Clean Run Magazine - July 2006 - 71

Dog training is somewhat like baking a loaf of bread. First, you have to
decide what kind of bread you want. Keeping this in mind, you create your
recipe and choose the individual ingredients that are needed. Then you set
about the task, pausing occasionally to evaluate the process. How are you
doing? Are things shaping up according to plan? If not, be ready to tweak
your recipe. Whether you are training your own dog, teaching a private
lesson, or conducting group classes, the steps are the same. Instructional
formatting consists of planning what you will teach, how you will teach it,
and when in your program it will be taught. This concept applies to each
individual exercise, each session, the entire program. Some people are
naturals at organization. Others need help in keeping their instruction on
the right path. In part, my work with Legacy Canine Behavior and Training
is to help future instructors create successful instructional formats. The
outline for this process is represented by the acronym, PREDICTOR. Each
letter prompts the next step in the lesson plan. E DI Explain Demonstrate
Instruct Show time! The student is in front of you, anxious The terms you
use during your Now it's hands-on time for the to learn great things. If
you want to get your demonstration should be the students, but with
guidance. point across, you need to be a bit of a used-car same terms you
used during your People learn best with lots of salesman. Start by
painting a brief word picture explanation. Talk the students through
repetition quality repetition. of the exercise. Give the name of the
exercise, it again, only this time, show them as Help the students get it
right the practical reason for teaching it, and why their you go,
step-by-step. How will you the first time. Training is a success at
training can't go on without it! What show them? Will you have your own
mechanical skill that requires are the additional applications? Mention
the dog there to demonstrate? Is your dog coordination. Don't turn them
overall goal for this session as well as the lesser okay to be left
unattended during the loose to make mistakes. Have goals and criteria you
are looking for during the class or classes, to be brought out enough help
so that each session. Once you capture your students with a occasionally to
demonstrate? What student is supervised through few carefully chosen words
of explanation, you about warm-up for your dog? Will the exercise. If
there are more are ready to go on with your lesson. your dog burn out if
used over and students than instructors, ask over for a demonstration?
Showing An instructor uses a combination of explanation, those waiting to
watch. A lot the clearly defined goals is helpful, but demonstration,
hands on, body language, and can be learned by observation. your student
expects the teachers' contextual cues to communicate with students. While
instructing the dog to do everything well and might At Legacy's instructor
courses, we do drills that individuals, try standing slightly not be able
to make the leap from isolate each type of communication, then work in
front of your student, facing your perfect dog to his own untrained on
refining that component as if you had no in the same direction. The dog
dog. Is it appropriate to take over the other way to communicate. When all
the pieces is not involved yet. Ask the student's dog for a demonstration?
are addressed, the instructor puts them back student to keep still, but
think Some folks would rather not hand their together, which improves the
clarity of instruc- through the exercise as you dog over. You could ask
for a volunteer. tions for students. We refine our explanation by
demonstrate how his body Have the owner bring the dog to you playing the
telephone game. Two chairs are set should move. Add the dog. rather than
your going up to the owner up back to back. One person is the instructor;
the When everyone has a turn and taking the dog away. If the owner other
is the student. The student calls up the with an instructor, it might be
willingly delivers, I believe it is clearer instructor to ask how to do
something. There are appropriate to do some more to the dog that
everything is okay. no visual cues, no contextual cues, no hands on,
repetition together as a class. Demonstrating with an untrained dog and
little feedback. Therefore the explanation has allows you to show
what-ifs. to be thorough, yet concise. Set up a camcorder and let them
begin. Two minutes is plenty for this drill. Some good behaviors to use
are: how do I tie my shoe or how do I open this child-proof bottle of
aspirin? The video will show the teacher that what she is teaching isn't
always exactly what the student is learning! | July 06 Clean Run 71
Clean Run Magazine - July 2006

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