Clean Run Magazine - June 2008 - 25

I insist on the last point because if you get used to putting the problem (or perceived problem) in the form of a solution and look at it as a training opportunity, you will be forced to actually find a solution rather then place blame somewhere. You will also stop looking at the dog like it’s somehow his fault, or that it’s your fault and you stink as a trainer. By the way, setting an appointment with a knowledgeable trainer to assist you in working through something when you’re stumped is a positive action. This takes away the blame, guilt, and all those other sometimes ugly emotions that get in our way when we’re working through training challenges or opportunities. In addition, by writing down your experiences you will have potentially valuable information should you have the same problem come up at another time with another dog. While all dogs are different, chances are you will have learned something that will help you in the future (or help a student or friend going through a similar problem). If you’re trying to make progress then you would also need to write goals. Then you would work toward those goals in small steps. In the above example you could write “Goal for the week: Spot will be able to jump a series of two to four jumps keeping all the bars up at full height.” Notice I wrote two jumps as the starting point since I’d already stated that was possible (a positive slant). You may have to adjust your criteria in order to accomplish your goal. In the above example, Spot might be able to jump four jumps at one height lower by the end of the week so you would acknowledge that success and then restate the goal with a new way to reach it. In this example you changed the height. You could also have changed the time frame or the number of jumps. If you were merely repeating exercises your dog could do without any difficulty (this doesn’t allow for growth, but it does build confidence so it is not necessarily a bad thing) then you might not need to write anything. Even in this example, it would probably benefit you mentally to record your success. We never seem to let our mistakes go by unrecorded! That is just human nature. Give equal time to both, preferably more time to your successes. Practice “solution-based journaling” on a regular basis and you will see improvement in your dog and in your own attitude. Tracy Sklenar Tracy is an instructor at Leader of the Pack in Smyrna, New York, and Say Yes! Dog Training in Ontario, Canada, and presents seminars throughout the country. She competes in agility with her Dalmatians and Rat Terrier, and her Dogo Argentino and All-American are retired from competition. Contact Tracy at agilitydals@ yahoo.com. A training log is an absolute must for anyone attempting to train a dog! Record keeping helps you keep track of your training, makes you practice more efficiently (because it stops you from repeating things needlessly), and is absolutely critical when you are trying to solve a problem. Every time I get a puppy or a new dog, I buy a big notebook and divide it into many sections so I can keep tabs on all the different facets of training (body awareness, targeting, recalls, impulse control, handling, weave poles, and so on). At the beginning of each section, I write down my long-term goals and criteria for each skill. I keep this training log going for all my dogs throughout their careers. I do two kinds of record keeping with my dogs: general note taking and specific counts of reinforcement and time-outs. In the general note taking, I simply jot down a few notes about my goals for the session, what happened in the session, and how much progress I was able to make. This helps keep my memory sharp and reminds me if the dog had any struggles. In the specific counts, I write down what my criteria were for the session, an exact count of how many times I reinforced the dog, the specific behaviors that were reinforced, and how many times the dog did not get reinforced (or got a time-out). The purpose of the general note taking is to keep my training efficient and keep me on track toward my goals. Before each session, I read over my notes from the last session and plan the upcoming session. This helps to move training forward and stops me from repeating myself unnecessarily. I can also identify patterns, which is especially helpful in avoiding and solving problems. When I have a puppy or a new dog, I take general notes after each and every training session. As the dog matures and gets more experienced, I take notes once a week or every few weeks, but I never let too much time go by without updating my training log. The purpose of keeping exact counts of reinforcement is to help me solve any problems I might run into. If my dog and I are struggling with a specific behavior or a training problem has cropped up, very detailed records are the most important step in identifying the cause and fixing the problem. You will be able to look at these records and see if you are accidentally reinforcing the wrong behavior, not using enough reinforcement, or June 08 | Clean Run 25

Clean Run Magazine - June 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - June 2008