Understanding and Being Understood

My very first post on this blog was called: What Does The Command Actually Mean (to your dog)? I was still new to dog training and it was the first time it occurred to me that just because I thought I had taught a particular behavior that didn't mean that was the behavior the dog actually learned. I like to think I've become a much better dog trainer since 2009. My doglish has become a bit less awkward. Sometimes, I even feel fluent. But I still have moments when my pronunciation is off.

I've been struggling to teach Ira a formal retrieve. We got off to a poor start, with my eager, super-operant dog refusing to even interact with the retrieve object. A quick look in his mouth revealed a badly broken canine that was the source of our issue. A $2,000 vet bill later, I thought we'd be good to go, and we got the "sit in front of me and hold" part fairly quickly, but the "take" part was lackluster (despite the fact that he LOVES to fetch and tug) and the "move while holding" part....nope.

There are some things that just take patience to teach, but fairly often if my dog isn't really getting it, know I'm just not explaining things properly. But I had tried every method I knew and nothing seemed to be clicking. Then today I had an epiphany!

We were working on a glove hold. Ira was rocking it. Quiet mouth, nice duration. Usually I just give his release work when I want him to let go, but today I decided to ask for a drop. Despite this cue being 100% in any other context, all I got was a blank stare! I was confused--he doesn't seem to really like his holds all that much, so he should be happy to be allowed to drop it. After a couple more reps it dawned on me.....HE DOESN'T KNOW HE'S HOLDING SOMETHING IN HIS MOUTH!!!

Not really. Not like he does when he's tugging or fetching or picking up something he shouldn't have. What to me was a hold was to him a completely random set of actions with no connection to anything else he knew. Here I thought I had taught him "hold an object in your mouth" but what I actually taught him was "close your mouth and sit very, very still until released." NO WONDER he was so confused when I tried to ask for movement! In his mind I was asking him for two completely contradictory things!

Ira is a very literal dog. Once a cue means something, that's what it means. And don't go trying to give it a different meaning in a different context! We have "come" (put your collar in my hand), "here" (run towards me generally and through my legs if I toss a treat) and "front" (come sit in front of me formally). And he gets very worried if I ask for "here" but then stand straight and formal. So this hold issue is really not that surprising.

Tonight, I ditched the "take it" cue. I tossed his toy and told him to "bring it" which is his informal retrieve cue. We did that a few times, then I presented him the toy while walking backwards and asked him to bring it. It took a bit for him to catch on, but he DID IT!!

This is what I love about dog training--the conversation! It's like learning to speak a foreign language. It's those moments when you think you have the words right, but you're still not understood. And eventually you figure out that you have the words, but your pronunciation is off just enough to change the meaning. Oh, but when it comes together! Is there anything more magical than understanding and being understood? If there is, I haven't found it.

Here's the boy, being awesome with his heeling and hold breakthroughs tonight: