The other day I wrote a blog post on how Albert Einstein can help with your dog training. While I don’t know of any research that Einstein did with dogs he had a very analytical mind and nothing helps solve dog problems like an analytical mind.
Another one of Einstein’s quotes is the following:
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
A simple statement. But so profound because I see dog owners attempt to violate this idea nearly every day when training their dogs.
In order to understand how this applies to you it is important to first understand that any behavior problems your dog exhibits are a result of training that you’ve done or haven’t done. Think about it. Your dog only knows what instinct and nature tell him. If you don’t like his instinct or nature then it is your job to fix it and train away those problems. If those problems persist, what that means is that something you are doing, or not doing, are allowing those problems to persist.
In understanding this it frustrates me when I see dog owners banging their heads against the wall. At our Salt Lake City dog training company we get lots of calls from lots of frustrated dog owners. One statement I’ve heard hundreds of times is, “We’ve tried everything! But the problems are still there! I’m not sure this dog can be trained.”
It’s times like this that I think of Einstein’s statement. Yes, they have tried everything…that THEY’VE thought to try. It was their understanding, or lack of understanding, of dog behavior that created the problem. Now, they’re trying to fix that same problem with the same mindset. I’m not going to say impossible, but it’s next to impossible for that to happen. In order for them to fix their problem they must learn new ways of thinking, new mindsets, and new techniques. Otherwise, they’ll continue banging their head against the wall in futility trying to solve a problem that their mind currently isn’t capable of solving.
That was the whole goal behind my new line of dog training dvd programs. I’m sure some of the methods in them are known by other people. Most of them, however, are not. Most of them are different, unique, and by their very nature would cause people to expand their understanding of dog behavior. In causing people to think differently about training their dog they can now be in a position to fix problems.
Are you in a position where you are banging your head against the wall? Are you refusing the idea of stepping outside of your comfort zone and investing time, money, and effort into learning new techniques, new ideas, and new concepts? If you are resistant you may just find yourself having a hard time solving your dog training problems.
