What is "training" and when is a dog "trained"?

[Zahnburg]

Tell me: How do YOU define "training" and at what point do YOU consider a dog to be "trained"?

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

I consider training to be everything - the every day interactions with the dogs that show and shape behaviors that we expect from them, and those we do not care for. I think training is an attempt for two different species to create a common language and understanding - sometimes doing things natural to one or the other, but sometimes not so much.

I think training classes are an opportunity to process what we are doing at home and elsewhere, and not a place to fix their behavior. Hopefully when I go to a training class it's to have fun for me and for the dog.

I would like to say that I consider a dog trained as one who will do what told, when told, regardless of what they want to do, based on our relationship and their desire to please me above other things. Which means I think some of my dogs are trained...and some...are not. Oh well. They are sleeping...and are doing it just as I taught them to!

[SuperNova]

Agreed! I consider "trained" to be when I have absolute control over my dog in any situation regardless of what is happening. Like JeanKBBMMMAAN said, they must do as told, when they are told, and how they are told. They must also have perfect manners. And most importantly they must do all this without any equipment such as e-collars, leashes, clickers etc, only by my words/signals, their love and respect for me as well as their desire to please. That is my definition of trained.

I have had untrained dogs before as well as witnessed my friends un-trained dogs, and never again will I tolerate it .

Originally Posted by JeanKBBMMMAAN

I consider training to be everything - the every day interactions with the dogs that show and shape behaviors that we expect from them, and those we do not care for.

[Zahnburg]

Originally Posted by SuperNova

Agreed! I consider "trained" to be when I have absolute control over my dog in any situation regardless of what is happening. Like JeanKBBMMMAAN said, they must do as told, when they are told, and how they are told. They must also have perfect manners. And most importantly they must do all this without any equipment such as e-collars, leashes, clickers etc, only by my words/signals, their love and respect for me as well as their desire to please. That is my definition of trained.

By this definition is ANY dog ever "trained"?

[Ruthie]

I am a corporate trainer. The short definition we use for people training is "the increase of knowledge or skill related to ones current role".

I view dog training to be very similar. We train our dogs for their role whether it is to be a inside dog that doesn't poop in the house, or a police dog that takes down bad guys. Like humans, a dog's role can change requiring additional knowledge or skill. Or sometimes the role stays the same but the expectation of performance increases.

With this definition, I wouldnt ever say that a dog is finished with training. I would say that they are "trained" in relationship to a specific topic. Like "he is house trained".

It is similar to saying "that person is trained on Microsoft Word". That doesn't mean the person never needs to be trained again.

[Whiteshepherds]

I define training as doing the same thing over and over again once a dog understands what we want from them. First we teach, then we train. (reinforce the behavior )

So for the most part, dogs are trained until they die. Most dogs know how to sit at a very early age, but we never stop asking them to. Sort of like a runner. They all know how to run but they train day in and day out to stay in condition. (or is that a bad analogy?)

[SuperNova]

Originally Posted by Zahnburg

By this definition is ANY dog ever "trained"?

Well by this definition all of mine are trained, except the young pups. Some have higher expectations for their dogs (like me) than others. Some care, some don't, to each his/her own.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Originally Posted by Zahnburg

By this definition is ANY dog ever "trained"?

Not as long as they have some kind of free will (or whatever you would want to cal it), instinct, etc, probably not. Because as good as they are, at any given moment, they can be an animal and do something unexpected. They can be close to perfect, GSDs probably more than other dogs...but probably not 100% as much as we want to think they are.

[SuperNova]

Originally Posted by JeanKBBMMMAAN

Not as long as they have some kind of free will (or whatever you would want to cal it), instinct, etc, probably not. Because as good as they are, at any given moment, they can be an animal and do something unexpected. They can be close to perfect, GSDs probably more than other dogs...but probably not 100% as much as we want to think they are.

Not sure if that was directed at me... by w/e.
Dogs are animals and could do whatever they want, but I pick the followers that want to have a leader to obey. That's the dogs that are easy get how you want them.

[Zahnburg]

SuperNova,

I call ! I don't know that it is possible to have "absolute control in any situation". I do believe that it is possible to train a dog so that there is a high probability that he will execute a command quickly and correctly, but I am quite certain that it is not possible to have 100% perfection 100% of the time.