Dog-Chi Dojo
Train the dog. Balance the Spirit
Dog Training is a skill and art comparable to any craft. Knowledge can be learned, but wisdom must be earned. Not hastily, but through the slow gains of steady experience. Luckily the path is well trodden, and can be shown to any who look.
Learn to Communicate
How to talk, how to listen
In Body Language
Touch
Licks, paws, weight shifting, boops, and scratches are all ways for a dog to communicate. These can be 'misheard' as a dog being playful or needy. Learn how to carry a conversation in the same senses your dog uses.
Positioning
A dog on the outside of a group might feel unprotected, left out, or put on guard duty. The dog on the inside might feel safe, loved, or even overwhelmed.
Facial Cues
To us, making eye contact and smiling is a polite greeting. But a dog can feel intimidated when a human towers over them, shows their teeth, and stares into their eyes. These are differences that we are often never aware of.
Posturing
Shoulders back or forward, hips straight or angled, these are all clues that a dog might look at to decide our intent. How you stand can affect how your dog responds.
Simple Leather Leash
An Ancient Tool to Master
The Connecting Link
Two-Handed Hold
When you need power and strength on the leash, the two-handed grip is your answer. This keeps your strength together, the leash short, and allows you to control the situation when the unexpected happens.
The anchor is to keep control and stabilize the leash, your connecting link of communication. Use it to help keep your guidance clear and succinct.
Anchor
Relaxed Hold
The standard way to hold the leash. This hold falls naturally into your hand but allows you to maintain control over the leash.
The proper way to hold a leash. It provides both the strength to hold on to your dog and the flexibility to use the leash. It isn't just a tether, but a tool as well.
Locked Grip
Balance in Training
Operant Conditioning
Rooted in Science
Positive- Add an element to the situation
Negative- Remove an element from the situation
Reinforcement- Encourage a behavior to happen more often
Penalty- Discourage the repetition of a behavior
Positive Reinforcement
Praise, treats, toys, or any reward that is offered for performing a behavior. Everybody's favorite part!
Negative Reinforcement
Removing an element to encourage a behavior. A common example is using leash pressure to guide the dog in a direction or position. Once the result is achieved, the leash pressure is removed, signaling to the dog that they have succeeded.
Positive Penalty
Often called a 'correction', this is simply the word "No". The tricky part comes in the translation. A spray bottle, a leash tug, a penny jar, or a sharp sound are all examples. The goal is to interrupt a behavior and redirect afterwards.
Negative Penalty
Time-out, turning your attention away, or taking away a toy as a disciplinary consequence are all examples.
Others share their way
From here to there we listen
Shape the Dog-chi path
Daoism and Tai-Chi play an obvious significant role in our training. The philosophy helps guide our intentions with patience, and most of the physical techniques incorporate Tai-Chi movements.
Two popular Dog Trainers are constant sources of inspiration and knowledge. Ivan Balabanov is a world class trainer and author, and is passionate about his craft. David the Dog Trainer is locally based out of Cleveland, and does a great job creating content for other fellow trainers.