Rules for Failure

No dog is perfect. No handler is perfect. There will always be failures in dog training. The key to making failure a valuable part of your training is to properly evaluate the cause for the failure and make a plan to help your dog succeed. The other essential part that many trainers forget is teaching a dog to fail and bounce back. This creates a dog that does not shut down when failure strikes. Today's blog post is all about turning failure into success.

1. Why did my dog fail?

• Was my dog trying hard to succeed?
• Did my dog check out from what we were doing? 
• Did my handling cause my dog to fail? 

If you have trouble evaluating these questions when training on your own, take video of your training session. STOP working at the place of failure. Take the video to your trainer for a proper evaluation. Never continue doing what you were doing if you are experiencing failure.
If your dog was trying hard but does not understand, step back in your training plan. Clarify what you want to your dog. Help your dog to succeed.
If your dog is checking out you must evaluate the reason. Is your dog in an environment they are not yet ready to work in? Is your dog overly stressed? Does your dog have an inability to fail (shuts down at failure)?
Video taping and working in person with a trainer is the best way to evaluate your handling. If you are having trouble with something, practice the handling on your own without your dog. Once you have perfected the handling without your dog, add the dog back in.

2. Plans to help your dog succeed!
Utilize a training notebook. Plan out the course of action for training a new behavior. If you have failure, systematically go back to the previous step where your dog was successful. If you still have trouble progressing, break down  your training plan even further. Take baby steps to create success.
Remember that you must have a distinct criteria at each step. Be clear to yourself. Be clear to your dog.
Utilize video review. Don't reserve video for just matches and shows. Record your training sessions as well. Review what you are doing when you are not in the moment. Alter your training plans based on your performance.

3. Teaching your dog to fail and bounce back with games.

• The Shaping Game: Use a marker (like a clicker) to guide your dog through the "hot and cold" game. While your dog tries to figure out what you want, they will have successes and failures. The goal is for your dog to keep trying through the failures. 
• It's Yer Choice: This is Susan Garrett's game of impulse control. It teaches the dog to control themselves around tempting food and other distractions. They make a choice not to take the food or go sniff the cow poop. During that process, the dog will fail while trying to problem solve through the game. Here's a brief explanation of the game:  http://raisingk9.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-yer-choic.html

4. The Rule of 3: Never let your dog fail 3 times. We do not want our dogs to practice the failure time after time. We want our dogs to practice success! Be conscious of your dog's failures. Step in and change something if they have failed twice. 

Whether you are practicing straight sits in obedience or working on a tough skill on the agility course, recognizing failure and working through it is essential to successful dog training.