You Can't Coach That

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

I have been reading about dog training and dog psychology lately (who’d have thought there was such a thing as dog psychology?). The key message I have taken from this reading is that training a dog is more about modifying the behaviour of the human than that of the dog. The human must recognise why a dog behaves in a certain way and react accordingly.

While this has been useful for me as a relatively new dog owner, I am starting to see some benefits in this way of thinking when it comes to training 2 legged animals.

All too often I see people trying to impose their will on others when they want something done or want someone to behave in a certain way. Parents do this to their children, teachers do this to their students. We often don’t consider that our own behaviour and attitudes have an influence on others and the way they behave and act. Also, an often overlooked factor influencing actions and behaviours is the impact of person’s surroundings and environment.

If people spent as much time reflecting on their own actions and attitudes as they did trying to directly change those of others, the minefield of human relationships might be a little easier to navigate. We often do not stop to think about why someone is acting in a certain way. This should be the first step in bring about a change, be it for a four legged animal or two.

“You can’t coach that”