Your Personality

I'm EXTREMELY scientifically oriented. My dad is a philosophy of science professor, my whole family are atheists, so basically growing up in my house if you can't back up what you say with empircal data, you're not allowed to talk. I knew the definition of the word "pseudo-science" earlier than most kids can define "science". My job now is working on how children learn the scientific method and experimental design (controlled experiments). I tutor kids with their science projects, too.

So I think it stands to reason that my training style is also highly empirical. I don't really talk about feelings and energy and balanced or unbalanced, because I can't quantify those things, I can't measure them, I can't test them or do experiments with them. Give me a graph such as Ron was talking about in the "On Purpose or Porpoise" thread and I am just in hog heaven.

ETA: This is all tempered by my belief that humans are not "above" other animals or are somehow special, so I use the golden rule with my dogs. I do not treat them in any way that I would not wish to be treated in kind. For me the definition of "what works best" is not a matter of what simply works to get a dog into a physical position in the least amount of time. Lots of things 'work' to get animals and children and other adult humans to comply with one's demands. Waving a gun around tends to work pretty well in many cases if your goal is soley to get some physical thing to happen in a short amount of time. But in our relationships with other beings, introducing negative stimuli into the equation tend to not endear other beings to you. All beings want to be well and happy and free from fear and pain. If you become a source of fear and pain, beings will want to move away from you and that is not the relationship I want with anyone.

I WISH I could say I was science oriented, but the truth is I often let my emotions and heart guide me which is a problem when it comes to training. I think though the fact that I KNOW this about myself is a BIG help to me. Also DH is a TOTAL pushover with the dogs…he is a true patsy with them and I can#%92t stand that so I think this helps push me over a bit more to the other side and allows me to be a bit more “firm” instead of giving in to things so easily. Otherwise my dogs would be completely unruly at home.
 
Interesting topic Anne… []

Interesting topic Anne…

I'll give espencer credit for this one [] -from the "Mastering the Walk thread on CM section:
quote: being patient........and that is not my strongest side

...and my response:
Funny, I was just thinking that many of the CM fans are "results oriented".  I tend to be more patient with dogs (although, admittedly, not always so with humans - I figure they have the gray matter and opposable thumbs, so should know better LOL).
I have often thought that our own personalities influence the way we handle our dogs, and the way we perceive the efficacy of the methods employed.  That would apply, not only to the "walk", but to other aspects of training as well.  Might be fodder for an interesting thread...

_____________________________

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

Interesting topic Anne…

I'll give espencer credit for this one [] -from the "Mastering the Walk thread on CM section:
quote: being patient........and that is not my strongest side

...and my response:
Funny, I was just thinking that many of the CM fans are "results oriented".  I tend to be more patient with dogs (although, admittedly, not always so with humans - I figure they have the gray matter and opposable thumbs, so should know better LOL).
I have often thought that our own personalities influence the way we handle our dogs, and the way we perceive the efficacy of the methods employed.  That would apply, not only to the "walk", but to other aspects of training as well.  Might be fodder for an interesting thread...

 
I'm sorry Anne it was not me who said that, it was snownose, but thanks for taking me under consideration []
 

Introverted, extremely unpatient, easily frustrated, and not at all logical.
 
Great qualities in a dog trainer right?
 
I really don't deal well with many people, because I myself, require a good deal of patience to work with.  I'm not slow by any means, but I don't work things out in a methodical manner at all.  I have a difficult time breaking things into parts, because that makes it harder for me to remember when I need to put it all back together again.
 
Dave and Kathy are good trainers because they're extremely patient with dogs and people alike...especially Dave.  He's very soft spoken and his guiding is very distinct and precise.  He encourages ME more than he encourages my dog.  He never yells, and he's pretty darn good using HUMAN calming signals xD
 
Do I like science?  Yes.  I like it's order....but when it comes to logic? PHbbbt.  I suck.  I can get the same answer somebody else got by using steps that make NO sense to anybody but ME.
 
I pity all my future sport dogs xD

I am also an extremely science-oriented person. Everything must have logic for me to buy in. I appreciate and consider the theory behind training philosophies, while I believe some less science-oriented trainers look more for results and don't care how the theory goes.
 
Also, I have a short fuse, and I know well enough to avoid punishment-based methods as I am too emotional and quick-tempered to administer them properly.

ORIGINAL: Xeph

Introverted, extremely unpatient, easily frustrated, and not at all logical.

That describes me too, except that I am usually logical. Other special circumstances- I'm hypoglycemic and have vertigo, so that means I don't feel well A LOT of them time. Hence, I do best with low maintenance, laid back dogs that don't need a lot of training. Translation- Shih Tzu! I only work on manners like not pulling on the leash, "wait", no biting, grooming, etc.

My style is basically calm, firm, and fair. I tend to be very intuitive with animals and don't do a lot of talking- most things are based on body langauge. Like with the not pulling on the leash; when Gingerbread pulls I simply stop and without saying a saying a word look at him. After a second or two I start walking again. My posture is upright and I walk with purpose. So really, yeah I do communicate most everything through body language but there are a few commands like "let's go" when he lingers to sniff something and I'm still walking.

I think the part of my personality that is extremely competitive and likes to be challenged works well with Willow.  And, also that I have a lot of tolerance and patience with animals.  I don't with people but do with animals.  []

I think I am quite a patient person....  but I also have Values with a capital V and (probably unfortunately for my animals) I inflict those values on them, even though those values are probably meaningless to them.  I like "manners"... I don't like pushy or bossybehaviour, I don't like whining or demands being made.... You don't get anything for nothing and you can't always have what you want straight away.  I'm quite strict.  I will probably be a Nightmare Mother.
 
I like order and calm and simplicity.... but I do get frustrated when those things are denied me by things beyond my control and I usually take it out on the wrong people (or animals)
 
I am not scientifically minded by any means, but I feel more comfortable with things I can explain, identify, quantify..... much as houndlove described.  I was not brought up in an atheist household (quite the opposite) but in a way it has had the same effect on me as it did on houndlove... the end result is very similar.  I am suspicious of things that you can't explain, measure, experiment with etc.  I want to know why something works or why an animal - or person -is doing a certain thing.  I'm not satisfied with "it just is" or "it just does". 
 
I'm very much a "doubting Thomas".... I would definately have wanted to see my resurrected friend and mentor to believe he really had returned, although I probably wouldn't want to stick my hands in his nail wounds, that's just gross.  I do feel that CM commands a near-religious following.....   Just as with many religions, there are gaping holes in the philosophy which simply do not bear close scrutiny and when the person defending that philosophy can't go any further there's a wonderful one-size-fits all answer....  Ex: God moves in mysterious ways.  Or, "You don't have the right energy".  Well what can you say to that?????  Yet it doesn't really tell me anything. 
 
I am very literate and I like to get words right.  This probably drives everyone nuts on threads where the meaning of something is loose and people are labouring under differing definitions of that word and I keep picking at it.  This is probably a major personality flaw. 
 
It's probably why I feel frustrated and slightly patronised by terminology such as CM uses ("balanced", "energy", etc.)  ARGH!!!! WHAT DOES THAT ***MEAN***????!!!!! Its all baby talk to me.... just a way of explaining the existence of something without really explaining it at all.... like your gran telling you Thunder was God playing skittles or telling kids that babies get brought by a stork.  Don't give me that wishy washy rubbish!!  Break it down into bits and tell me HOW and WHY so I can decide for myself if any of it holds water.... I'm a grown up I can handle it and I like to KNOW what I'm doing! 

Hang in there Chuffy. Only 11 more days until the stork gets there...although I do tend to lean towards the cabbage patch theory of where babies come from. []
 
 

I thought it was a gooseberry bush?.....

Hmmmmm, interesting topic.
 
I'm tough and competitive, but I've got a soft and embarrassingly gently side.  I'm horribly impatient with ME, yet I'm very patient with critters, with children (who aren't hellions) and I've recently discovered, with the elderly.  I've very high standards for myself and sometimes that leaks through to others (after all if I can do it, so can they....if I do my best, so should they)  I'm easily enraged by injustice (such as the old folks at the facility who get no visitors.  They are NOT broken rocking chairs to be put in the attic and forgotten) and that ofen brings out bucketfulls of compassion and getting myself into situtations that I really don't have time for, but once I make a commitment I stick to it.
 
I'm ADHD and have no mental organization so I keep stuff around me mega organized. Clutter drives me nuts, but bones all over the floor don't bother me in the least....until I step on them in my bare feet.  My youngest son is a pig and his clutter drives me to near drink!  I don't just like, but I NEED order. A place for everything and everything in it's place.  And I need a calm and peaceful environment. And, I'm easily overwhelmed by piles of mail on the counter and all the clutter type stuff that I have to find a place for....dirt is easy...I just clean that up....clutter requires more organizing.   I need routine to function well, but dinner can range anywhere from 5:30 to 8:30....and I'd likely go NUTS in a facility like Mom is in where I'm fed at very specific times.
 
So how does this mismash of personality traits relate to my dogs?
 
Something allows me to be very calm and patient with them.....what I don't know.  Intense as I can be, I don't LIKE being intense, getting upset or yelling and when I work with the dogs, no matter how frustrated I get with a failure to respond, I actually don't get very frustrated with them.  I know, that doesn't make a bit of sense.  Working with them, I get almost into a zen like zone.  My interactions with them are CALM, quiet and patient.  I can stand in the middle of the whole crowd and not get impatient, unless they start snipping at one another, and then just saying "that'll do" stops that, so maybe the CONTROL issue is being met because they somehow have figured out that Mom don't take crap from NObuddy!   And yeah, I do tend to be a bit of a control freak, and I hate situations where I feel like I have no control over anything.
 
The dogs know that we don't play rough in the house, they know that Mom doesn't like a lot of barking and noise INside, and they for the most part, are couch potatoes inside and wild childs OUTside.  Yet when we go off lead in the fields, they run and play, but still remember the rules as far as how far away they get from me, and somehow they know that a bit of barking in the fields is ok, but not like nutcases.
 
Ummm, considering MY wierd combo of personality traits, I OUGHT to have some severely screwed up dogs!

Glenmar, you did not have to put this in writing...we all know this already.  I would edit out the last statment.

Gosh, I'm not real sure how to take THAT!