Why am starting this blog? Well, let's just say I had one of those "Aha!" moments which has the potential to change my life if I can truly grab and keep hold of it. You see, I'm a dog trainer….a dog trainer that is at least 50 lbs. overweight and not exactly thrilled about it. I have been in an off-again/on-again search for my long lost waistline for years now. I could attempt to train a team of search & rescue dogs to find it for me, but I don’t think they would have much luck either. That by itself is not a new revelation. I have in fact been carrying around extra poundage for at least 5 years now. It might be longer, but I choose to say 5 years because if I acknowledge more time has passed since the existence of my "real body" it triggers fear that too much time has gone by for me to have hope of ever finding that body again...like it was just a dream and I only imagined being thin all my life prior to "5 years" ago.
The revelation itself was realizing that I would never attempt to teach a dog to change its behavior using the methods I employ to lose weight. I have studied learning theory and I have committed myself to utilizing positive reinforcement methods when training dogs. My philosophy aims at teaching a dog to choose to do the behaviors I like rather than ones I don’t. In order to do that I celebrate each good choice the dog makes and I ignore the bad choices…although I don’t actually like the “good” verse “bad” terminology for a dog’s behavior. It is not like they live by some moral code. A dog is a dog…and they function by a motto of “What’s in it for me?” Everything and I do mean EVERYTHING a dog chooses to do is weighed on a scale of cost vs. benefit. If a dog chooses to do something it is because the benefit in that moment is greater than the cost. And we are not much different than dogs in that way, are we?
So I invite you join me in a quest to modify some of my behaviors, especially the ones which helped me tip the scale in the wrong direction. How am I going to do it? Primarily, by using the techniques of positive reinforcement dog trainers. What have I got to lose…I mean, besides 50 lbs.
Hugs and Smooches,
Your Pawsitive Girl
Photo taken January 6, 2011.
Post originally written April 10, 2010.
The revelation itself was realizing that I would never attempt to teach a dog to change its behavior using the methods I employ to lose weight. I have studied learning theory and I have committed myself to utilizing positive reinforcement methods when training dogs. My philosophy aims at teaching a dog to choose to do the behaviors I like rather than ones I don’t. In order to do that I celebrate each good choice the dog makes and I ignore the bad choices…although I don’t actually like the “good” verse “bad” terminology for a dog’s behavior. It is not like they live by some moral code. A dog is a dog…and they function by a motto of “What’s in it for me?” Everything and I do mean EVERYTHING a dog chooses to do is weighed on a scale of cost vs. benefit. If a dog chooses to do something it is because the benefit in that moment is greater than the cost. And we are not much different than dogs in that way, are we?
So I invite you join me in a quest to modify some of my behaviors, especially the ones which helped me tip the scale in the wrong direction. How am I going to do it? Primarily, by using the techniques of positive reinforcement dog trainers. What have I got to lose…I mean, besides 50 lbs.
Hugs and Smooches,
Your Pawsitive Girl
Post originally written April 10, 2010.
