I love tennis! And not just because of having a constant supply of tennis balls for the dogs …
** Actually I don’t make my dogs ball-mad - there are too many injuries associated with ball-throwing. See this post. I work with frisbees and hoops and tugs in the main - but I digress …**
Tennis … and aficionados will know that right now it’s time for the French Open, at Roland Garros. Roland Garros was not, in fact, a tennis-player, but a famous aviator. And this is what he said:
“Victory belongs to the most tenacious” - Roland Garros
This is emblazoned on the main stadium for all to see and constantly remember.
Now - it’s not just tennis-players who benefit from being tenacious!
Whatever it is you truly want to achieve requires tenacity.
🐾 Things will seldom go as you expected.
🐾Things will fall apart regularly.
🐾 Something you thought you had done will mysteriously become undone.
🐾 It all seems too difficult!
And nowhere is this more true than shaping your pet dog to become your Brilliant Family Dog.
A living being!
We are not dealing with an inanimate object, like a tennis racquet - we are working with a living, sentient, being who has his own ideas about how things should go!
Now it’s true that, as Susan Garrett says, dogs are always doing the best they can with the information they have in the situation they find themselves in.
They are obliging souls!
But they are not superhuman (supercanine yes, superhuman no). They cannot give you the right response without some clue as to what you want.
And with the things you thought you’d taught breaking down, and your dog producing new behaviour with each passing month as he grows and learns, you need to keep those clues coming!
Keep in mind that this dog you’re working with is not set in stone. He’s a changing, developing, person.
Development in the dog
It would be a mistake to think that your 8-week-old puppy is the finished article. He’ll go through many changes as he develops physically and mentally. Just like our own children, there’s a huge learning curve for them to travel before they reach 2.
But what are they learning?
Ha! This is where you come in. Just like our own children, they need constant guidance. You can’t just leave this pup alone and expect him to turn out as you’d like - as the perfect family dog.
This is where our friend Roland has it right!
It’s persistence, consistency, perseverance - all those hard words that you perhaps don’t want to hear - tenacity!
It’s formulating your training plan and sticking to it! That’s what will bring you the results you want.
I’m so pleased when I see people who do just that - stick to their plan - and succeed.
All teachers will be familiar with those who drift in, thinking that just having the idea of training your dog - perhaps enrolling in a course or studying some books - will be sufficient.
It is not.
You have to do the work!
And it’s YOU who has to do the work. Your dog just comes along for the ride. You’re the one with the input.
Commitment to your dog training
If you’re ready to commit to REALLY helping the animal in your care have the best life, and you to have the best life along with him, then I have some resources for you:
Start with this free Workshop, with its important and valuable lessons.
Then you can decide which suits you better - joining us in the vibrant Brilliant Family Dog Academy with video demos and full individual support, or working on your own through my series of books.
It’s all there for you.
The only thing I ask - as your dog can’t ask you - is that you STICK WITH IT!
Toffee is ready to learn!
