Is Dog Training About To Change? #330
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In this reflective and hopeful episode of *Shaped by Dog*, Susan Garrett shares a personal journey through the evolving landscape of dog training, marking a pivotal shift from dismissal to cautious acknowledgment of reinforcement-based methods. She recalls being dismissed in the 1990s for advocating non-punitive training, with critics saying her success was only possible for 'experts' like her. Fast forward to today, and she hears a similar sentiment—now phrased as 'this might work for elite trainers, but not most people'—which she interprets not as rejection, but as progress: the idea is no longer being ignored. This subtle shift, she argues, signals that reinforcement-based training is being reconsidered, even if not fully embraced. Garrett emphasizes that great training isn't reserved for the special few, but is achievable through clear systems, consistency, and curiosity. She draws on her father’s wisdom—'if the solution is through love, then the solution is never wrong'—to frame love in training as clarity, fairness, and connection, not softness. Her message is empowering: every dog owner can achieve deep understanding and joy with their dog by focusing on improving communication, not blame. The episode serves as both a celebration of progress and a call to action. Garrett challenges trainers to replace correction with curiosity, to see dog behavior as a response to unclear communication rather than defiance, and to recognize that resilience comes from clarity, not pressure. She highlights real-world success stories from her online programs—people with busy lives, mobility challenges, and dogs with traumatic pasts—who achieve remarkable results using her system. Ultimately, she argues that the true measure of a training method isn’t whether it works for a few, but whether it can be replicated by many. The episode closes with a powerful reminder: change begins not with agreement, but with curiosity, and every frustrated moment is an invitation to be clearer, kinder, and more connected.
The shift from 'this can't work' to 'this might not be possible for everyone' is a sign of progress in dog training—acknowledgment is the first step toward change.
Great dog training isn't reserved for experts or special people; it's built on clear, repeatable systems accessible to everyday caregivers.
Curiosity, not correction, should be the default response when training is frustrating—ask 'how can I be clearer?' instead of 'why won’t they listen?'
Love in dog training means clarity, fairness, and connection—not softness. It’s about building understanding, not compliance.
Dogs don’t fail—they respond to what they understand. The responsibility for success lies with the trainer to improve communication.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
A Glimmer of Hope in Dog Training
“I felt something that I haven't felt about dog training in a very long time. And that was a glimmer of hope.”
The 1990s Email List Moment
Garrett recounts a pivotal moment from the mid-90s when she advocated for reinforcement-based training in dog agility, only to be told her methods wouldn't work for 'the rest of us.' She now sees this as a turning point—a shift from outright dismissal to a cautious acknowledgment that her approach might be elite, not impossible.
The Modern Echo: 'It Might Not Be Possible for Everyone'
“That was a shift, a small one. But looking back, it was exactly the same shift that I saw in the nineties.”
From Dismissal to Acknowledgment: The Stages of Change
Drawing on Karen Pryor’s stages of change, Garrett outlines how new ideas move from being ignored, resisted, and attacked to eventually being absorbed and adopted. She celebrates that reinforcement-based training is now in the 'absorption' phase, even if slowly.
Love, Clarity, and the Power of Systems
“Great training is not reserved for just special people. It's built from clear systems.”
“If the solution is through love, then the solution is never wrong.”
“Great training is not reserved for just special people. It's built from clear systems.”
“Dogs are doing the best they can with the information we've given them in the environment we're asking them to work in.”
Host
Susan Garrett
person
Dog Agility
other
Bob and Marion Bailey
person
Karen Pryor
person
Simon Prince
person
Malinois
other
John Wooden
person
Bunny
other
Mount Everest
place
Buzz
other
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