different dogs, different learning styles

Don't tell me your dog is stubborn. Don't tell me your dog is too smart to obey a human. Don't tell me your dog is dumb. When training gets frustrating, it's easy to blame it all on the dog.

Okay, I get it. Some dogs might be more stubborn or not as motivated as others. I have one of those dogs in my life right now! However, don't make excuses when you're not matching up your training methods with your dog's style of learning. Yep, that's right! Some dogs learn differently than others and will learn better with different motivators, just like people do.

Some dogs will be motivated by play and will love nothing more than being rewarded with a game of fetch. Some dogs will be more likely to work a morsel of freeze dried liver. Many experienced trainers switch up the reward used to keep things interesting, one way to bust training boredom (I'll do a post on this soon), but some dogs might not respond to one motivator but will be motivated by the other. You could also use praise and physical tough as a reward for your dog.

Okay, that's besides the point. Some people learn better audibly and some verbally. With dogs, it's no different. Dogs don't know English, but they understand the usage of tones and many of our phrases more than you may think. My 3 year old Dachshund, Christmas, responds well to verbal commands. He'll sit, spin around, leave a treat, and weave around my legs (still in the process of learning) among other things if I just say the other word. He'll come when I call him in a sing-song voice, but not in a low voice that mimics Darth Vader.

Let's take my dog walking client, a young Terrier mix named Z, as an example of a dog who doesn't respond too welll to verbal commands. Z will leave a treat, keep eye contact with me, or sit down when told to do so, but a more complicated, athletic command like spinning around, weaving around my legs, jumping through a hoop, or giving me a high five must be done with a hand motion and some guidance. I don't consider these things bribes because Z clearly knows what he's supposed to do, he just relies on me to clear things up with body language. After all, dogs do feed off our body language as language isn't natural to them!

The bottom line is: before you start giving your dog all sorts of labels, understand that you might not be teaching him in a way that suits him individually. Just keep searching and you'll have your pup (and you!) free of frustration and ready to learn in no time!