Working with client with disability
Do you learn from people you are in contact with? Recently I encounter a challenge to work with a client who is legally blind. I needed to find new ways of teaching but most importantly I had to listen. It’s through communication that we found the best ways to move forward. In the end, we not only succeeded with training the dog so both she and the owner are happy but I also learned and grew as a person. It made me a better trainer and more compassionate human being.
Negative reinforcement – are you using it unknowingly?
How often do we stop and think about the way we interact with others (including animals)? We raise our voices when we talk with people who we think don’t listen to us. We pull the leash on our dogs’ collars to make them come the other way. We laugh at people, we grin, we give nasty comments without ever thinking what effect it has on them. Even if something works, it doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.
How to communicate with people who have different opinions?
It's not easy to change someone’s opinion as it's not easy to change ours. Trying to win an argument is not the best way to keep the dialogue going. Start from listening and find a mutual purpose, something you can agree on. It's the best way to create trust and find solutions that can work for both.
Dogs’ body language as a way of communication part 1
Our dogs don’t use English (or any other human language) but they communicate with us through their body language.
Many times we don’t even bother trying to learn a new skill. We convince ourselves that it’s not for us. When what we could do is to find the first successive approximation and start learning through a fun and successful process.