Transcript of Episode 289: Stop Just Watching Dog Training Videos: Mastering Active Learning Instead!

Speaker Key

SG Susan Garrett

Transcript

00:00:00

Are you the sort of person who likes to watch dog training videos and then learn something and try it on your own dogs? If you're like many people, you might not be doing it right. There is actually a way to watch a video and get the most learning so that you absolutely get the best results with your dog training. And today, I want to talk all about what that looks like and how you can do it starting tomorrow.

00:00:35

Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. Welcome to Shaped by Dog. Most of us watch videos without a real intent to learn. We're watching from a place of recognition, meaning we'll watch the video, and we'll nod in agreement. We'll see things that are similar to what we're doing.

We might see some steps that are something we've never seen before. But we agree, “Oh, that looks pretty, simple. I get it. I get what you mean. I can do that. I can do that.” And then you finish the video, and you jump on over, grab the dog and you try it. 

00:01:07

But what's happened is you've only got a general view of the skill. You haven't dug down and got the nuances, the specifics. So, the difference between learning and just this overview is watching from a place of recognition and watching from a place of recall.

And I don't mean like come when you're called, I mean like I can recall really well. When you're watching a video from a place of recall, your focus is on the learning. Your focus is on the ability to reproduce the exact results you're seeing without the use of the video. 

00:01:43

When you've watched from a place of learning, you have the ability to recall with precision. And that's what I would like for you. Think about this. If you were changing a transmission in a car, would you watch a video on how to change a transmission in a car and then go out and start going at it at your car?

No, you wouldn't. Why? Because of the consequence of messing up your car. Well, there is a consequence when we do the same thing with dog training in that you are messing up your dog. Because dog training is a mechanical skill. Meaning, if we excluded all the external factors influencing our dog's ability to learn, they are left with us. 

00:02:28

How good are our mechanics? How well do we know the subject at hand? How good are we at relaying that information to the dog? You know the saying I've said many times, ‘The more I learn, the smarter my dog appears.’ Well, that means the better you can get with your mechanics, the more you can learn about dog training.

Your dog is, appeared to be a genius. If I had a nickel for every person who said to me, “My dog is so slow.” “My dog is so stupid.” The truth is they aren't. It's us. We level up our game, we'll see a difference in our dogs. So, if you are on my YouTube channel and you are diving into one of the many tutorials on how to teach your dog something, I would encourage you to watch from a place of recall.

00:03:17

And I'm going to give you the three steps that I use when I'm intentionally watching a video from a place of recall. The first step is I do like everybody does. I watch from a place of recognition. I enjoy the video. I watch it all the way through without any intention other than to enjoy what I'm seeing, to get a general overview.

To see, “Oh yeah, there were five steps there.” Just to get a general idea of what the process is. And now when we're really wanting to learn, we are rewatching. And this is where intentional learning happens. 

00:03:53

So, step number one, you have to optimize your environment for learning. That means you have to eliminate distractions. You have to mitigate the chances of you being disrupted. Now, those of you with small kids, I know that could be a problem, but if you can put them down for a nap or if it's after their bedtime, this is the ideal time for you to really get intentional about learning from a place of recall.

And you might say, “Well, it's not a big deal.” But the more our brain goes from one subject to another, the transition back to that subject takes a lot longer. The more you stay in a single space, the deeper you get into that learning, then it's hard to transition back into that depth of learning. 

00:03:38

So, you want to try to eliminate any possibility of you being distracted, which means turn off any other screens, close the door. Hang a ‘Do Not Disturb’ on just for you know, 20 minutes or the length that you have to set aside for now. Deep work requires you not to be distracted.

Step number two, you're going to rewatch that video with intention. Now, what that means is you're going to be prepared. You're going to have a book that you can take notes in, and you might say, “Oh, that's not my learning style.” 

00:05:07

When we're learning a mechanical skill, we're going to combine a bunch of learning styles. I myself am a visual learner. I like to watch. But I love to write down what it is that I'm learning. I'm not a person that goes back a week or two and reviews my notes, but I do write all those notes down, review them at the time of the learning.

So, you're going to have a notebook, you're going to have a pen. If you're into AI tools, there's probably some AI tools that will help you with this intentional learning as well. And then you're going to start that video. And you're going to use the pause. You're going to use the rewind or the scrub back. Videos don't have rewinds anymore, do they? You're going to scrub back on key areas. 

00:05:53

And I'm going to give you a short list of things you should be looking for, but more on that later. We're on, there are three steps to intentional learning. So, pause the video, write the notes, write the steps clearly. You might draw something if that's how you learn. But put together a plan so that you have clarity on what you're learning so it gets into your brain.

The next thing you're going to do anytime there's a demonstration, you're going pause the video, refer to your notes now of that demonstration, get up out of your seat and do some pretend dog training. Not with the dog, just pretend on your own. Work those mechanics. “How did she hold that leash? I can't…, how did…, that was like magic.”

00:06:37

And you might have to go back and review your notes. “Oh, I didn't write that down.” Scrub back in the video again and catch what you missed and rewrite your notes. So, you're watching, you're pausing, you're writing, you're getting up, you're rehearsing, and you're sitting back down, scrubbing back, and reviewing to make sure you've got it all right.

And then go on to the next part of the video. This seems like it's time consuming, but remember, we're not wrecking a car. We're potentially frustrating, discouraging, and overwhelming our dog. It's worth taking the time to get this right. 

00:07:14

So, you've optimized your environment, rewatched with intention and took notes and rehearsed those skills. Now, you're going to review all that you've done, and you're just going to go and do the thing. That's when you can have success. But the part I talked about, rewatching, taking notes, you may not know exactly what it is you should be taking notes of.

So, let me review some of the key things that I've suggested in the past on this podcast that you might want to be looking for. First off is the antecedent arrangement. What has that trainer done to create an environment where the correct choice is the obvious choice to the dog. 

00:07:55

Meaning they've minimized other choices, they've eliminated distractions, they've got a quiet environment. What has that trainer done to set their dog up for success? You need to be aware of that when you're pausing that video. Take all of that in.

And a good dog trainer will have a very, very stripped-down environment with nothing but what they need for the training at that moment. You're going to look at the props that they might be using. Ideally, they've told you that ahead of time in the video, but you're going to write down all of the props you need and where they are located. 

00:08:33

So, does the trainer have them on their body? Do they have them off to the side? How is that trainer using them. How are they holding them? And how are they transitioning in and out of using them? So, some of those things are training mechanics, but a lot of them are the antecedents that you arrange so that the dog training is super simple for you and your dog.

And the final antecedent arrangement would be ‘How is that dog oriented to the human?’ So, depending on the goal of that trainer, they may have their dog beside them. They may have the dog in front of them. They may have the dog across the room. 

00:09:10

They might be working, holding position on a Hot Zone. So, note the orientation between the dog and the owner in that video. That should be part of the thing that you're taking in. Now, let's talk about the human mechanics.

Number one human mechanics is what is the reinforcement that, that trainer has chosen? And is that appropriate for your dog? Did they say, here are other things you might select for? Like they might be using a tug toy, but your dog doesn't tug. Did they say, here's how you can use food? If they don't, maybe the skill you're hoping to train needs tug first. So, you can't start without it.

00:09:48

That's where people say, “No, no, no, no, I could just improvise.” There's a saying that I learned from a friend of mine years ago, ‘Emulate before you innovate.’ There's a logical reason to everything I do in my dog training. So, once you change the recipe, you've changed the training.

So, if you can't do what they're saying, then go drop it down a little level. We don't want to overwhelm the dog. So, reinforcements. Next, you're going to look at the timing. Now, you're going to acknowledge the timing that that trainer had, and you're going to try to emulate that. 

00:10:21

They marked, did they use a clicker? What did they use for a marker? They marked, and then the timing of what they saw and what they liked. Boom, boom. And then there's the delivery of the reinforcement. How did they get the reinforcement from where they had it into the dog as quickly as possible?

And then there's the placement of the reinforcement. Did they deliver it directly to the dog's mouth? Did they throw it on the floor? Did they have the dog come to a certain location to get that? You need to have all of these things lined up and ready before you start your training so that we can get the most effective training. 

00:10:56

Now, when you're watching that video, look at the dog. Where's the dog looking when that mark happens? So, we want to make sure that timing is where's the dog's paws, where's their head, where's their body, and is it in line with the trainer's body? So, all of these little nuances are going to help get success.

You know, podcast episode number 131, I had a training guide. You might want to jump over to that episode and download that training guide because that is going to help you as well. There's also things like how did the trainer engage with the dog and how long did they train the dog? 

00:11:29

Now, of course, there's a lot more things that I've mentioned here on setting your dog up for success here on the Shaped by Dog podcast, but those are just a few things. I'm giving you some highlights to look for when you are watching that video.

Because we want to emulate the conditions that the trainer set up. We want to emulate the mechanics that the trainer had. We want to emulate the joy that the dog is experiencing, right? So, note that. Is your dog as happy and as joyful to work? 

00:12:01

And if not, then you need to go back and review this video and see what is it that you missed? Because all of those things are how that dog is responding to the antecedents that, that trainer set up for them in that environment. And if you aren't getting similar joy from your dog, then potentially you have to change or alter or improve the antecedents.

Potentially your dog can't deal with the kind of distracting environment that they were showing you in that video. So, maybe pare it down a little bit. Make it simpler so your dog can have success. Remember, a good dog trainer showing you a video is going to make everything look so easy. And it's not necessarily going to be that easy once you try it with your own dog, but you can set both you and your dog up for success by following this simple strategy.

00:12:59

Watch a video for recognition first, then watch it for intentional recall. Optimize your learning environment, rewatch with intention, and then review everything you've written. And just go do the thing.

I hope all of this helps. I'd love to hear from you. Jump on over to YouTube and practice this. Just go to my YouTube channel, pick one of my tutorials that I have for you over there. Train your dog how to do a skill. 

00:13:25 

Come on over back to this video. Let me know if this makes sense and if it helps you to be able to learn from a place of recall rather than having to rely on trying to learn from a place of recognition alone. I'll see you next time right here on Shaped by Dog.