how. They learn by
ASSOCIATION, REPETITION and MEMORY.
Let’s take the here command. You have the dog on lead and verbally say
here and pull the dog toward you. You REPEAT the process many times. Through
this REPETITION your dog ASSOCIATES the sound of here with coming to you. The
dog then commits that sound to MEMORY. Through this process, your dog now comes
to you when you say here.
Now that you understand their learning process, dog training
becomes less complicated doesn’t it. Next month we will discuss attributes you
need to possess as an owner/trainer of your dog. See you then.
