What Does "Train The Dog In Front Of You" Really Mean?

Have you ever been in a dog training situation and felt you are in the wrong place as your dog is not responding like other dogs? Or have you ever thought that your dog is not like other dogs? It could be in a dog training class, a workshop or an online course, and you see other people training and think your dog doesn’t compare. You are not alone, and it’s why I often say to my students, “train the dog in front of you” and “meet your dog where they’re at” so that you and your dog can be a confident team.
In the episode you'll hear:
• What I witnessed happen to a Jack Russell Terrier in group stays at a dog obedience class.
• Why we need to believe what our dogs are telling us.
• How to use the 5C Pyramid to protect and grow confidence for you and your dog.
• Tips on how to know if a dog is ready for challenge.
• That your dog not doing what other dogs do does not make your dog bad or you less of a trainer.
• Why our dog’s issues are opportunities to grow a deeper connection with them.
• How to understand what the dog in front of you needs right now.
• What I did with my dog Buzz at agility class when he was young and overexcited.
• Why we can set goals, but our dogs set the pace of their training.
Resources:
1. Podcast Episode 172: How To Teach Your Dog Anything With My Training Plan - 5C - • How To Teach Your Dog ...
2. Podcast Episode 138: Frantic Dog? Are You Training Both The Hold And The Do? - • Frantic Dog? Are You T...
3. Podcast Episode 29: Understanding and Preventing Reactivity and Aggression in Your Dog - • Understanding and Prev...
4. Podcast Episode 168: Creating Confidence For Anxious, Stressed Or Reactive Dogs Part 1 - • Creating Confidence Fo...
5. Podcast Episode 169: Dog Training A Stressed, Anxious Or Reactive Dog Part 2 - • Dog Training A Stresse...
6. KZbin Video: Susan Garrett’s Perch Work Dog Tricks (Pivots and Spins) - Hot Zone - • Susan Garrett’s Perch ...
7. Crate Games Online - get.crategames.com/
8. KZbin Playlist: Target Training for Dogs with Susan Garrett - • Target Training for Do...
9. KZbin Playlist: Dog Body Language, Communication Signals, and How to Read Dogs with Susan Garrett - • Dog Body Language, Com...
Timestamps:
00:00 Meet your dog where they’re at.
01:14 True story about group stays in obedience class.
04:15 Using the formula from the 5C Pyramid for confidence.
06:22 How to protect your dog in class situations.
07:18 Don’t judge yourself or your dog.
08:00 A dog’s problems allow us to grow deeper connection.
11:00 What I did with my over-excited dog, Buzz, at agility class.
12:35 Allow your dog to set the pace of their training.
P.S. Subscribe to our KZbin Channel so you get notifications of new videos!
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Dogs That is brought to you by Susan Garrett and the Say Yes Dog Training Team.
Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science. Since then she has developed into a preeminent dog trainer and canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last three decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years.
A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is world renowned as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply science-based learning principles to both competitive and family pet dog training has been pivotal in changing how dogs are trained.
Susan is now helping many thousands of dog owners in 132 countries have the best relationship possible with their dogs. The real joy for her comes from bringing confidence to dogs and their owner through playful interactions and relationship building games that are grounded firmly in the science of how animals learn.
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Our Website: dogsthat.com
Facebook: / susangarrettdogagility
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Twitter: / susangarrett
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[@DogsThat]

Check out our Playlists on Target Training and Dog Body Language. Target Training for Dogs - kzbin.info/aero/PLphRRSxcMHy3ylCyQ2bJQSCwo_ERiVHj3 Dog Body Language - kzbin.info/aero/PLphRRSxcMHy2IwzRwAWcG0yK8oez1nPU0

[@caitandmoshi6510]

I felt like a complete failure when Moshi could not handle group classes. Thank goodness the algorithm brought me here. We joined Recallers and stopped in person classes and everything changed. Train the dog in front of you / meet the dog where they’re at possibly the most significant advise I’ve ever received ♥️

[@songbird2g2]

I feel so much of this comment ❤

[@trudymoffat1572]

This stirred up a memory of an obedience trainer from the US who used my poor dog to demo a drop on recall. I wish you were there that day. She used the leather leash to smack him across the shoulders when he didn't drop. I was almost in tears and none of the "big name" trainers came in the ring to help.😧 I vowed to my dog that day I would never let anyone touch him again.

[@egbabydesign]

I had an instructor like that recently. I tried to just get the information I needed from her and train with my own techniques, I got called out in front of everyone frequently for giving treats that weren't lures, for using body language that was too exciting, for petting my dog after an exercise was complete, for playing games between exercises to try to get her to engage with me, etc. Each session my dog was getting more and more disengaged. She used to be so excited for classes but for this one she started hesitating to even get in the car. Then there was an event at the club on the weekend, and we had a Monday morning class. The whole room was full of new smells and flavors, and it didn't matter what I asked of her, she was not interested anymore, she was gonna just do her own thing. If not sniffing her way through the exercises, barely giving me any attention, she was behind me shoving me through the exercises like I was a big hairless sheep. The instructor wanted me to start using physical correction because that was the only way she'd ever seen a dog that distracted start to engage with their person. I left and never went back. There was nothing I could learn from her that was worth the cost. She stopped engaging with me because there was no longer any reason to engage. No treats, no games, not even any petting? The instructor said she was working and would find fulfillment in doing the job. But it was a job she didn't want to do, with no paycheck, so no, she wasn't going to do that. We went through the recent Doggyflix series and it went a long way towards rebuilding our connection.

[@lauriebenzie1386]

Thank you. I needed to hear this. My previous dog was a Border Collie X (he was an eager team player), and my current dog is "the other Border," a Border Terrier! I get frustrated with our progress at times, disappointed too, but now I hear "train the dog in front of you." I shake off those negative feelings, throw my shoulders back, and celebrate my little Velociterriers' successes. Thank you!

[@marshamartin7206]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This makes me cry. I have a dog like no other dog I’ve had before. I love her She is the sweetest dog I’ve ever had but also has issues I’ve never seen before. This is so helpful and most of all encouraging to me. In case I didn’t say it enough, thank you!

[@dessertthingy]

I love that you spoke up for the dog. Poor baby.

[@trishbech9082]

Thank You so much! Yes, I had a similar instructor with my first dog. Her solution was to put a pinch collar on my 6 month old boy, who was my first dog. I love your outspoken voice for that little dog that day! Good on you! ❤ I needed this talk to reset my thinking once again! I was relaxed and having so much fun training other dogs as I became acquainted with your methods; however, as the date gets closer to getting our own puppy, I get too bogged down by trying to be “proactive”. Trying to figure everything out even before we get the puppy! How will I solve this issue or that issue that may arise or better yet, NOT have it arise! I needed to stop! Take a breath! Realize that I need to focus on what’s important and that things will not be perfect, but that’s ok! IF anything comes up, I have a new toolkit overbrimming with helpful methods and techniques! Plus I already signed up for Recallers so I have more to look forward to this time around and to stop fearing what may happen. Sigh! Thanks for putting that joy back into getting a puppy Susan! ❤

[@trudymoffat1572]

OMG, just saw my young self in you video with Buzz!!

[@andreapbalogh4349]

Thank you for this episode. It is very supportive. It gives me strength to train my (excited but enthusiastic) dog at his pace and in his/our way.

[@DogsThat]

You got this, Andrea! ❤️

[@andreapbalogh4349]

@@DogsThat I know

[@allisontraynor2870]

Another awesome podcast ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@Lynn2715]

BRAVO SUSAN!!! Thanks for caring about each individual dog! When I was a Jockey I remember telling some trainers I thought their horse had a ‘headache’ that day. It just wasn’t performing like itself normally! If a horse tried a short ways in a race I never felt disappointed with them. Because they could have something bothering them for that race!

[@pstogs516]

Just experienced this last night in class. My girl was full of herself and snarky at her classmates. She was also a little over amped when I was running through homework assignments prior to class. I was all business and not in the mood for shenanigans. She had some pent up energy as I had appointments all day. I was thinking through this and her behavior in class on the way to work this morning. I heard Susan say, “train the dog in front of you”. I should have at least burnt off some energy before training n class. We did have success in assignments, I just had to relax and meet her where she was at.

[@IAMGiftbearer]

Wow! That instructor was really spiteful! It wasn't enough for him for that dog to stay. He just had to sabotage it. Sounds like he had power issues. Your approach makes alot more sense, as not all dogs are alike.

[@Jenily111]

Thank you Susan. I love hearing your stories! In Recallers right now. Will be playing the games with 4 dogs. One is a 4 month old puppy who is the first dog I have that will learn everything the Dogs That way. Very exciting. She’s learned sit and down by you. And for the first time ever Ill have a dog learn to hold their sit without me shoving my hand in their face a million times 😅 . The 👏 best 👏 dog 👏 training!

[@jeffreyH360]

Gotta love those instructors! Sad they are still out there 😢

[@trillianmcmillian2660]

this was soo great! great reminders!

[@linmc4334]

Oh Susan. This really spoke to my heart. Going through a challenging time with my dog who has been reverting to behaviours I thought were long gone and not doing behaviours I thought were well established. I realised that I am not meeting my dog where he is at. I thought he should have been at one stage when he was at another stage. I am sitting at the computer thinking about what I (not my dog) need to change. I need to relax and bring the fun back into our training. Thank you.

[@pwdpw991]

sometimes it is really hard to train the dog in front of me, sometimes I feel like I don´t have a clue whats going on with my pup´s head. Had a happy go lucky dog for 16 yrs and now have gotten the hardest pup ever (for me). Got her as a rescue at 6 months and realized she wasn´t socilized at all. Got a lot of bad advice from both privet persons and teachers that did´t feel right so I had to take a different apporoce wich lead me to Susan. My Pup has so many BIG feelings, happiness, lots anxiety, sound sensitivity, guarding, fear of going by car, outburst of barking if things doesn´t happen fast enough like opening the door to go out and as icing on the cake she got a seizure last week......never worked so hard with a dog so we do IYC, HSTD, crate games and WN in a slow and hopefully fun manner. But to be honest sometimes I just wish she was easier .... sometimes I get sad BUT compared where we were a year ago it is going forward :) Susan I would totally se a stand up with you, you always crack me up 🥰and get me in a better mood!

[@suzanneevans1771]

“Honour your dog” 😊

[@smokeyfuma]

Great Video 📹 Love That Quote 🥰🐩

[@lindalavelle1082]

Just brilliant, thank you 😊

[@azogal53]

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 so so important! ❤️

[@dahheelerboy]

Recently was reminded to set my pup up for success. Rather than expecting him to “know better” I find it so much harder training in public settings. However it is important so meeting my dog where they are at in a public settings means going out with a clear idea of how I can help my pup when likely distractions occur. For example my puppy loves to play ball at the beach but can’t quite ignore runners or other dogs yet. Rather than letting him run off and chasing after him, I now know to keep an eye out for these distractions and if they come by I hold on to my pup until they pass and then he can go back to playing ball. We’ve had much better experiences!!

[@robertapreston4200]

Omg..... some of these TV people...... I want to treat them like they treat the poor pups. I know... Stop it, but I really get sick. Thanks for your clear-cut explanation.

[@stegles]

Very accurate!. My BC Seven is a very timid boy, hes scared of most things, but for the last 3 years we've really worked with him to the point now he does agility with confidence. He still has his moments but hes also a really great teaching tool when new people come to puppy class or agility with a fearful dog, it gives them a bit of hope. He is my 9th dog (i have 10th now also), and of those, i've trained 6 of them myself, improving each time. I agree with everything you've said in this, it really is so important to reassure them and show them that you're there for them and will protect them, and not to expect too much from them in new situations. I found your channel looking to enhance what I already know, to help address some new behaviours I have encountered with Elsa (5 month old BC with loads of energy), and to reinforce and retrain some of my weaknesses. I'm really glad to see that for the few months I've been following, your message remains positive and consistent, and aligns with the training styles I want to use.

[@ammi_10]

1,000% YES! When I hear stories such as that I am grateful that I never had the opportunity to attend a training class. I began at the impressionable age of 10 with a cheeky one year old Minature Poodle that my parents had first given to my grandmother as a puppy. The first thing I learned was: dogs shouldn't be a gift to someone not expecting it. I'm grateful that I was a very observant child and that I was undistracted enough to be taught by my dog how to teach him what I wanted. And I didn't use treats at all (except to teach him to sit up and beg) 😉 My ability to "read" my dog was a key factor and we went on to great things!And I even put that ability to the ultimate test when, at the age of 19, I took on trained sentry dog without any protection gear, to prove to my first client why I believed that his dog was only "playing" at the take down and he wouldn't grab without padding on the assailant's arm and that's why he failed to do his job! "Train the dog in front of you" is such valuable advice. This type if thinking came in handy when I started my large family 40 years ago. Dogs taught me first that no two beings are alike, not even my identical twins.😉 Thanks Susan for educating those among us who truly love their dogs.💙

[@dortenielsen8253]

Thank you so very much. Those are the wisest words, I’ve heard in a very long time. To follow those advises will benefit both humans and dogs. And make our lives together more fun. I remember when I first took my favourite dog to some kind of training class. It was in a huge hall, he was around 7 months old, there only was 4 other dogs present - and one of them was a bitch in heat - as hot as hot can be. And no one could get in touch with my favourite dog. His entire mind and body was just fed up with female pheromones. I left the class and didn’t come back. Later on - by then he might have been 14 months - we took classes in a school for working dogs like police dogs. We had a huge grassy field full of dogs training and drilling. My dog is very scent driven and he really wanted to find out who all those other dogs were. Again I was up against natural instincts. The first class against the sexual urge, this class against his curiosity, his social instincts and his urge to sniff. He was just around the most hopeless student in the class. This is what I did: Around twice a week we went to the training area, when absolutely nobody else was there. Then he was allowed to sniff ALL over the place. And when he finally knew everything he needed to know, I took out the apparatuses the team was working with now, and we started to train. Now he was focused and could absorbe pretty many repetitions, and very soon he advanced from being the most hopeless to being the best student in the class. Next summer we went to a summer school in Sweden. Among other things the dogs were testet on 3 collaborative skills: 1. How much did they collaborate with their person? 2. How much did they work against their person 3. How much did they just have their own agenda? This time my favourite dog was the ONLY dog who got 100 % collaborative. La morale de cet’ histoire est - dada - that even the most hopeless dog in the class has to become extremely collaborative if you build up confidence and you work with his instincts instead of working against them. That is to show respect and confidence to the dog you have in front of you ❤ Thank you for emphasising this, Susan Garrett ❤ It is so much more fun to work WITH the dog than to work against it. And vise versa.

[@DogsThat]

Thank you for sharing your experience, Dorte! What a great job you've done with training the dog in front of you.

[@dortenielsen8253]

Everything I know about dogs, I learned from Freddy - and some of Susan Garrett too 😉 Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your wisdom 🥰🙏

[@nanettelai1525]

Min’s “problems” led me to your podcast and programs so total win 🎉 🤔 Personal experience: Min and I were in a group class where there was a competition for “stay.” We won, but looking back I’m wondering if Min actually responded to “stay” or because she felt so comfortable remaining in a down on her snuffle mat so it simply appeared that way 🤔

[@lollypop2413]

I live in australia..we had famous international dog trainers hold a seminar. I paid nearly 3000 dollars for 2 day working spot...there was zero shade provided for dogs....the crated dogs were put next to cars near long grass which was a deadly snake risk. My dog was not used to crates and i informed them prior to seminar and they said dont worry will sort so.ething out. On arrival they said leave your dog in the car unsupervised at 28 celcius. 😢 i saw one other owner remaining with her crated dog...all other owners 8...were in the seminar left their dogs in cars to roast. I left with my dog. I couldnt roast my dog and lost nearly 3 thousand dollars. Thats how much i love my dog. Now i know those two famous 'trainers' chose $ over dogs even after being clearly told the deadly risk of heat exhaustion and snakes with crated dogs unattended.😢😢😢😢

[@chrismccollough545]

Super happy - super firendly - FUN ! FUN! FUN!! YEP Stay is a challenge. We started off by going early and watch from a safe distance are playing IYC and it has gotten so much better. But I need to remind myself that not every day is the same. In the 80s I once witnessed a caretaker at a zoo hit a baby elephant. across the backside with a 2 by 4. I was angry but didn't do nor say anything. I haven't forgave myself. Today I am sure I would report it. Sometimes we need to remember that we make mistakes but we can learn too. Today is a new day and I will do my best with the dog in front of me.

[@DogsThat]

We're all doing the best we can, Chris. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

[@IfYouHaveTo-Ask]

I recently attended a puppy class where we were supposed to have our dogs stay, we didn’t participate. When asked why I said “he’s just not that into it tonight.” He watched everything and everyone attentively, relaxed by my side. I’ve nothing to prove to anyone EXCEPT for my dog(s) who need to know that I can be trusted to always have their six and be their advocate. I’m the ONLY advocate they have, I take that privilege seriously. It’s okay to sit it out if your dog isn’t comfortable, there will be another class, another time, another day. *We practice Susan’s way and he’s doing wonderfully, every class is worth every hard earned penny **Side note: Even professional trainers take other trainers group classes + individual classes. When their your puppy another respected professional trainer is an invaluable resource!!

[@DogsThat]

Thank you for sharing, you're your dog's best advocate.