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Happiness

is

Peace

Freedom

Trust

Respect

Understanding

Love

Prioritizing Values –

A proposed level of language between dog trainers and clients to prioritize happiness and well-being.

By Sherry Clark

 

www.brainydog.com

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We, dog trainers, do a good job.

Well, we do.

We consider our client’s needs, listen to the dogs by understanding body language and behavior, and adapt out approach to unique situations.  We’re skilled at refining dog performance through various techniques and understand how important practice is.

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Do we all train the same way?

Of course not.

We’re individuals with different beliefs, upbringings, mentors, and choices. We practice and teach the most effective exercises for our specialties and, likely, the ones we enjoy the most.

 

The information we have to pull exercises from is massive. Between traditional science and psychology, specialties, and our practice, there's a vast vocabulary to share with clients. Our glossary becomes even more colorful when we train; based on predictions, upcoming research will show dogs understand a deeper level of concepts. This may explain the saying, "Dogs are smarter than we think."

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But something's missing...

 

The most essential things in life.

There’s a gap in our vocabulary between what clients want and what dogs need. A rich vocabulary is great, but the terms can overwhelm clients. Categorizing exercises by the source of information they came from doesn’t always align with what clients are looking for.

 

We need another level of language.

A natural language, one that’s common in diverse cultures and stands the test of time. This language should be a meaningful vocabulary that acts as a filter between available sources of training information and the exercises we apply to dogs.

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Values can serve as this filter. Values guide our actions to enhance the most essential aspect of life, which (in my professional opinion) is happiness.​

After all, clients want their dogs trained to make life better in some way. But what words describes what “better” means to the dog’s family?

 

We can ask clients...

What will you have more of once your dog is trained the way you want?

Will you have more:

 

Love, Peace, Respect,

Understanding, Trust, or Freedom?

How can this increase your

Happiness?

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This helps clients think in a language of values. They know their dog, their resources, and what they are willing to do (or not do) to practice with their dogs.

 

The answers I've heard are:

 

"We'll have more Freedom if our dog stops barking so my spouse and I can leave the house together. Someone always needs to be here so we don't bother our neighbors."

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"I'll have more Respect if he stops biting me. I'm starting to dislike him, which makes me cry."

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"I'll feel more Love if she lets me pet her. I don't think she likes me very much. I'm a good person."

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"I'll have more Peace if they stop fighting."

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"...more Understanding when she hides..."

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"... more Trust if I can let her off-leash..."

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"...That's how it will add to my Happiness."

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This approach creates a clear, motivational image in our client's mind. It helps them imagine what value their dog needs to provide what they want. Now, at least, the client knows what they want.

 

Then the dog...

Fill in the blanks.

If your dog could say:

 

"I’d be willing to (stop or start) doing:

[blank behavior], if I had more

[love, peace, respect, understanding, trust, or freedom],"

Which would your dog choose?

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Answering for their dog is easy because they've just answered the question themselves.

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Examples:

Love, Peace, Respect, Understanding.

 

If Trixie, a shelter dog, is shut down from a previous life, she could use some Love. We’ll focus on exercises that boost trust and bonding.

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If Jake, a high-energy pet dog, is vaulting off the walls, he could use some Peace. We’ll practice calming exercises and maybe sport dog training.

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If Daisy, a former street dog, is guarding her food, she needs Respect so we don’t push her to the point of biting. We’ll work on building trust and resolving underlying conditions.

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If Sandy, a puppy, hides during fireworks, she could use some Understanding to learn what noise is. Sandy can also build her resiliency to other fear-related challenges.

 

What exercises would you use for these challenges?

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More examples:

Trust, Freedom, Happiness.

 

If Fluffy, a senior dog, is afraid of humans, we’ll work on building Trust. We’ll focus on confidence-building and independence, showing her that not all humans are bad.

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If Rex, a sporting dog, loves to run, we'll focus on Freedom and safety. We'll teach Rex a solid, non-negotiable recall so he can run and stay out of trouble.

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If Buddy, an emotional support dog, looks sad, we’ll increase his Happiness by checking all possible underlying conditions. We'll ensure his values (the components of happiness) are balanced and part of his life.

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The process sparks anticipation for positive results and motivates clients to engage more deeply. By thinking in values, training becomes more meaningful.

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Which values would you increase to mitigate these challenges?

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Thinking in values stimulates curiosity and sparks creativity.

I'll bet you already think like this.

When we prioritize values before exercises, our minds take a different path to understanding the dog's mind. If we say the values out loud, one or two will stand out.

 

Those are the ones to focus on first by choosing exercises to increase the value enough to reduce the unwanted behavior.

 

The hierarchy is:

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Top level goal

Happiness

Happiness is the result of balanced values.

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Values

Love, Peace, Respect,

Understanding, Trust, Freedom.

Values, the components of happiness, filter exercises.

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Exercises

All exercises from all sources of information available.

 

All sources of information available.

Science, psychology, ethology, education, experience, innovation, creativity, cognitive learning, operant conditioning, classical conditioning, social learning, neuroscience, relaxation, agility, search and rescue, sport dogs, puppy training, genetics, hunting dogs, bird dogs, freestyle, herding, breed standards, kindness, our style, etc.

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Graphically it looks this.

Bubble_edited_edited.png

What about methods?

Is there a kinder way?

It's a common challenge in our society to notice what's wrong before what's right. And that’s okay—we’re all doing our best, and there’s always more to learn.

 

It’s important to remember not all reward training makes dogs dependent, and not all corrections cause harm. Solid behaviors, such as emergency come-when-called, can be trained in several ways. All work, and there may be differences in associated variables to consider.

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From my conversation with trainers, it’s clear we all have blind spots.  Our perspectives don’t always allow us to see the positive changes in other methods from our own.  We often ignore critiques of “our methods” from other groups because they’re values are different at the core.  However, let’s change our way of thinking to “What part of what they say holds value?”

 

To learn more effective and ethical methods, let’s set our egos aside and be open to discussions of why and how.  Be open to change and new insights from those that are willing to share and promote their techniques.

 

Understanding increases knowledge.

Curiosity is an effective tool when faced with opposition. It motivates us to choose to understand. As far as I know, we don't have access to a peaceful forum to increase understanding with those who train differently than we do. This is my hope for Values Based Dog Training.

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We're all talented professionals and have great success. Still, it takes effort to look outside our bubble. Should we choose to do so, I'm confident we'll grow in a worthwhile way.

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Change is a choice for dogs, and change should also be a choice for us. When we actively seek options, we naturally choose the most effective, pleasant, and respectful exercises that appear before us. We can make always find at least one way to make our exercises more enjoyable for the dog. For me, one last look at the values before I train, causes me to slightly change my exercise to meet the need of the dog.

 

To get ready for each sessions I run throuh my list... treats, tools, dog, phone and ask myself: "Is there a kinder way?" It might be small but there is usually something I can change. that I forgot to smile, or stand sideway instead of Although (from my perspective) my exercises are incredibly thoughtful, the practice often sparks an answer... or more questions.

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Can dog trainers lead the pack?

Absolutely.

We’re already doing this by sharing information,

listening to each other, and staying curious about

new ideas.

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We have a unique opportunity

to increase values:

Our place in society is between two

incredible species that could benefit from

the other's perspective.

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  • We have access to dogs everywhere.

  • Dogs are great subjects to work with and learn from.

  • Most often there's a human connected to the dogs we work with.

  • Dog behavior and human behavior have a lot in common.

  • We’re passionate, ethical, and guided by our values.

 

As trainers, we have a unique opportunity to promote conflict resolution techniques. Consider how many people are connected through dogs. The audience is enormous.

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Let’s go deeper.

As trainers, we aren’t just teaching sit, stay, or fetch. We’re sculpting the connection between two species that have walked side by side for thousands of years.

 

Each session, each moment, is a chance to honor a bond built on trust, love, mutual respect, and companionship.

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Every time we work with a dog, we do someting imostrengthen that dogs place in society and take away concern from its human companions. We can increase joy, bring peace to homes, and soothe emotional discomfort.

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Think of times when a dog’s trust in humanity was restored or when a once-frightened animal found the courage to open its heart again because of your patience and kindness. Think of the humans whose lives were improved because you took the time to help them build confidence.

 

These aren’t just training successes; they’re victories in life. There are moments when we, as trainers, become a bridge between fear and love, chaos and peace.

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A private thought experiment.

There’s no need to announce what we’re doing. Just think of an exercise you use and ask yourself which value it supports.

 

If it strengthens a value that promotes happiness and well-being, keep it. If it doesn't, toss it out and seek a new one.

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What if it becomes a habit?

What if we can increase happiness simply by encouraging clients to practice values with their dogs?

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What if the side effect carries over to human-to-human interactions?

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What if it's that easy?

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