Basic Training Concepts – Communication

It is an undeniable fact that some trainers are better than others. It’s easy to see. With this handler, the dog responds quickly to command or situation, even very challenging ones, and does so in a relaxed or even happy manner. The overall impression is that dog and handler are working as a team – and they are. You will see the occasional eye contact or other signs that the dog is aware of the handler and is in contact with him or her. The handler is also relaxed and not tense or loud.

How does this trainer/handler get such good results?

1. They know how to COMMUNICATE with the dog and know how to READ the DOG 
2. They establish a clear, unequivocal and effective distinction between PRAISE and CORRECTION. The distinction between these and the understanding of them by the dog is fundamental to the learning process.
3. They are CONSISTENT and FAIR in the way that they work with the dog, use repetition with 1 and 2 above to get a good to near perfect response, and progress in sequential steps.
4. They take what the dog has learned and ask for more in order to achieve success in all situations, regardless of the distraction levels. They CHALLENGE the dog with distractions! This is also called PROOFING a behaviour, which makes it stronger.
5. They know what they want to achieve and start with a strong FOUNDATION.

Communication is your most valuable tool! Good trainers understand how to communicate with their dogs. So, if you want to improve your ability as a trainer and get the best results from your training, then you need to learn how to communicate with your puppy, using praise and correction effectively, and especially using ‘language” that the pup understands.

Of course, you also need to be consistent with what you require and ask for more of the pup in sequential steps along the way. Patience and dedication are also essential! But everything begins with communication.

As humans, we tend to train as humans, in spoken language and concepts that we understand. But that is not what a dog will understand or respond to, certainly not at first. Dog language is largely based on body language, facial expressions, tail position, and tone of “voice” (growl, bark, yip, whine) – this is how they communicate with one another. So, if you want to communicate with your dog, your body language and tone of voice are your most effective tools. To think, act or communicate like a dog does is not so easy for us (think how hard it is for dogs to understand a human’s way of communicating!). Nonetheless, we need to learn how if we want to communicate to the dog what we want or don’t want. The commands or the words you use are picked up over time and only understood by the dog through repetition and eventually are associated with the action.

In the simplest terms, traditional training is based on showing the dog what is required, praising (or rewarding) for correct responses, corrections or withholding praise (reward) for incorrect responses, repetition, repetition, repetition until the dog understands without a doubt what is required. The understanding is key. The dog should be able to tell, without a doubt, that his responses are “correct” – or not.

Communication is a two-way street – you also need to be able to read your puppy! Pay attention to what he is telling you. Is he Happy? Cowed? Afraid? Confused? Can you tell if he understands the lesson or not? Watch your puppy and try to learn what his language and signals are. This will improve your own ability to communicate with him.

Watch the videos that are supplied in the links and pay attention to the handler and how he or she communicates with the puppy. Watch their body language, listen to the tone of voice and observe how they use their hands and various training aids to help the dog understand and give the correct responses. What does the trainer do when the dog doesn’t give the correct response? You can learn a lot by observing a good trainer!

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