In the video above, I confuse the heck out of Ember!
You can tell she’s confused based on her behavior here – she’s looking away, she’s jumping up too high, and wrapping her paws around my arm. All of these signals indicate she doesn’t know what I want.
Even if you feel like a failure (you’re not) or like your dog will never do XYZ thing, I want to encourage you to keep at it, because mistakes are okay! Now, I don’t mean drill into your pet, or put unreasonable expectations on yourself or your dog. It’s still important to be mindful and realistic with your training goals. Not every dog can learn how to stand on their back legs – particularly elderly dogs! If that’s your goal, make sure your dog can physically handle such an activity before trying to do it. It would also be cruel to make your fish try to walk on land, for example.
BUT! As long as your pet is capable of physically doing the activity safely, and you continue to be patient… Keep training! It will all come together, I promise!
And if you ever need any help with your pet – dog or fish or rat or any other pet – remember to contact me!
Espresso Dog Training 