Your Personality

Unless my reply starts with bitch, it is always a positive thing.

I'm science oriented too (i'm an engineer). I research EVERYTHING I'm even slightly intersted in. I hate going blind into things and I generally don't trust what I see or hear at first glance. I run questions through my mind and try to see all sides of things.
 
However, I'm not too serious about every day life. I let a lot of things roll off my back. This can lead to inconsistancy when training my dogs. Most little antics will make me laugh which my dogs pick up on - for instance, my puppy loves to run around with my socks in his mouth. It's very annoying and I certainly don't want him eating all of my socks but dang, he looks so flipping funny looking at me with a dirty sock bunched up in his face and his little butt wagging. How could you not laugh at that?
 

ORIGINAL: Chuffy


I'm very much a "doubting Thomas" 

 
You are 100% right with that statement [], i would open a thread on CM seccion about "energy" just for you []

My job requires me to be extremely skeptical of everything, believe nothing, have to extract the truth from the marketing fluff and spin. I like to stand back and watch dogs and people and other animals just being themselves. Also a control freak. Want to be in control of the animals, and used the scientific approach to figure out the most effective way. Also need to know how and why everything works. Which of course explains why CM's vague talk of "energies" and weird unverifiable concepts about doggy behavior infuriate me, and why I really like the science of behavioral modification.

I think I wrote this somewhere before, maybe in one of the clicker threads, but in the Dogster group I'm in for people who are advocates for positive training, when we all introduced ourselves when the group first started, turns out about 90% of us are currently employed in or still in school for the hard sciences. And the other 10% have a background in science in their schooling. I think we all concluded that that's not a coincidence!

A little chaos works for me and I don't mind it. I like most things to be organized in my life but I can be pretty laid back and change my course if I need to.

I am a LOT like Ellie (pictured on the left) in that I like everyone to feel good around me and I get along well with people. I like things to be positive with good feelings which is why, after years of leash training (modified Koehler, depending on the instructor at the time) I found it wasn't very successful for me. It didn't fit me.

I am in the habit of correcting while teaching but I'm getting better everyday and given that I can take some chaos, I am learning to stop everything for my dogs to learn. I also like the atmosphere in this last clicker class I attended. It fit right in with who I am!

One more note--I can pretty analytical and did pretty well as a pre-law student, on the exams, etc., but decided to travel in a different direction and went to grad school instead. My job requires me to try and convince people like Mudpuppy to buy! [] 

I like being by myself, and don't like the company of others, excpet very close friends, some family and  my dogs and other pets.

I've been diagnosed with ADHD for about 9 years, and coupled with depression equals a very active mind, and I also cannot get organized.

I get very frustrated, and I also am VERY unpatient. Hmmm. My best qulaities. coupled with training a high wired dog... nothing but trouble right? Luckily not. Just I tend to "correct" a tad more when somebody isn't doing something right, and tend to yell "If YOU DON'T GET INTO A FRONT POSItION RIGHT AWAY I'LL BEAT THE LIVIN CRAP OUTTA YOU!" but it's always an empty threat.

I'm very logical, thinking a lot of how science works, but I'm also religious. I enjoy medical stuff, and love watching surgery. Except for eyes. Because sticking long, thick, needle into a pupil seems oddly gross. I am also fascinated by forensics. Yet, even though I enjoy forensics and stuff like that, I can still see myself opnening a huge shelter and training center. AND I mean center. 4 huge rings, library...and I'm getting on a tangent.

ORIGINAL: espencer

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 []

Oops - well, credit where credit is due.  Thanks, Snownose!

I did a very foolish thing and visited the CM area the other day.... (had a specific question that was niggling me) and espence you're losing the plot.  It was you you great banana!!!!!  snownose did say something similar though.

 
 
 
That was my post from the other thread.
It's true, I am not very patient, one of my biggest problems, but I am working on it.
I have a fiery temper, and stand my ground. My weakest side is how I feel about animals, another reason I fight for them and rescue as much as I can.

This thread is facinating !  I love science and I love logic and when I engage in an activity I tend to read alot (and then read some more) - I specifically look for alternate views so that I can make up my own mind on how to proceed.   I've watched Dog Whisperer, read CMs books, read Pat McDonnell's books, read about "traditional" training methods vs clicker training.  
But despite the amount of research I do when it comes down to practice vs theory I'm exceptionally impatient.   I guess I feel that since I've invested all that "mind power" beforehand that things should "just work" the first time I try it.  With dog training it doesn't work that way (since Prancer can't read my mind !!!) so I've had to train MYSELF to appreciate baby steps.  

I'm a psych major. Looking at grad school eventually (social neuroscience?), but I need a little "real world" time to sort my life out first. I think psych is an interesting blend of "feelings" (intuition, observation, creativity) and "science" (minor amounts of cynicism and a desire for "proof").

As a person, I am unbearably self-conscious. As a result, I'm hyper conscious about how I'm coming across to my dog, and am hyper sensitive to how he's feeling (as best I can guess). The dog I have now is incredibly sensitive, and as stupid as it sounds, I have to be really careful not to "hurt his feelings."

I'm shy, but also open. I know I talk to my dog too much - he gets confused sometimes when I do something silly like tell him about my day. He is always trying to figure out what I want him to do, even when I'm just babbling to myself or singing in the car. But heck, I've only had him for 4 months, we're still figuring each other out.

I'm a science person, but one huge issue I have is with not wanting to screw things up.  I'm also deeply fascinated not so much with what people (dogs) do but why they do it.  I'd really believe that the reason I ended up gravitating to clicker training is not so much because I was convinced it was best (please note I am not passing judgement either way), but more because I figured I couldn't do any damage by trying it.  As for staying with it, I like that the dogs seem to respond from a place of enjoyment.  ("I want to figure this out and get that click because I like the click!" vs. "I need to do this because I need to.")  As a parent, I can say there's nothing wrong with the latter.  ("Eat your veggies because you need to.")  However, I envision "better" results from internal motivation.  ("woohoo, veggie sticks with dipping sauce are tasty and fun yay")