Why are our expectations important? When training a dog, it’s important to have realistic expectations for yourself and your dog. This means being honest about what your dog can achieve based on their age, temperament & sometimes health too.
Some more questions we should ask ourselves are:
- How much training have you done?
- How much knowledge do you have of dog training?
- What sort of handler are you?
- What sort of standard are your own handling skills?
All this will absolutely determine how realistic your expectations of your dog are. Remember his learning ability will only be as good as his owner/handler’s knowledge & skills. So,before we blame the dog, we should look at improving whatever we need to for ourselves.
Setting realistic expectations
- Consider your dog’s limitations: Think about your dog’s physical, mental, and emotional limitations.
- Set priorities: Make a list of your training goals and prioritize them.
- Be consistent: Set a regular schedule for training and make it a priority.
- Providing clarity & consistency is huge when training dogs. We can’t laugh at them for something they do one day & allow it and then tell them off for the same behaviour another because we are in a different mood or don’t have time. We can’t be sketchy – rules and boundaries must be clear, taught kindly & adhered to.
- Be clear with cues: Use specific words and signals to communicate what you want your dog to do.
- Video yourself so you can see perhaps why your dog is not being successful. Watching it back will show up all the tiny areas you can improve on to help your dog. If he doesn’t understand it’s usually because we are not clear.
- Be patient: Celebrate small victories and remember that dog training is a journey.
I’ve had Dobermanns since the early 1980’s and have been training dogs since 2008. Looking back on where I was versus where I am now is still unbelievable to me. It’s light years between my starting point and where I am now! I’m still furthering my knowledge & education every day too.
If there is one thing that is certain it’s that no two dogs are the same! I always wanted to work with animals and making it a career in the capacity that I have now was never in my wildest dreams. Through doing so, I have learned more than I could ever have imagined there was to learn & more than I ever guessed I didn’t know! I feel blessed.
It is so important that we train our dogs, particularly Dobermanns, as they are a large, powerful breed. We need them to be well rounded members of society. well-mannered and appreciated members of our families. We need them, ourselves and others to be & feel safe around our dogs.
Training Expectations
My job as a trainer is to coach and teach an owner how to manage, understand and work with their dog. I don’t have a magic wand lol – and I’m not here to train your dog for you – I’m here to teach & coach you, your dog’s person & owner, how to work with and understand him & how to provide for his needs.
When one embarks on a dog training programme, let’s use a 6-week course as an example. Each class is roughly an hour long.
So, with a total of 1,008 hours in those 6 weeks, you are with your trainer for 6 hours. So, what are your realistic expectations?
You should expect to gain a good understanding of basic training skills. You should learn a little of how your dog learns, what their motivators and reinforcers are, and how to use those tools to get desired behaviours from your dog. Lastly, you should practice what is being taught – a lot – and submit homework & receive feedback from your trainer.
These are the steps to success, but this one basic 6-week course of dog training will not likely be sufficient for you to become knowledgeable or skilled enough to continue educating your dog throughout his various stages of development & certainly not enough to help you with a dog who suffers with a behavioural issue such as reactivity. You will need specialist help for that and be prepared to embark on a much longer journey of learning for you.
The real test is your day-to-day life with your dog. If you aren’t seeing improvement you might need to increase your study & practice time. You may need to ask for more help. You may need 121 help. Not all of us are natural dog handlers and not all of us find dog handling is easy or comes naturally. It’s hard and it’s a skill. There is no shame in seeking extra help.
Also consider, every one of us will live in different environments, have different routines, responsibilities. time available & different levels of commitment. When we take a Dobermann into our lives, we should be aware this is an exceptionally large time commitment to say the least. Here we have a large working & guarding breed of considerable intelligence & athleticism – he’s been specifically designed to work & do a job – he’s hard wired to do so & it’s a big responsibility to take care of his needs & if we don’t or can’t then we all know what that can turn into.
Dog training takes knowledge, skill, time, repetition, and patience to get the well-mannered dog you envisioned.
Expect it to be a journey, a journey that will teach you about love, respect, and build a relationship like you never thought you would have. It’s a journey of many years, not many weeks or even months!!
Believe me we may struggle whilst our dog is going thru puppyhood or adolescence, but it is a very short period for us before we are mourning his loss so make his life with you count!!
Sharon Chamberlin ~ Dobercademy