Management, Training, If we mess up...

Lately I've been using these three categories with clients/students/when working on my training plans.

It can get overwhelming with everything we need to do and can to do in any sort of scenario, and especially when dealing with problem behaviors.

I'm hoping that if we keep using these three categories...clients will start to think through it on their own. We'll see.

Management:

We need to prevent the behavior from happening. How can we change your home set up? Your schedule? How can we change the set up in class so that we have success?

This would be crating your dog when visitors are coming, walking at off hours, and using food magnet transports at agility class.

Training:

This is where we're addressing the behavior and training an alternate response, an incompatible behavior, and changing the emotional response. This is the important part, but it's not typically successful without the others parts! Until the training happens, we need to be dilligent with the management.

And if we mess up:

This category needs a better name. Does anyone have a one-word name?

We have a plan in place for if the behaivor occurs. Puppies will mouth the owners. Sometimes we aren't good and the dog starts to bark out the window. Or pull on the leash. And if students (and myself!) don't have a plan in place, we won't be able to respond as quickly and efficiently as otherwise possible. The goal is that we NEVER have to use this category, but, we do need this part, just in case.

I'm off to a lesson and definitely see how we'll be using all three categories with the anxious-reactive dog.

** If anyone knows where I got this format....please let me know...!