Teaching is a Vital Skill in Dog Training
Being a dog trainer is so much more than understanding dogs and knowing how to train them yourself. Many dog trainers never undertake training to learn how to teach or train owners.
It’s not something a lot of dog trainers even feel is important, but it is vital.
I thought this excerpt from Steven Bartlett’s book, ‘The Diary of a CEO’ might help, if you’re unsure about becoming a dog trainer or which training course to take.
I’m presuming everyone knows who Steven Bartlett is, but if you don’t click here.
Steven Bartlett’s Book – Diary of a CEO
Steven talks about ‘filling your 5 buckets’ but filling them in the right order with Knowledge and Skills being the top 2 and the most stable. Whatever else happens around you, nobody can take away your knowledge and your skills.
To Master a Skill you must Teach IT
Steven goes on to talk about the only way to Master any knowledge is to TEACH IT. He references Yogi Bhajan, a late spiritual leader,
‘If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something teach it.’ (Steven Bartlett, Diary of a CEO p. 17)
I am and always have been a firm believer in that. You cannot be a master dog trainer, if you have learned your skills and knowledge through online training. Online learning is just the start, you must get teaching practice, before heading out to train other people and their dogs.
Teaching is a massive part of being a dog trainer, and as Richard Feyman (referenced in Steven’s book) says, there is an art to being able to take your knowledge, and be able to explain it to someone in simplistic terms.
If you’re unable to do this, then you don’t really understand your subject well enough. The only way to find out if you are doing this and doing it well, is to get feedback from those you are teaching. This is what happens in Level 3 of our practical training programme.
Simplistic, Concise Information
I remember when I was at university, many years ago, one of the lecturers used to read out of a book, as she was teaching and writing on the blackboard. That was because she didn’t know her subject, she was completely unable to break the subject down and explain it to us students in simplistic form. End result, her lessons were boring and we all learned very little.
Don’t try to become a dog trainer, without doing a course that gives you the practical skills you need. The course you undertake needs to skill you in being a teacher. It needs to skill you in communication. How to communicate with people at all levels. Understand how different we all are, how we all have different ways of learning.
Be a Master Dog Trainer
If you want to be a Master Dog Trainer you need to be sure to do a course that covers teaching and adult learning skills in both theory and practical sessions.
Doing just an online course, even if it covers the teaching aspect, will leave your most important buckets half empty.
