Took Snowie to the vet today (poor boy, he is so itchy at the moment). He seems to love going to the vet -- always dogs to meet and cats to sniff through the carriers, and of course the jar of treats in the vet's office! The moment we get into the vet's office he's on the scale and waiting for his treats! She asked him to sit, which he did, and then gave him a treat. Then started chatting to us about Snowie. Of course one treat was just NOT enough! So Snowie started to "talk" to her (little squeaks and groans, very cute sounds), and then he tried all his tricks to get another treat. Sit. Didn't work. Down. Nope, she kept talking to us. So he starts to crawl on his tummy towards her, tail up, ears pricked up, little talk sounds. She couldn't resist, said he was so cute! Worked a charm, got a few more treats. Later she said that it was such a joy to have a dog who was so happy to be in her office, that many are not. She said of course it is the Lab personality, the happy, goofy, waggily Lab. And then she said: Snowie is all of those, and such a character. But he's also so intelligent, more so than the usual Lab. Of course we were beaming. So proud! But in actual fact, I just think it's because we have been using the positive-only training methods. I remember when we went to our first class, how the trainer said that by using positive-only the dog will try all its tricks until it hits on the thing you're after, that it gets them to work out what they need to do and think for themselves. I suppose that could be likened to being intelligent. So there was Snowie trying to work out what would impress the vet to get that extra treat. I really don't think he's inherently more intelligent than any other Lab. But thankfully we discovered positive-only training (after the horrible school we started at). Of course we do think he has a LOT of character, too!
I am beaming with pride on your behalf And I think I can agree on the positive training. We have definitely noticed Harley trying different things to get a response from us, variations of the original task. So I think it makes the dog consider a number of options to get what they want.
Positive training gives animals the confidence to offer new behaviours, unlike an animal trained with aversives who has learned that doing something different can get you punished. So, I'd say that positive training leads to more confident animals who are willing to experiment and try new things You've obviously done a great job with Snowie
hi @MF that's a really interesting post -- I had a similar experience with the vet nurse when I took her to have her nails clipped. She has a Lab herself and was busy telling me how badly behaved he is at 2yr of age and what I needed to be doing to train Cassie As she was shovelling treats into Cassie for no particular reason. So I told her about the force free training class and this forum, and showed her the method of teaching a puppy not to snatch food I learnt from the Labrador Handbook. I'm far from being a good dog trainer but it was a revelation to her and she then said Cass was the best behaved Lab puppy she'd seen for ages! Believe me there's still room for improvement though. Well put
I love how shaping/clicker training leads to a dog who's always trying to figure out what he can do to get the treat!
I just love Snowie - thanks for sharing this! Maybe it's the positive training and maybe it's also the connection that people who use positive training have with their dogs. And maybe some dogs just have Personality with a capital "P".
Its about teaching them to learn too. There is a great deal of difference between a dog who's interested and a dog who's never been stimulated in this way. For us that's what we do we lay the ground work when they are puppies and build on it as they get older. Some dogs have never been exposed to this and their eureka moment is amazing to see. Doggy age of enlightenment. We allow them to develop their personalities too, which seems to build confidence.
Thank you! Yes, wholeheartedly agree - the confidence to try new things is a definite mind shift for me in animal training. I don't think I ever thought a dog could "work it out", just wasn't part of my thinking until I learned about positive-only training. So thankful for the day I stopped my car (when driving to work) to ask a woman walking her dog about her front-fastening harness, which led to where she trained her, and the next week we were at the class. Lucky moments that alter ones life.
That is true, Snowie has a huge capital P for Personality! Interesting about the people's personalities. But equally so, I bought into the method I was taught first, where a lot of NOs were shouted, not that I was comfortable with it, but I didn't know better - and had watched too many CMs. I was told I didn't shout loudly enough, but it's not my personality to shout like that, and my being apprehended for not shouting loudly enough (the trainer actually took me by the shoulders and shook me to make her point!!) was the trigger that made me stop and question the training I was hating. So yes, personality is definitely a key, but sadly there are those of us who are bullied into doing things we know are wrong. I am weirdly thankful for that awful shoulder shake because it shook me to my senses.
Isn't just, I feel exactly the same about the whole "dominance" shouting thing with dogs. I knew when I got Cassie what I didn't want to do which is why I didn't go to puppy classes, only to discover the very best +R class is actually on my doorstep. Luckily I'd never heard of CM before joining this forum so hadn't gone down that route. Possibly I was a bit "permissive" with Cass in the early months, but I'm pleased she's never been shouted at. It took me a while to get the hang of timing with the +R though, I find I really need to focus my mind, good for my mental health as I approach my dotage
Absolutely agree that positive training builds confidence in the dog, allowing him/her to try new behaviours without fearing 'harsh' correction. Reading Snowie's doings at the vets, it also seems to allow a dog to be 'happy' with people, if that's the right word to use.
Oh I hear you! I never felt comfortable with the whole "be the boss" thing, but felt I had to do it to get Brogan over his on-leash reactivity. It was such a bad fit for me and while I'll never know for sure, I think it just made Brogan's issues last longer. My trainers never wanted me to be shouty, but there was so much emphasis on the whole dominance thing - who ate first, who went through the door first, dictating every second of Brogan's life in commands, never giving cuddles if he was stressed so as not to re-inforce the stress. Ugh. What finally worked in my opinion was being Brogan's partner and working as a team - that's what I learned with the specialised service dog training and that's what I'll hopefully be able to create again with my next dog. And bypass entirely all the CM dominance/bossy-bossy stuff!
