Dog Training: When the Trainer Becomes the Trainee

In the gun dog world, I often hear people say, “I trained that dog.” But, is that statement really true? Have you ever considered the fact that maybe the dog you just “trained” actually trained you? Here are two instances, when you have become the trainee.

1) SMART DOGS

At some point while training your dog, the dog didn’t do what was expected, because it didn’t want to obey. You stopped the session and told yourself “it’s just tired or confused.” Nope. Your dog trained you to stop when it wants you to stop. Your dog is smarter than you.

We come up with complex training sessions so the doggo doesn't get bored. We teach a dog to understand hand signals and to know what a whistle means, and heaps of other commands. This all happens in the early stages of a dog's life. When you were a nipper, could your mum blow a whistle and make you sit down and look at her? Most dogs we train are clever, and in some cases, outsmart us if we're not careful.

2) HOME INVASION

Remember when you were on the hunt for your first doggo? You probably reckoned, “no way my dog's gonna hop on the couch or bed, and it's definitely not scoffing down table scraps.” Five months down the track and your dog's got its own lounge, a spot on your memory foam mattress, and nicks the odd bit of leftovers. The dog's learned to give you the puppy dog eyes and make you reckon it's starving, because three cups of dog food just isn't enough! Those eyes convince you the hard floor's giving it chronic back pain, so you make a spot on the couch for your dog.The dog's trained you to respond to certain body language so it gets what it wants.Before you know it, you might be kipping in a dog bed next to your California king with your pooch looking down at you!

Face it, at some point in your dog-training career, you’ve been the grasshopper and the dog has been the master.