How long did it take you to learn to read? A while, right? And you are a member of the species often claiming to be the most intelligent on the planet, right? How quickly do you expect your dog to learn?
At one time, I was so competitive, and so into what I thought should be happening, I forced everything…everything. When I learned to relax about training, (and other things) my dogs were happier, and I was happier. (Exception: Some pressure may be necessary in some exceptional situations.)
The questions to ask are:
- Are you pressuring your dog?
- Why? (your ego is not a legit reason)
At whose pace do you expect your dog to learn? Yours? Does that really make sense? Dogs that trust their people, are willing to learn. So almost always, you can take it easy. It isn’t rocket science. Although, I admit I have used robot technology to “train” my dogs.
So how did the vacuum train my dogs? Every morning when I left for work, I sent my dogs to the doggie room where they had access to all the comforts of home inside and out. Sometimes they were not 100% willing to do get up and move to the room, but treats were a great lure.
When we purchased a self-emptying robot vac, I scheduled it to turn on five minutes before I had to leave for work. (It vacuums while I’m gone.) As it starts up, it sings a beeping tone, a gentle alarm telling me to gather my keys, send the dogs to the doggie room, and head out the door. After about a year, when the dogs heard the start-up beeping, they got up and headed to their favorite spots in the doggie room. I don’t have to say a word.
It was total unpressured, willing compliance on the part of my dogs. It was routine consistency with a purpose. It took a while, but what’s the hurry?
How long did it take you to learn to read a book?
Truman Blue Mysteries 