Undereducated and Underpaid

Imagine that you got offered your dream job, and on your first day of work, you went through the whole day doing the best you could. It was hard, but you felt like you made the right decisions, you had fun, and at the end of the day, you approach your boss to have a debrief.

‘Yeah, we love your enthusiasm: but you did everything wrong and so we’re not going to give you any wages for today’s hours.’

...WHAT?!?

At no point did your manger give you any direction, so you thought you were doing the right thing, they didn’t let you practice more than the day, and even though you may have got some things right, you’re not going to get paid?

If it were me, I would quit on the spot.

So... How does this relate to dog training, you may ask?

Well, a lot of dog’s get taken into environments that are way too complicated, new, and exciting without the right guidance, education, or the right amount of incentive, and the owners are the ones claiming disobedience!

Let’s break that down a little bit.

UNDEREDUCATION

Think about training in new environments a bit like learning at different levels of school. These are just examples on how we can look at training environments, and may not actually be suitable circumstances for all dogs.

Kindergarden

This is the most basic environment, like your living room. We’re going to teach the basics, in a familiar, calm location. Distractions are going to be as low as possible (making sure the kids are popped into bed, that any other dogs are away etc.). The learning happens in small chunks and the criteria is pretty clear.

Primary School

Now we move out to the backyard. It’s a little bit harder, with the neighbours and a bit of wind, but we can increase what we are asking of our dogs without it suddenly becoming overwhelming.

High School

Now we are taking it out into suburbia. You’ve got dogs behind fences, the smells of everyone who has walked in the past week over that lamppost. Maybe a cat walks past, or you pass new people on the street. This is so much harder than the living room!

University PhD

Off lead in a reserve, with other dogs present. There is so much unpredictability, so many things to explore. The chance to go chase birds, roll in some mud, zoom off without a care in the world… It’s going to take a lot of effort to listen to the teacher (you), and the skills we ask from our dogs are going to have to be really practiced if they are going to succeed.

With all those situations in mind, have a think about what levels of school you’ve actually asked your dog to learn and perform in.

Have you taught a wait, in front of their food bowl, in the evening routinely? Have you tried it somewhere new?
Have you only ever tried to recall your dog when you hop out onto the beach and you need to go home?

Have you properly educated them, in a way so they can succeed, or are they completely undereducated for the spaces you ask them to listen to you in?

UNDERPAID

And now we have to look at the wages.

That’s right, a pay scale. When we ask our dogs to do something non-doggie, like sitting at our side when they only want to be snuffling in the grass, or walking in the opposite direction of a bird just asking to be chased, they are working for us. And just like the scenario played out at the start of this piece, to do the work and not get compensated makes you a pretty terrible supervisor, and makes your dog not very keen to try again.

When training, food is easily the most obvious kind of wages for our dogs, because it is something that motivates them: but the dog chooses what is valuable to them. It can be toys or social interaction that makes them want to work however, we will be using food in our examples today.

So, if I called my collie away from a seagull and then gave her a measly pat on the head, she would definitely choose chasing the seagull next time around. That kinda work is not worth a small, 'good girl', to ensure quality focus on me. Know what your dog WANTS to work for, and use it to your advantage.

Giving them a Raise

Most dogs will happily work for simple wages at home (i.e their regular meals like kibble), but if we up the anti, and suddenly we are asking our dogs to work in a harder environment, it may not be enough any more!

It’s time to give them a raise, if you’re training somewhere harder. This could be chicken, dog roll, a bit of cheese… Think of it as being paid time and a half, because you've been doing a great job and been really pushing the limits.

And don’t think of this as bribing the dog. Your dog is going to do behaviours that benefit them most, and if you’ve got clarity and what they want to work for, then you’ll be the best instructor and you’ll have a dog who wants to do the work.

The Grind Don’t Stop

The thing about educating and ‘paying’ our dogs is that the learning and the reinforcement should never end. Every new scenario is an opportunity to let our dogs know they are doing something right, and giving them acknowledgement that they are in fact, the goodest boy or girl.

Education for your pup certainly doesn’t stop after one puppy class, and reinforcing the good behaviours with praise, food or toys, is never going to harm your relationship. In fact, it will ensure that you are both on the same page on what needs to happen in different situations, and you will both be a whole lot happier.

Authored by Sarah Endres
​Dog Trainer and Behaviour Advisor