Sarah Bram

"Isn't she a fully trained dog? Why do you keep training?" My human gets asked this a lot. Training isn't something that ever really ends. Once a skill is learned, it needs to be maintained, either through regular use or practice. But it goes much further than maintaining or improving skills. We are a team and training improves our relationship and communication. It's no longer words and clear gestures. A subtle glance, a slight lean, an ear tilting back, a gasp or a sigh. These all have meaning. That time spent training isn't just about pivots, downs and stays. It's about language. I am now far more fluent in human and often know what she'll ask for next because of a movement so small others can't see it. She has learned much of my language and can understand when I say I need more space or we need to speed up. Or more importantly, when I say I need her to double check her instructions and be sure. We can tell when each other is confident, a bit anxious, or uncertain. We can tell when the other needs a bit of encouragement or needs to be reminded to go steady. We don't always get it right, and there's still much of each others' language to learn. But we take time a few days a week to work on it. And it keeps getting better. Training isn't just her teaching me something. It's us learning together. Learning to be great together. 🎥 A little rally obedience training