Scott Linden Outdoors

Go ahead, have some fun out there

(This first hit me years ago, but with this being hunt test season, I thought it might help someone else besides me and Flick!)

I’ll bet you never did your best work for a cranky, grouchy boss. That’s how your dog might feel if your training is all negative.

Bosses have to give us money to do jobs we don’t like. But dogs can’t open a bank account, so that strategy just won’t work. Instead, the paycheck has to be more subtle. (And, more frequent.)

I don’t mean jumping-up-and-down, tail-wagging fun all the time. I mean satisfaction, affection and appreciation, your dog knowing that his good work is recognized.

For a recent hunt test Buddy and I had been training – hard – for quite a while. I was stressed, so he was too. The pressure was on, and I wasn’t showing my confidence in him – just the opposite. And his work was, let’s face it, less than stellar. You’d think we’d just met, rather than worked together for five months.

I arrived a day before the trial to explore the grounds, and by sheer luck, got grounded myself. Like a pheasant flushing at my feet it hit me: no dog will do his best work for a grumpy owner … it’s just not fun! And when we affect the balance of correction and praise, a dog can shut down.

So we warmed up with lots of praise and an upbeat attitude. It was more fun than work, full of positive reinforcement and plenty of play time. We spent extra time on the things Buddy does well. When he did well, he knew it. We both got psyched, and the next day, he took the highest score possible.

Good luck everyone!