Well long time readers of this blog know that when it comes to training my dogs, most times you could label it as “Epic Fail.”
When I found out that this month’s Positive Pet Training Blog Hop’s theme was Training Confessions I figured it was the perfect time to share mine.
When I did agility with Delilah I would always say, “Handler error” because truthfully, she knows what she’s doing, and so it goes with training, I can’t blame my dogs for these training fails, because it’s entirely my fault and I’ll tell you why.
- Half the time I can’t remember what the hell the command is. Did I tell her come, or here, or here pretty girl or is the command for come “black beans”? Yeah, it’s true, I’ve used “black beans” as a ‘come to me’ command with Delilah. It was a total fluke, I just happened to be going to the cupboard for a can of black beans and I was being silly and I shouted, “Black beans, black beans!” and Delilah came running. So I tried it again and it worked. But truthfully, I haven’t tried it outside the house, so I can’t recommend it.
- I change the cue for commands. “Leave it” has become “Ick” and sometimes instead of “Come” or “This way” I say, “Ssssst.” It works. “Sssst” usually gets Delilah’s attention for who knows what reason. And “Ick” has been working pretty good too.
- I swear. All. The.Time. It’s not unusual for me to say, “What the hell are you doing, or you’re such an asshole.” I know they don’t know what I’m saying, but I still feel like a crappy trainer when I do it.
- I don’t always have a treat ready to reward a good behavior. Sometimes, especially on a walk the command comes so quick and my dog responds even quicker, that I’m just not prepared.
So now you’ve found out some of my training confessions, do you have any you’d like to share? Can you make me feel better about mine by sharing yours? 😉
This blog hop is hosted by Cascadian Nomads,Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days. The hop takes place the first Monday of each month and is open for a full week.
Lauren Miller says
I used to have the same problem remembering cues until I started making lists. I’m also trying to get more organized and I’d really like to get a white board calendar type thing so I can write down who is learning what. I also call my dogs assholes sometimes, too. 🙂
Sheena says
OMG!!! How much time do you have!? Rotflmao! You’ve seen me with MY dog!!!
Cupcake says
Sometimes Mom calls me Frankie. Nope. There’s no rhyme or reason. She never had a dog named Frankie and doesn’t even know a human Frankie. But she says, “Come on, Frankie.” ….I come because I feel sorry for her. And in my mind, I call her Frankie, too. 🙂
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Emma says
You should come and work in Mom’s office. She only goes in three mornings a week, but there is a lot of “colorful” language which has been added to her vocabulary! We aren’t big on rules and training here. Just the bare minimums to get along. Some people really enjoy training and that is great, but Mom doesn’t really enjoy it. Our training is saved for our sports.
Jan K says
I know what you mean about being inconsistent with the cues, but honestly I’m not sure it always matters. Luke really doesn’t respond to the words as much as he does to my gestures, or just knowing what it is I want. It takes him a long time to understand the words, and maybe that’s because I don’t repeat them enough, or too much…I’m not sure!
My biggest faults are that I’m inconsistent and impatient. If Luke doesn’t get something right off, I’ll often give up on it and do something else. But maybe if I put a little more time into it, and worked on it every day, instead of just here and there, he would get it.
Sue says
“Black beans!” LOL It’s funny. I hardly swear at all any more because my dogs hate it. Even if I whisper “sh*t” the dogs come to comfort me in my obvious-to-them anguish 🙂
Two French Bulldogs says
You are so funny. You sound like mom
Lily & Edward
2 Brown Dawgs says
Interesting. I think most of us can relate.
Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom says
Don’t feel bad, Jodi. I got my Dog Obedience Training Instructor certificate from Animal Behavior College, and I still can’t train my dogs to fetch, come, or stay with any real consistency. Of course, it would help if a certain other human in the house would stop sabotaging my efforts with his “I’ll do it my way whether you like it or not” attitude. Funny thing is they “behave” better for me than they do for him. Especially Ducky.
jan says
I can SO relate, but I would rather not confess. I love how you can make FAIL so deliciously funny,
Cascadian Nomads Bethany Clochard says
Is it really going to make you feel better to know that I also am guilty of all four of these things? Or, is it that we get to tell our dogs, “you are not alone in your confused by stupid humans misery?”
The recall cue Huxley currently best obeys is “BABY!” Yeah. I stoop low, open my arms and shout “BABY!” and he comes running right to me every time. Nothing else had worked 100% of the time until this. At least for now he and I are both young enough not too look too ridiculously stupid. But that won’t last long…
What gets really bad about cue changing is when I realize I change the cue to a word that I already use for something else. My poor dogs. They look at me as if they want to curse at me. If my dogs ever learned to talk, I am certain their first word would be an explicative. And not just any explicative but one directed at me as payback. I do have a talking pet and he does curse but so far not at me. So far…
My poor dogs almost never get treats. It’s not my slowness but my forgetting to bring treats or to buy them. So, there, tell your dogs they don’t have it nearly as bad as my poor confused, cursed at, and starving sad pack. And thanks for letting me get that off my chest. And for joining the hop!
Mary Ann says
Ha-ha – “Black beans!” That cracked me up. Most of the time, I think dogs listen more to the sound of our voice than what we’re saying. Lila is really excited to take her medicine, mostly because of the way I say it, I think.
I say “ick” and “no” all the time, and it works – that and pulling on the leash to keep her away from whatever gross thing she’s trying to get into. 🙂
Dachshund Nola says
I swear all the time, too! “Move it/get out the way” has turned into “for fuck’s sake, move your ass!”. :p
Elaine says
Lol! Yep…I can relate to some of these. It’s a good thing our pups don’t take “Oh, Shit!” literally. 🙂
Monika says
Haha…black beans! That is just rich. Usually I’m so tongue tied I sound like a bumbling idiot. Oh wait, I am. 😉
Julie says
Oh my goodness this is the best!! Rodney and I laugh all the time that we are calling it in with Cocoa. We became lazy parents!! She is smart. Almost too smart and she totally knows what she is doing and that is why we are screwed!!
Tenacious Little Terrier says
I deliberately name cues very straightforward things so I’ll remember. I’m totally guilty of lumping due to having little patience lol.
Misty Shores Chesapeakes says
Haha, my biggest fail was in the beginning many years ago being consistent with my commands and the words I use for those commands. Practice has made me much better but every now and again I have one of Titan’s brain farts 😉
My phrase for when they are doing something they shouldn’t “have you lost your freakin mind” Riva hears this quite frequently 😉
Sand Spring Chesapeakes says
hahahaha I use “ick” a lot too and they listen to it and it pisses John off when I do that!