1 Always set your dog up to succeed.
2 Only work in manageable spaces
3 Dogs feed off our energy, emotions and body language
4 Animal then Dog then Breed
5 Work to a goal
6 Always encourage eye contact
1 When we set up our dogs to succeed we have far more opportunity to reward them when they are successful. If we work to this principle and our reward for success is sufficient to encourage our dog to continue doing the correct action without him losing focus then we have far more chance of success when the stakes are higher than if we had not worked to this method.
2 When I train dogs I know that if I am not in a space that is manageable by me then my chances of success are drastically reduced because if I am not in control of the space then the dog is in control of the space so my likelihood of getting the dog under control is greatly reduced. If we stick to this principle when we train our dogs then primarily there is less chance of getting frustrated when things do not immediately go to our plan, the second thing is when we go to spaces that are unmanageable our dogs are far more likely to succeed.
3 Dogs feed off our energy, emotions and body language, this one is huge for me because it enables me to get a good idea of what the dog is thinking and the reason they are behaving badly, this happens because I am in control of my energy, emotions and body language which is always calm and assertive in my mind and actions so I do not give the dog any energy to feed off. I always approach any dog with this mind set and work in total silence which ensures I am totally in control of my energy.
4 When I assess a dog I take the approach of animal first then dog then breed I do this to eliminate any ambiguity about the dogs behaviour. We are all animals on this planet and as such we all have basic needs that need to be met. All dogs have the same array of basic instincts inbuilt. Only then do I attribute some behaviours to breed, almost every dog breed has been designed and created by man for a purpose. I work to this process because all dogs are as unique as you and I. I truly believe that all dogs can be kept at the dog level which is why I attribute the breed last.
5 I always work to a goal in my minds eye. There are two main reasons for this, the first is so that I portray the correct energy when working with a dog which is the dog doing exactly what I want it to do because this will translate to the energy I portray. Also I like goals for my customers to work to because if we imagine an outcome to a process we can maintain momentum more easily and stay focused and positive.
6 I always feel a better connection with a dog when we have healthy eye contact and I really want this for my customers because it lets you know that the dog is listening to us but more importantly is in tune with us. When I practise eye contact with a dog my gaze is no different to the gaze I would give to a human being I have no malice or ego it is just a way of communicating that dogs use.