I have to say, this is a video I will likely watch a thousand more times. Every time I watch it, I see something else that is helpful to me as a trainer. Its not so easy to see things in the moment because they happen so fast. Watching and re-watching the video truly helps me notice and learn. Dogs are my teachers and Jack has been a master professor! As an aside, there was an episode of the Dog Whisperer that I watched so many times I lost count. I still watch it every time its on and usually replay it several times in a row. It involves a young yellow lab who has a really bad case of food aggression. The dog bites Cesar and his comment is, I didnt see that coming. Well, if he didnt see it coming (and I understand how in the moment that could be), I wanted to see what happened (as best I could since Im limited to what the cameraman filmed and how it was edited) and how I could use that knowledge to better myself. When I watched and watched and watched again, stopping the dvr every few seconds, I was able to pick out the minute details that probably happened so fast Cesar couldnt see them. The dog was clear about how she felt. She gave him clear warnings, albeit likely very briefly before she bit, with her eyes, mouth and body posture. This is why I LOVE training dogs! You cant use language to communicate with them. You have to learn their language of energy and body language. If you hold tension, they react to that tension. If you are relaxed, they relax. Whatever you do and whatever energy you give off, they reflect it and/or react to it. So primal...so beautiful...so amazing!
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 23:18:48 +0000