Comments on: The Puppiness Project – It Doesn’t Matter How You Learn; Just Learn

By: Gina@dawsondogs.com

Gina@dawsondogs.com — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:33:58 +0000

Great blog on training your dogs. You have a lot of patience.

By: Colby

Colby — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 04:39:39 +0000

Hi Pamela,

That’s a great thing to remember that all dogs/people learn differently. It reminds me of one of the teaching credential classes I sat in years ago when they talked about kinesthetic vs auditory vs visual learners.

Sometimes when I get frustrated working with my puppies I just have to remember Toby is not Dublin or Apache…so on and so forth.

Thanks again for the reminder!
Colby

By: Donna and the Dogs

Donna and the Dogs — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:28:43 +0000

So much wonderful stuff going on in this post. I think the things you were teaching Cherie when you didn’t think you were teaching her much, were actually the most important things! Not being afraid of new items and being housebroken will definitely make her more adoptable.

Wonderful that you found a trainer who figured out the best way to get through to her, and wonderful of you to take your foster dog to a trainer.

As for you and your hubby learning at different rates, we all learn differently. The fact that you are taking the time to learn is what counts. To me, I also learn at different speeds depending on how interested I am in the subjuect. Show me a new dog training technique – I’m eager to try. Show me how to program the new DVD player – well that’s going to take me a while to get it right.

I’m glad Cherie and Honey are also teaching each other new things. What a wonderful experience it is for both of them. 🙂

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:17:04 +0000

I really like watching dogs learn from each other – the same way we as humans learn from each other! It sounds like Cherie is doing great!

My hubby and I both learn quickly, but he is much better at reading something and understanding it – I definitely learn by doing. (I’m really bad about skimming instructions and then trying to figure things out on the fly . .drives my hubby crazy!!)

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:16:51 +0000

Elka seems to learn through observation some of the time. She waves her left paw at a door as I reach for the doorknob, though I’m right handed. She’s looking at the television screen right now, though I’m not sure what she’s getting out of it. She reacts well to gestures; pointing for direction, patting for “up”, be it just paws up or up onto the couch to lay down. It makes me try to pay attention to my body language, where my feet are pointing, that kind of thing.

I’m glad to hear that your ‘fraidy dog is having some fun!

By: 2 brown dawgs

2 brown dawgs — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 01:24:37 +0000

All dogs learn differently. Just like people, they all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning. In my opinion, the very best trainers recognize this and adjust training accordingly. They also understand that progress may be in baby steps.

I guess maybe because we have three dogs who all learn differently, it is easy for us to notice their different learning styles. In hunt tests, Thunder will learn from mistakes he has made. When he is not allowed to finish a test, (those are the rules), he seems to understand he made a mistake and will avoid making it again the next test. Storm, you can teach her something and she will need to re-learn it eventually. May be a case of selective memory too…who knows? lol Freighter we are still learning about him.

By: houndstooth

houndstooth — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:44:56 +0000

Well, in PreK, we have all different kinds of learning styles, and I have four dogs all with different learning styles here. I’m very aware that there are different ways of learning, and yet I’m still really hard on myself when I can’t learn certain things. Actually, if I’m really honest, I don’t attempt certain things if I’m afraid I won’t be able to do them well!

And I’m laughing because I have a somewhat similar post to this one ready for Thursday! lol You’re always reading my mind!

By: Georgia Little Pea

Georgia Little Pea — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 22:39:01 +0000

I’m sorry to say I used to compare Rufus The Blur, and now Georgia, to Jordan all the time. He was such a smart dog. When he came to us at a grand old age of 2 and something, he was scared of the breeze and didn’t know a thing but boy! Was he a fast learner. I think he more or less learnt everything I wanted to teach him in the way of “life skills” in the first 3 months. Eventually, I just spoke to him in full sentences because he understood them! Getting him over being fraidy however, took much longer.

Georgia is what I would call “street smart”. She’s a survivor. While she doesn’t take that long to learn tricks, she’s very obstinate about “performing” them. Luckily, I’m not looking for a performing dog 😉

Can I just say I love your sailing instructor. I’ve taken 9 years to learn some of the capoeira “tricks” that the young ones learn in a year and that can do terrible things to my self esteem. But then, I remind myself, I’m still here! And most of the young ones are gone from lack of perseverance and motivation! So pat pat on the back for you and me, Pamela! Slow and steady does sometimes win the race 🙂 BTW, your man and my man? Twins.

By: 24 Paws of Love

24 Paws of Love — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:17:40 +0000

With my husband every day. It has always been difficult to know if he is listening to me by his response. One day I was venting with some past anger and frustration of something to happened to me and what seemed like was out of the blue, he started talking about how he was going to hang my punching bag up. I mean going through the mechanics of it and I was totally floored at first. What the heck was he talking about? Wasn’t he listening?????? Then it struck me how he problem solved my anger because he was listening, it just wasn’t what I was prepared to hear.

And of course with the dogs, every one of them has their own unique style and has to be catered to. I love that they are so individual and have their own personalities and training styles.

I think going slower is better sometimes when it comes to learning, because it really sinks by and gets past the surface and you learn to become one with it. Be it the dogs or sailing or a marriage. Sometimes it is good to let it just soak in. 🙂

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:39:19 +0000

Every dog is so different, I imagine I am going to be greatly humbled when I eventually adopt a second dog. Shiva has so much drive and natural motivation that if I ever have a dog who is a little more independent or hesitant about learning, I am probably going to be thrown. It’s not fair at all to say you are not a good trainer. One of the reasons Honey is so eager to please is because of all the work you did with her from the time she was a puppy. You understand dogs and relate to them in a way most people do not. That’s 80 percent of the work there!

I am great at reading things and retaining what I read but am terrible at applying this knowledge. I probably could teach someone else to do a task long before I could ever do it myself. Part of the problem of living too much in my mind and not enough in my body. 😛