As I predicted, this was a fun week. Milo and I worked hard on engagement. It amuses me to imagine saying the last sentence in a serious voice because the ‘hard work’ was playing with him all over town. He was a Good Boy! in Victoria Park. Yippee! He was a Good Boy! on King Street. Yippee! He was a Good Boy! on the soccer field. Yippee! As you can see, it was extremely difficult work. 

A while ago I went to a few training sessions with an extremely well respected Schutzhund competitor and trainer, and she mentioned at the end of the first workshop that Milo really loved me. I didn’t know what to make of that. I suspected it was sort of like complimenting a job candidate on his suit–you know, when you need to find something nice to say and have to dig deep to find it.

“At least your dog loves you…”

But it wasn’t that at all. A strong bond with your dog makes training easier.

When I was a student, I had some professors who I was very fond of. I looked forward to going to their class, I wanted to learn from them, and I wanted them to think well of me. It is not surprising that those were the classes where I earned some of my best grades.  These days I try to be one of those professors when I teach university students.

And funnily enough, this is what I’m going for when I teach Milo too. I want him to want to learn.

My advice? Go play with your dog!