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Today has been a day… lots of tears and training episodes… I love my children and I want to take the time now to start the teaching and training… I don’t want to wait until it is too late!
Training Types
Now really, training can be completely effortless! But what type of training are you doing? By allowing your child to do whatever they want, you are training them- but in a negative way (in my personal opinion). However, positive training is much more involved. It takes work! But the results are worth it!
Training takes Time
One thing I am always reminded is that training takes time. It has to be a priority of mine. There will always be dishes to do, laundry to fold, and floors to sweep… but there won’t always be little hands, little hearts, and little feet.
It takes time and commitment to teach little ones how to do things properly. It takes patience to win their hearts and instill lessons. Most importantly, however, it takes LOVE to train in a way that will make lasting, purposeful connections.
Undoing Negative Training
This week, we were blessed with the addition of an adorable new furry friend. “Rocky” is a salt and pepper mini schnauzer. He is soft, cuddly, and oh so cute! However, Rocky has one problem…
Rocky is a year old. Unfortunately, his training included a lot of a lack of training. Training that included jumping up on people as he demanded attention (maybe fine in a home with only adults, but not with toddlers and young children), begging and yelping until he is fed table scraps, and “Dancing”/pawing/throwing himself in your way for attention.
So we are now in the midst of re-training Rocky while also training our children to respect his boundaries. Now, while this is a project, it is definitely worth it. After only a day of having him, I have seen improvement. He is learning that we set the boundaries and that I will not let him walk all over and control me like his last momma did.
How do you re-train bad behaviors in children or in dogs? By controlling the environment and by being consistent! Is it easy- NO! But is it worth it? YES!
Controlling the Environment
When I say “control the environment” I mean that you as the momma need to maintain control. Whether it is you teaching the dog that you are the “alpha” or teaching your child that they need to eat their eggs, you must always be in control of yourself and the surrounding situations. Control when, where, and how much your dog eats. Control the amount of egg your child has to eat (maybe just two bites if they hate eggs).
It is of utmost importance, even if you cannot control the surroundings of your training session, that you stay in control of yourself. If you lose your calm, then you lose the ability to demand focus and respect from your trainee (be it your child or your dog).
Being Consistent
Consistency is a vital part of training. If you desire a set behavior one day and switch it the next, how is your trainee to know what to expect in order to repeat the behavior? It is your job as the “trainer” to know what you want and what you expect from your trainee. Just be consistent.
In Conclusion…
And so, in conclusion- just be kind and consistent… be in control of yourself and as much as possible the environment that your trainees are in. Be patient with yourself and with your trainees… take a deep breathe and remember that you only have one moment at a time- so appreciate each one for what it is!
