Albert Einstein knew this secret, but he was talking about quantum physics, not dog training. Bill Gates knows it. Expert dog trainer Adam Katz knows it. Now you can discover this secret!
It’s called “compounding.” It’s very simple, really: compounding is the practice of investing a small amount of something (time, money, effort, energy) on a regular, consistent basis. Investment genius Warren Buffet, the second most wealthy man is America (behind Gates) didn’t start life with all that money; over time, he gradually invested what money he had and effort into making smart investments that made him mega-wealthy.
How is compounding related to dog training? According to Adam Katz, small steps in training that are done every single day are eventually compounded into a wonderfully trained dog! Here’s how to do it:
- Start small. Begin teaching each basic command of dog obedience: sit, stay, come, down, go lie down, and leave it.
- One command at a time! Don’t confuse your dog with multiple commands; she isn’t Einstein.
- Each day, review what you taught your dog yesterday. It will probably take several days to a week before your dog becomes proficient at obeying a command. Don’t expect miracles and have plenty of patience.
- Keep your training sessions short; don’t stress your dog since she can’t learn when she’s stressed. 15-20 minutes every day is good. If you don’t have this short amount of time to spare to teach your dog good manners, then don’t complain the next time she rips your new sneakers into pieces!
- As each obedience task is compounded upon other, previously learned tasks, your dog will develop into a fine companion or working dog.
You learned to add before you learned to multiply, didn’t you? Just as first-graders would be baffled by calculus or reading The Canterbury Tales in its original Middle English, your dog must begin training at the lowest, easiest level. Then you can successfully compound each training lesson upon previous lessons.
The very best place to start is collar and leash training, since these are the essentials of compounding upon future lessons. By 9-12 weeks of age, put your puppy in a collar, hook her to a training leash, and off you go!
Source: Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer by Adam Katz, www.dogproblems.com.
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