# What is the Definition?



## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

Question to anyone training in any venue.....

What is your definition of training?


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Shaping the dog to do what you have in mind and making sure he will keep doing it under various circumstance/distraction.


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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

I define "training" as: The actions taken to gain reliable and correct compliance from the dog.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Training: showing the dog what you want thru shaping or luring. 
Then proofing them with distractions and learning from the dog so you can better teach the dog.
Train for trialing as a goal, but not having trial picture involved until all the pieces are in place. Backchaining many of the exercises. 
When I hear, 'you'll never see that in trial' of course not but you can train with methods that will teach the dog what you want with equipment that will never be in trial as well.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

Training to me is getting closer to your target than you were this morning (before training). Implies having a target in mind


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Creating a desired behavior.


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## Vandal (Dec 22, 2000)

People have probably heard me complain relentlessly about what seems to be the way dogs are trained nowadays. Seems trainers are trying to find ways to "install" behaviors vs bringing the genetic ability out of the dog and channeling it into the work we want them to do. 
For me, maybe because I breed dogs, the later is the ultimate way to train. The best dogs are the ones that can be trained without all the tricks and gimmicks, or working endlessly on building drive and behaviors. They do it naturally and all you need to do as the handler is direct their drives and instincts, while the rest of the time, staying out of the way, so the dog can be who he was bred to be.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Thank you, Anne. I was trying to figure out how to say that.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

Anyone else?????


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Training = conditioning responses (to me anyway, lol)

Some things are commands (come, stay, quiet, drop it, etc.) some things are default behaviors (sit at the door while I put the collar on, lay in the crate while I prepare food, etc.) some things are just adapting to house rules (no chasing the cat, no chewing my stuff, etc.) but mostly the training is taking place every moment the dog is awake, because he's constantly learning - he gets praised for good behavior and he either gets ignored or corrected for unwanted behavior, depending on the offense.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Zahnburg said:


> I define "training" as: The actions taken to gain reliable and correct compliance from the dog.


+1. But I'd add... The actions taken to gain reliable and correct compliance from the dog in things already taught


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I want more than compliance, I want engagement, enthusiasm and work ethic....and that comes with training. I don't want my dog to enter into it thinking 'factory work' but 'what are we going to do next?' 
I agree with Anne, don't go against what my dog is, but learn from the dog to bring out the natural/ modify my techniques as necessary as we progress. We are a team.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Training to me... Hmmm.. Is just having fun with my dog(s) while shaping the behaviors I want..


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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

onyx'girl said:


> I want more than compliance, I want engagement, enthusiasm and work ethic....


 But your end goal is correct and reliable compliance; or it should be. On trial day you make points for being correct. Not just correct in a technical sense but correct overall (technically, with drive, with speed etc. Correct in that the exercise is 100% what it should be) And, of course, reliability comes into the picture because it is no good if our dog is correct only part of the time, we want him to be correct every time we trial. 

Engagement, enthusiasm and work ethic are very important within training but not really the end goal OF training. The end goal of training (to me) is to take that enthusiasm, engagement and work ethic and make it show in the points.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

seems like you know the meaning of training going by
all of those titles in your signature line.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

Anne and Jane were the ones...

If you cannot explain it, how can you train it? That is a question that numerous World level judges/competitors and top trainers in Europe ask people at trials and training.

A lot of people (no matter whether local to World) cannot articulate it. 

Find the dog’s ability and use the right/correct method for training/maintenance it. That is called training.

This is why it is critical that you are able to read the dog and truly evaluate the dog, without blinders. And that you have the ability to train the dog.

If a trainer has a limited ability to train, think about how it impacts the training of the dog? And this is for the handler and training director.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

doggiedad said:


> seems like you know the meaning of training going by
> all of those titles in your signature line.


Titles can be achieved many ways. It is all about the journey IMO. Be fair and earnest and give credit to the genetics of your partner. Sometimes people take all the credit, when in truth there is way more to the equation than the handler's attributes. The dog is only as good as it's breeding, or I should say, don't try to make your dog something it can not or will not be, it is not fair. And when the dog exceeds the handlers dreams, give credit to the breeder!


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