End on a positive

Recently I wrote a blog post on "common knowledge" where I suggested that training didn't necessarily need to end on a positive note.

Several facebook posts picked up on this thread, with back and forth discussion about the potential pros and cons of ending on a positive or negative note.  Lots of thoughtful points of view!

There are two major reasons why I believe you'd want to "end on a positive".  One was the original issue of escape/avoidance training - you never wanted to teach the dog that failure to perform might get them out of work.  As I said in the original post, this made sense in a time when training was rougher and rather unpleasant.

However, there is a kinder (and still relevant) reason for ending on a positive - to leave the dog with a positive association about training.  That makes sense to me as well.

So what exactly did I mean by saying "don't bother ending on a positive?"

I didn't  mean that you HAVE to end with failure, just that if training begins to go wrong you do not need to push through until the dog performs correctly.  That is the misconception - that you must push through.

There are two occasions under which I see particularly bad training.  The first is when the trainer becomes angry.  Angry trainers and good training are simply an oxymoron - the cannot co-exist.  If you want to set your training back months, get mad and push through until you "end on a positive."  It's a recipe for dog abuse.

The second place I've seen really bad training is when a session has gone poorly and the trainer cannot instantly assess how to go about fixing the problem.   Rather than putting the dog away and giving it some serious thought, the trainer will start running through random and various options, with very little thought to what really makes sense.  In short, they begin to dig.

Devising a good training plan - including problem solving - takes thought.  An experienced trainer might be able to problem solve on the fly, but a less experienced trainer almost always needs to think about what is happening.  There is no reason for the dog to watch you stumble around - someone is supposed to be leading and my dogs expect that to be me.  If I don't  know what I'm doing or where I'm going, I'm going to have a terrible time telegraphing that sense of control and leadership that allows my dogs to follow confidently.

I don't ALWAYS end when something goes wrong, but when training gets weird and unexpected, the majority of the time I need to stop and think about what is happening.  With a young dog, training often goes poorly because the dog is tired or over faced - better to stop training at these early warning signs rather than waiting for that brilliant moment where the dog figures it out. Yes, the dog might figure it out.  Or you might be digging a very deep hole.  Honestly, I've seen more holes than light bulbs.

In training, there are very few rules or absolutes.  What separates an experienced and confident trainer from a less sure trainer is the ability to figure out, in the moment, what is the best decision.  It might be to push through,  to change exercises, or to end training immediately.  Sometimes you might choose to hang out and take a break.  It depends on the trainer and the dog.  It depends on the root cause of the failure.  Most important, it depends on your mood and how you are reacting to the mistakes.

So in short, it depends,  which was my point in the first place.  Good training is not a function of rules and common knowledge.  It is a much deeper (and more challenging) pursuit that involves two beings with good days, bad days, and very unique temperaments.

So...do I believe it's important to end on a positive?  No.  Do I think it's important to end on a negative?  No.  What matters is that my decisions allow my dog and myself to form a richer and more trusting partnership.   Absolutes make that close to impossible.

There is another reason why I choose to end on a negative - sometimes I'm specifically doing it to punish a dog for a choice they have made.  I'll talk more about that in an upcoming blog.

Thanks to all who consistently manage to engage in interesting, articulate, and well thought out discussions about various topics that I bring up here.  I love to read your thoughts, even when I don't necessarily agree with your conclusions.

And on a completely different note....several of you have asked me to let you know when I teach an online heeling class.  Registration will open Feb 1st for Precision Heeling; you can get more information here on my blog from the tab above called "Class Schedule -Local and Online"

When precision heeling ends I'll offer a class on heeling games.  Precision heeling will be a prerequisite skill for heeling games, so please at least observe this class if  you're interested in working or auditing the next class.  See the website for any questions you may have!