I took a lesson today that left me wanting to name this entry..."utter suck" or.... "I have never received and F until today"...or...well never mind. While I am supposed to manifest and attract and visualize...today is just one of those days.
1) I am literal.....so when I am told to "keep the dog there behind the sheep, don't let her flank"....I then complete a drive on the fetch that does not bring the sheep to me....this was totally because my dog was doing what I told her and I did not let her fetch them to me. To fetch them to me, she would have needed to flank....so instead, I laid her down behind the sheep and told her "there, walk on" and she took them on that line and never flanked. If she tried to flank...I actually corrected her and said "there". My bad! When told to do it again because my dog did not understand "fetching" I laughed so hard at myself. Literal...that's me!
2) I'm willing to try different training ideas....but not others. Thankfully this did not frustrate my "teacher" today.
3) As I have confessed recently, I am an over-thinker. I try to keep all my over-thinking ideas inside now and not let them out. Sometimes, I just can't. Sometimes my over-thinking comes spilling out of my mouth and like flood water going over the bank of a river....I can't stop it.
4) While I am willing to try different training ideas...I am just as willing to abandon them when they are not working...and I do so on the fly.
5) I am trying to understand the difference between "get" and "make". I'm also trying to understand exactly what a dog can be taught by the sheep and when repetitious behavior might become a bad habit. And also how to correct the lack of thought and see the result of try.
All that aside...I saw some very interesting behavior with my Bella today. I'm now off to do some serious over-thinking and then I am going to journal it all! If this journey were easy...everyone would do it! I also think having one of "those days" is part of life......I still think they suck!
Seize the day!
LMAO! Read my post...LOL Sounds like we both had the very same kind of day! I am dying here! HA!
ReplyDeleteI am trying to understand the difference between "get" and "make".
ReplyDeleteYou write the most interesting stuff.
to me get = dog doesn't really know the job and you are trying to get the dog to do the behavior in order to teach/build on a skill. If I'm trying to get my dog to do something I'm in the helping teaching mode.
to me make = dog already knows the job and skill but refuses (for whatever reason) to exhibit skill at cued time. If I'm in the need of making, I'm pretty hacked off with my dog at this point usually. I often have to back up and review what's lead me to this point ;) Also to make implies some sense of force, as I see it.
I'm a big fan of making things happen and being proactive. However I don't think this is quite what you are rolling around.
IMHO Repetitious behavior becomes a bad habit when you see lack of thought in that behavior which is being repeated.
Chin up, eyes on the prize. With out a day like this there is nothing to compare the good days to. Peace.
OK, trying again(failed at first comment attempt- see how bad it can get? LOL!)
ReplyDeleteIt's just sheep on a green field with a black and white (or insert color to your liking) dog running them around, as someone famous is supposed to have noted.
This is why most trainers should be voted for sainthood as they put up with us patiently. A recent quote: "WHAT happened to (fill in blanks) that you were going to do on the fetch this time???" ;-)
Relax and enjoy!
Hope today is better!
When trying new things, how fast do you abandon them? Doing agility, I'm slow and fat and my dog(s) are fast and skinny, so sometimes I say no way I can do that move, but when I'm pushed find out I really can. It might take more than one try to come to this conclusion, because I've already decided I can't do it, my dog won't do it, I think it's stupid, etc.
ReplyDeleteMy kids can be really bad about this, but always encouraged them to try it more than once, then if we practice it at home and they still don't like it then let it go.
So, my question to you... what makes a good student?