Training Tuesday: How Dog Training Goes Better When You Begin With the End in Mind

Create confidence and clarity for your dog.

This podcast and video are shared with permission from Susan Garrett's Shaped by Dog podcast series.

I’m often asked how to start a dog training plan, and no matter what the behavior, my answer is always the same. We need to begin with the end in mind. Knowing how we want a behavior to finish will create confidence and clarity for our dogs. We’re looking at how back-chaining can bring you and your dog joy together in training.

In the episode you'll hear:

• How I taught my friend to ride a bicycle.
• Some of the behaviors people train without thinking of the end.
• Why some people say “stay, stay, stay” when teaching a sit or down.
• About putting wires on fence posts.
• The reason “keep going” does not make the end clear.
• All about the concept of back-chaining behavior.
• Why people struggle teaching duration behaviors.
• About the importance of release cues.
• Why I teach my dogs “out” to release a tug toy.
• How back-chaining triggers what we know best.
• The reason back-chaining helps people remember an agility course.
• Why to chain back to what the dog loves.

Visit the website for the complete transcript of this podcast.

About Susan Garrett

Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behavior started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in animal science. Since then she has developed into a pre-eminent canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last two decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years.

A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply learning principles to practical and competitive dog training has made her a much sought-after speaker throughout North America and as far away as Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The Dog Writers Association of America named Susan’s book “Shaping Success” the 2005 "Dog Training and Behaviour Book of the Year." 

Read more about Susan and her training philosophy.