Intensity is Not a Predictor of Resolution

Intensity is Not a Predictor

Intensity is Not a Predictor of Resolution Timeframe

It would seem natural that if we took two dogs with similar undesired behaviors that the dog who shows the most intensity in those behaviors would be the more difficult dog to change.

While that's often true, it is not always true. Sometimes it can be quite surprisingly easy to help what seems like the more difficult dog change, and likewise, it can sometimes be surprising how challenging it can be to help what seems like the less difficult dog change.

Sometimes, doing some simple things for a dog with really intense behavior can just be like putting a key in a lock. You do those things and, quite quickly, we have a very different dog.

Intensity is Not a Predictor of Resolution Timeframe

By contrast, sometimes we have a dog that clearly has behavior that we don't like or don't think makes the dog's life better, but we really have to get down to a very simple level of training to really start to help that dog see and feel life differently.

Rather than assume which dog we have in front of us, we need to test and evaluate the dog to see what level of help it needs and where in a teaching progression the dog is ready to start and how much help it needs along the way.

In TBTE, we would apply the Grade School Model to help guide the most appropriate training for each dog. We talk about the Grade School Model in each and every class that we teach because it is the key to effective and humane training. We’ll be talking about it quite a bit in our upcoming reactivity class because following the Grade School Model is the difference between success and failure when it comes to behavioral issues!