Training or reading the dog in front of you...

[Rascal]

"Train or read the dog in front of you" is something I often see quoted on here but what does it mean exactly and how do you do it? Sounds like some sort of weird science.....

Rascal

[trekmoor]

Read it before you train it.

Wullie

[Mike A]

The way I see it

The dogs specific needs ,it's ability to take pressure / what training it's ready for .
It's age , both physical and mental .


And a hundred other little things that most people don't even think about , just do naturally if they've been around dogs long enough.

Mike

[farmboy]

It's your ability to know what a dog is going to do before he does it. (or close to it) Running a blind,dog veers off to the right or left. Can you see it before it happens? Are you in the drivers seat or just along for the ride. Can you correct it the split second the dog thinks about it? Even more critical while doing "basics" where timing directly affects a dogs learning. Has the dog understood his lesson and ready for the next step,or is he "training" the trainer. What truly is the problem and what should you work on to improve the dog?

Some people have it and some don't,it can be developed,but never taught. Reading a dog is what separates successful trainers from the wanna-Be's that never quite make it in the world of dog training.

[farmboy]

The way I see it

The dogs specific needs ,it's ability to take pressure / what training it's ready for .
It's age , both physical and mental .

Sounds very much like a North American retriever trainer's answer. Any confessions?

[trekmoor]

It's your ability to know what a dog is going to do before he does it. (or close to it) Running a blind,dog veers off to the right or left. Can you see it before it happens? Are you in the drivers seat or just along for the ride. Can you correct it the split second the dog thinks about it? Even more critical while doing "basics" where timing directly affects a dogs learning. Has the dog understood his lesson and ready for the next step,or is he "training" the trainer. What truly is the problem and what should you work on to improve the dog?

Some people have it and some don't,it can be developed,but never taught. Reading a dog is what separates successful trainers from the wanna-Be's that never quite make it in the world of dog training.

I 100% agree with the above.


Wullie

[Cass]

It is amazing to watch someone who can read a dog well. I was training with my dog's breeder last weekend and it was the first he had seen my dog since he sold him to me as a fat little pup 2 years ago. He wanted to run him on birds and I wasn't sure how he'd react taking direction from someone other than me. He was absolutely brilliant though... The first bird he thought about not being steady but my breeder was on him immediately so the dog ended up being unable to break due to the position he was in. Jake looked at him and it was just like... "Ok, i guess I can't mess around with you either" and went on to flush to other birds and was steady as a rock. The only part he was sloppy on was the delivery as he kept looking to me with the bird in his mouth. I commented on how well he did and all the old fella said was "well, you just gotta read the dog and know what they're gonna do before they're able to physically carry it out. It's not rocket science." LOL!

[Naj]

It's not an either/or option, training OR reading the dog. It's just a matter of experience, if you've an enquiring mind. Any accomplished trainer will be constantly interpreting the dog's responses & body language & evaluating what to do next. The same with 'reading' the interplay between dog & game when shooting over a dog.

Naj

[Springfield Pointers]

It's all about understanding how fast or slowly you need to push a dog. There is no "one size fits all", some dogs you can heap stuff on from an early age and some need a little careful coaching with certain issues. It's about understanding how the dog - in front of you - is progressing.

[trekmoor]

I think the main thing I understand from all this is that you need to gain some experience of dogs before you can begin to "read" them but some people do seem to have more of an "instinct" or feeling for dog behaviour than others ? Really good dog trainers are born and not made maybe ?

Wullie