What is the ideal working relationship to have with our dogs? C.O.R.E was founded to give each team the keys to achieving this goal. First, let's see what our goal is, and then discuss the two components that will help us get there.
The CORE foundation has 4 focuses that make up the wonderful connection we can have with our dogs. I'm sure you've seen the dogs who watch their human's every action, listen to every word, and perform every behavior with gusto and joy. It's a balance of these 4 things that create the fun you see:
Connected
whether you plan to have a home companion, therapy dog, or agility team mate, connection is the first thing you need. Having good connection means having an understanding of one another, and communicating clearly. It's being "in sync" that makes the dog WANT to do what we ask.
Observant
Observant
We all want a dog that focuses on us, watching and listening for every cue. Not only do our dogs need to be observant, but so do we. By observing our dogs, we can learn to understand the language of our dogs - their body language.
Reliable
Reliable
Our dogs must be reliable in all situations, on all behaviors. But our dogs also need us to be reliable in our reactions, so that they can trust us and understand what we mean. Our reliability in our reactions towards them, will enable them to be reliable too.
Energized
Energized
Our dogs must come to training with energy, and so must we. By teaching them how to control the amount of energy they have, we can help them to be a well balanced companion.
You see, it's not only the dogs who must have an understanding of these 4 building blocks, as part of the team so do we. It's a partnership. Think of it as a dance. If one of the dancers does not know the steps, it will ruin the dance for both of them. It's when both dancers understand the beats, and move in sync, that it becomes an art.
Each time we work with our dogs, our goal should be to build on our "core". This "core" is what will give us the strength and power to do anything with our dogs.
THE TOOLS
Two of the fundamental tools we need to utilize in order to reach our goal are
1.Choice Training,
2. Energy Control.
What are these? And how do they connect to the core we are trying to achieve?
Most positive reinforcement trainers will either use lure training or choice training. I love choice training because it gives the dog an addiction to the handler instead of treats.
1. set your dog up for success, allowing them to make the decision easily. It must be their choice completely.
2.The moment they make a choice they experience a Dopamine release, which is often called the "feel good chemical". They will connect that feeling to the decision they made, so the success in step one is fundamental. You want that connection to occur with good behaviors not bad ones!
3.We reward the dog with high value rewards to increase the value of the choice and to encourage that choice to reoccur.
4. Stack the choices to create a history of a dopamine release happening when they choose you!
Energy Control: Depicted below are the 5 energy levels of our dogs.
OFF: the dog is extremely calm and at ease. They have no stress. Their body is visibly relaxed - they might be sleeping at your feet or snuggled on the couch.
DEFAULT: This is the energy level that SHOULD be every dog's default. This is day to day activity but not destructive or wild. They might be following you around the house, chewing a bone, or sniffing around the yard.
ON: characterized by high intensity, this is the optimal for working. The dog should be alert and active. When you harness this energy, the dog should be giving you intense and total focus. A dog who is "on" but not in control of his energy becomes destructive, hyper, out of control, and unable to give complete focus.
OVER STIMULATED: The dog becomes too tense. If a dog is reacting poorly to stimulus they are over stimulated. Characterized by a tense body - ears forward, mouth tense, eyes wide, sniffing the ground, yawning excessively, continual licking of lips, foaming at the mouth, avoiding eye contact. They may act stressed by becoming overly hyper or shutting down.
BITE ZONE: The dog is ready to defend itself. Inability to self calm. At this point the dog will either run or fight. Characterized by the stress signals, baring teeth, growling, lunging, barking.
By teaching the dogs to use the first 3 energy levels, we can teach them how to be balanced companions - able to relax, live comfortably in our homes, and answer our commands with gusto!
By controlling the situation, using the energy you want your dog to use, rewarding appropriately, and putting a cue to each energy level, you can help your dog understand the easiest way to thrive in our human culture.
1. CONNECTED - Our dogs will understand exactly what we want, because we will start easy and give them a history of doing the correct choice. They will be rewarded only for the correct choices. Because they connect that positive feeling with us, they will desire to work with us.
2. OBSERVANT - From the start, we look for and reward behaviors only when they occur with focus. We start with easy exercises to create focus, and then increase the value of focus through the layering of choices.
3. RELIABLE - Because we create a history of good choices and build block upon block, by the time the dog experiences a difficult choice they are addicted to their handler. It becomes their desire to do as asked.
4. ENERGIZED - From the start, we approach training with high energy and reward high energy responses. The dog will learn confidence when they learn to make choices, causing confident and energized reactions to our commands.
