A Food for thought snippet

Growing up my friends called me Gracie, my grandparents called me Graciela, and most of my other family called me Grace, a name by the way I have come to hate. Although much of my family called me Grace in a normal manner, what my memory retains is my mother yelling my name in anger when I was in trouble. Grace! ....Grace!....Grace! Being the oldest child, reality or perception, I was always in trouble for something or another. So now when I hear the name Grace, I cringe. It is like nails on a chalkboard. I despise the name. Why is it that although others referred to me as Grace in a normal manner do I associate it with the negative feelings from my mother?

The reason this thought comes to mind is not just some crazy reflection on the past, however more from making an association and having an “ah ha” moment. Let me explain. I am constantly reading animal behavior and training books, journals, and websites to expand my knowledge, reinforce my knowledge, learn various training methods, to learn from others perspectives, and of course to spur ideas on information that pet owners might find interesting. Currently one of the books I am reading is Training the Best Dog Ever by Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz and Larry Kay. As I am reading about “Timing and Voice Marking,” a concept I am very well familiar with, when I read this:

“Use your dog’s name only in the course of praise and reward. Never say your dog’s name when you’re trying to correct her behavior...You don’t want to inadvertently train your dog to associate her name with punishment. That can delay bonding and slow the learning process; some dogs may stop responding to their names.”

I find this very interesting and make the personal association I explained earlier. Upon reflection on my own training methods, I do use the dog’s name to get his attention, while praising, to give a command, as well as when correcting. I have done this for years while training. Although I do not believe that using the dog’s name while correcting harms the dog, I agree with the authors of the book. I definitely associate the name Grace with punishment, and would not wish such an association to be made by the dogs I train and their name. This thought has hit a chord for me and will be something I change in my interactions with dogs. A simple “Ah ha” moment that creates change can come from the oddest places and cause change for many things. Even if most dogs could care less and never make the association of negativity and their name, I will work to make the change in my training for the one dog that it might make a difference for.

Thanks for reading this food for thought snippet! 

Be the positive difference in a dog’s life!