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As a softball coach, humility was my friend. This helped me to always keep my ego in check. I knew very well, that I was not very experienced in the game when I began coaching, so I needed to seek information. I wanted solid and science based information, that was going to give my teams the best experience in their participation of the game, and the best opportunity for success. No matter what level I was coaching at. This moved me to seek quality education and certification.
Through my career, I tried to exercise humility, and to always remain a student of the game. I was open to theories and new information, and would assess it based on science and my situation. If it was reliable, I said thank you and put it to use. If it didn’t match my educated standards, then I would say thank you anyway. I was also open to feedback from the players. This is because they are the ones playing the game, and in many cases, had the experience to know what worked best for them in some situations.
With coaching dogs and their owners, it’s a benefit for me to have this outlook as well. Humility, will keep me up on the dog training science, and keep me focused on what our dogs need. Raising a puppy for example, is a very personal thing. For all of us. Some might even relate it to raising a child. I know it’s definitely not the same. For someone who has not had children or experienced raising a child, it’s easy to look at it in similar ways.
Coaching With Humility
When we’re coaching our dogs, we have ideas of how things should be done, by watching YouTube videos and reading articles. But the truth is, we actually might not be able to find everything. For example, when we raised our first pup over 15 years ago, we had people coming at us from all angles about how we should train her, and how to make her stop biting us, and being a little terror. We did learn a lot then, but we actually can’t even remember much of it now. It was over 15 years ago after all, and things have definitely changed.
Using reliable and scientific resources in raising a puppy, is a good way to make sure we’re going to help our young dog to have success into their adulthood. There are so many avenues to find information, even if some of them are not in line with our principles. Our job though, is to filter those out as best we can. What can be useful, is the ability to call in the big guns when we can’t find the answers that we need. It doesn’t mean that we’re not good dog owners. It actually means the opposite, because we’re finding solutions to problems that we can’t find answers for. The key is, to find good sources, ones that align with your values and are 100% in the interest of your pup.
Listening To Our Dogs
Listening to our dogs can be a hard task for some. Some might disagree, but this also requires humility. Through science we know, that our dogs will give us signs that tell us how activities are effecting them. Their ability to communicate, is done through their body language and vocalization. Our dog for example, will often use her ears to communicate. They will be relaxed which means she is good, they will go out to the side which means she is ready to go, or they will be straight back, which has 2 signals. She is either being happy submissive and wagging for attention, or she is stressed. The stressed part is often accompanied by her ready to go body stance and her chest up if she is lying down.
When we’re out, or working on a behavior with our dogs, we also need to recognize when they might be tired, and need to take a break. They might be telling us “hey, can’t we just stop?”. This might be by showing signs of crazy, or biting at things, or biting the leash when we’re out for a walk. We don’t need to keep pressing on when they’re showing signs of fatigue, because we want to get it done. We’ll get much further if our dog is calm, and energetically available for learning. This requires humility, because we are listening to our dog rather than only thinking about the task.
We also need to adhere to our vet guidelines. They are the professionals. We may learn that our dog isn’t ready for a 10K hike every day at 11 months old. We might be advised to wait until they’re older for more regular vigorous activities. Dogs that are spayed early can have difficulty with their growth development, which will also dictate the amount of activity they have. They also need to spend time sleeping during their younger months.
The Reality and Humility
We don’t know all things and sometimes we don’t even know some things. This requires humility. Especially when it comes to coaching our dogs. For the best success, we need to be their best coaches. This means using all of our resources and remaining “a student of the dog coaching game”
