It Is Not About What You Think.
It Is Only About What Your Dog Thinks.
Until you can fully give yourself to the Title statement, you will struggle to understand and solve nuance issues with your gun dog. This is a common disconnect with participants in our gun dog training seminars and a human characteristic that is difficult to accept. A lack of truly understanding, and believing, that it is about what your dog thinks will result in unnecessary pressure on your dog and a breakdown in your relationship.
We are not talking about whether or not your dog “knows” something. Once you teach your gun dog a task, reward the behavior, increase the expectation and polish the behavior through repetition (T.R.I.P.), your dog probably understands and knows the task. What we are talking about is your communication to your gun dog regarding what task you are asking the dog to complete. Confusion is the simplest way to view what we are talking about.
Trip
T - Teach The Task
R - Reward The Behavior
I - Increase The Expectation
P - Polish The Behavior Through Repetition