I Love My Mailo

The topic of this article might have you wondering. First, let me be clear: Dogs are not children. However - many of the same teaching principles when working with children apply when you are playing with or teaching (not 'training'), your dog. Drawing from interviews I've had with master dog trainers, animal behaviorists, and veterinarians, and informed by my own experiences teaching children as an elementary school teacher for ten years, I will be sharing ways that teaching and playing games with your dog is very similar to working with children.

In the last two articles, I discussed how working with children and dogs is similar in the following four ways:

1. The environment in which a child learns greatly impacts how and what a child is able to learn. Similarly, the environment in which a dog learns greatly impacts how and what a dog is able to learn.
2. Children learn best with a person they trust and whom they have bonded with. Similarly, dogs learn best with a person they trust and whom they have bonded with.
3. One of the most effective and enjoyable ways that children learn is through playing with toys and by playing games....and....One of the most effective and enjoyable ways that dogs learn is through playing with toys and by playing games.
4. Children love and need meaningful, purposeful, problem-solving challenges. Similarly, dogs love and need meaningful, purposeful, problem-solving challenges.

In this article, I will discuss two more ways in which working with children and dogs is similar:

5. Children fully engage in learning challenges that offer multi-sensory learning experiences (see, hear, smell, touch, and taste)...and...Dogs fully engage in learning challenges that offer multi-sensory learning experiences.

Again - the similarities do seem obvious. Think about the difference between asking children to practice their spelling words by printing out each word five times on a piece of paper, or alternatively, giving the child a silver pie tin (visually stimulating) with some dry pudding in it (smelling) and working with a partner to practice spelling each word (hearing), and then licking their finger each time they get a word spelled correctly (tasting). How you present a task tells me everything about how much the children are going to love (or not love) learning. In the same way, the more we can involve all of a dog's senses in a positive way - particularly smell and hearing because these senses are superiorly developed for dogs - the more successful the teaching is going to be.

Dog trainers differ in their opinions regarding using food as rewards when working with dogs. However, in a dog's natural environment, food is the ultimate reward to work for. A dog's sense of smell is so highly developed that you would likely be very surprised to discover what your dog is capable of when using his or her nose! One dog trainer who is well known for his positive methods in working with dogs is Dr. Ian Dunbar. Dr. Dunbar is an internationally recognized veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and dog trainer, and is the founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Dr. Dunbar has authored numerous books and DVDs about puppy/dog behavior and training, including Dog Behavior, How To Teach A New Dog Old Tricks and the SIRIUS Puppy Training video. For more information, please visit his website at: http://www.dogstardaily.com/

6. Scaffolding learning allows children opportunities for numerous small successes and increased confidence. Similarly, scaffolding learning allows dogs opportunities for numerous small successes and increased confidence.

Have you ever have a teacher who didn't care if you understood what was covered last lesson before moving on to today's content, or a teacher who spoke using such elevated language that you could barely make out what they were talking about? Imagine what it must feel like for dogs, who, as Dr. Ian Dunbar reminds us, do not speak nor have the capacity to speak English. Every minute of a dog's life, he is trying to learn a second language - an incredibly difficult task!

When you are playing games with your dog, it is important to remember that you will need to start at a very basic level, and then gradually increase the challenge (or "scaffold" learning) for your dog as he or she enjoys many small successes, and, as a result, the increased confidence to tackle more advanced challenges. Beginning at an advanced level may result in your dog not being interested in the game or challenge because they can't see a way that they can be successful and so may view it as not being worth their effort! Therefore, whenever you are giving your dog a challenge, it is important to pay careful attention to what your dog seems to find easy and what he or she finds difficult. This will vary with every dog and within every breed because, like humans, dogs have distinct and individual doggy personalities. The more games I play with my own dogs, the more I learn about Tango and Sparky's very distinct and clear preferences and talents - and they often surprise me!

Toys such as Kongs (sold at most pet supply stores such as Petco), can be wonderful TOOLS to design intellectual and physical challenges for dogs that begin at a basic level and then become increasingly difficult as your dog develops his or her skills over time. Throughout the My Doggy Genius series, I will offer you numerous different ideas for intellectual challenges you can do with your dog, beginning with the basics, and then increasing the difficulty over time so that your dog can increase his self-confidence and so you can strengthen your bond with your furry little friend!