The notion of success has been like a bee in my bonnet lately. I blame it on the New Year fever of resolution-making, the diet and fitness marketing, the declutter your life suggestions…but, what does success look like to a dog?
No, I’m not joking. One of the mantras I heard when learning about dog training (otherwise known as dog-owner training) was ‘always set your dog up for success’.
Okay, so that’s advice shaped to our human centric notions of ‘getting it right’ or ‘not failing’, but clearly the goal of success in training a dog has some implications for the four legged half of the partnership.
Let’s look at my dog, Boycie. Success for him means pretty simple stuff, really.
Setting up Boycie for success means making it as easy as possible for him to achieve these things.
Get treats? Being clear about what I want him to do.
To sniff and interact with the environment in an enriching way? Slow down. Walk with him. Don’t be yanking on the lead to get somewhere I think we should be.
Calm interaction with friendly dogs/avoiding situations that could escalate? Keep my eyes open for body language signals - just how relaxed is each dog? Just how friendly is that wag? Is the owner stressed (anxiety can easily spread to the dog).
Being told he’s a good boy? Respond to any desired behaviour with praise. Research shows that the reward centre of a dog’s brain is activated by its owner’s voice offering praise. I knew a collie who just needed her owner to look at her and she wiggled with delight.
Got a challenging situation to deal with? Distract him with a shower of treats on the ground ( this even worked when a dog I was walking chewed through her lead and ran down the street - she shot back when I shouted ‘Treats!” )
You might want to compile a list of favourite treats from one to five, so you know how to reward for something basic (sit/come here and get your harness on) compared to that ‘birthday present’ treat they only get for doing something special ( like not eating that piece of sandwich someone dropped, or a fantastic recall).
One of the things I noticed about having a serious illness is that how through sheer helplessness to do anything other than survive, one is liberated from all the fussing and fighting to achieve. There - you’re still alive and your blood results are good - well done!
But now I’m out the other side with all the wonderful possibilities of how to shape my future.
Do I dance to the same tune as before, or learn the steps to a new tune inspired by the kind of fundamental pleasures that mean success to my dog?
Connecting, enriching, expressing may manifest far differently for humans
, but the mechanisms that drive us are much the same.
A dog’s capacity for joy is a wonderful thing. My therapist once told me that she thinks people who don’t like dogs are scared of life. I think she’s got a point.
Valerie, I might have written this piece just as you did. I am fortunate to never have had a serious illness, but after my parents died the same year I floundered around for quite a few years in the wrong career and wrong relationship. I quit my job, went back to grad school as a middle-aged student, then got a dog when I turned 40. She changed my life by giving me a being other than myself to take care of and love. Eventually, I created a seminar all about dogs and the human-canine relationship at the university where I worked for 22 years. Thank you for writing and for this piece.