The Five Things

Ok, I'm about to let you all in on a little secret here...there are only five things one needs to be a good dog trainer....so, are you ready?

They are:

Patience

Consistency

A Sense of humor

Patience

and Consistency!

(See you need the sense of humor part already!)

Let's go through them one at a time and talk a little bit about why they are so important.

Number one, Patience: You're never going to get very far with a short fuse. It is amazing how after 20 minutes of zero results, all of a sudden BAM lightening strikes and the dog gets it! Most behavior problems stem from either laziness or hastiness. Patience also gives you a sense of calm. I seldom worry about 'if' the dog is going to learn something, I just wonder 'when'.

Number two, Consistency: They say it's not a black and white world, but for dogs, there isn't really a grey area. (With a dog jumping up for example, you can ignore them 9 times, but if on the 10th they receive attention, it's like starting over from square one.) So, for our canine friends it either IS or it ISN'T. They either CAN or they CANNOT. They either DO or they DON'T. Simple.

And last but certainly not least, a Sense of Humor: Dogs are animals, and therefore quite unpredictable. If you look at situations as humorous instead of frustrating it will greatly help you and your dog. Some things may hurt, other might be quite disgusting but if looked at the right way, most are quite funny!

Well, there you have it, happy training!