Dog Training
Guidance, Motivation and Honest Analysis
Dog training is not about creating a perfect picture as quickly as possible. What matters are orientation, motivation, precise timing and a systematic training process – as well as the willingness to look honestly at my own mistakes.
Qyu and Onni have two very different starting points. With Qyu, the documentation begins in the middle of an existing training process. With Onni, I want to document the later structured development from the beginning.
Qyu – What the Exam Revealed
We passed the theory test with one mistake, but we did not pass the practical part. Qyu and I had one of our weakest runs, and the down stay was particularly poor: he got up three times.
During the club’s summer break, I am working intensively with both dogs on a reliable down stay. With Qyu, the focus is also on analysing the mistakes that became visible during the exam and stabilising the exercise step by step.
Onni – The Next Step Is Still Open
The club is currently on its summer break. Until September, I am working intensively with both dogs on a reliable down stay.
What happens afterwards is still open, as I can only attend the Wednesday BH companion-dog training with one dog. I have not yet decided which dog will take priority. A separate, systematically documented training programme with Onni has therefore not yet begun.
What Matters to Me in Dog Training
Good training begins with careful observation. I need to recognise what the dog has understood, what causes a behaviour and where my own plan, timing or communication were unclear.
Guidance does not mean harshness. A dog needs orientation, understandable rules and motivation suited to the task. Pressure may influence behaviour in the short term, but it cannot replace systematic training or a clear learning objective.
Observation Before Judgement
Before I correct behaviour, I need to understand as precisely as possible what actually happened. Did the dog understand the task? Was my cue clear? Did I reinforce at the right moment, or did I create restlessness myself?
Orientation Through Clarity
To me, guidance means acting calmly, clearly and reliably. The dog should be able to understand what provides orientation, which task currently applies and when a behaviour ends or is released.
Motivation and Precise Timing
Motivation is more than a reward at the end of an exercise. What matters is what genuinely reaches the dog in that moment and whether my reinforcement suits the task.
If it comes too late, from the wrong direction or with too much energy, I may unintentionally encourage something different from what I had planned.
Making My Own Mistakes Visible
When an exercise does not work, the cause does not automatically lie with the dog. That is why I also want to examine my body position, cues, expectations and decisions critically.
Video recordings help me distinguish what actually happened from my own impression of it.
How I Want to Document Training
A training article should not only show what an exercise is supposed to look like in the end. The whole process matters: What was the goal? What was the plan? What actually happened—and what had I misjudged beforehand?
I also want to record what went well, what did not work and where my own mistake lay. This analysis leads to the learning point and the next specific training step.
Progress then becomes not a perfect story, but a process that readers can follow.