I was watching a couple podcasts with Michael Ellis the other day and something that he said struck me. Before I get into that, if you do not know who Michael Ellis is, I implore you to look him up. He is one of the best, most knowledgeable, down to earth and humble trainers out there, and offers so much interesting information and views, if you can catch a podcast with him on it, it is always loaded with knowledge and insights.
In one of the podcasts he said, and this is not word for word so forgive me as I mangle this, “the longer you are in this business {dog training} the less you know.” This struck me, as lately, I have been feeling this way. I have been doing this training thing for well over 12 years, plus many years prior to running the business, I had been completing with my own dogs and even breeding a litter. The longer that I am in the dog world and the more I train/work with people and their dogs, the more I find out the less I know.
It’s not a lack of knowledge thing, but rather a constant gaining of new knowledge that is sometimes overwhelming. The dogs are the greatest teachers as are their families, however, the amount of available education and resources due to the internet and social media, is astounding. If you are opening to learning and not stuck on a specific way of thinking, the availability of new and different knowledge is right at your finger tips, and offers so much insight whether it is from those who’ve been in the training business for 25 and 50 plus years, to those newer concepts that have surfaced within the last few years.
I like to keep an open mind to learning, however, keeping an open mind certainly makes you realize how little you actually know. But an open mind allows growth, it allows new techniques and ideas to form, it allows the ability to pull from tried and tested processes from past generations, and it keeps you humble. But the more I learn, the more I realize that there is so much more to learn.
A paradox of Socrates, “The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.” But, this isn’t a bad thing, in fact, it is essential for growth. I don’t want to become “set in my ways” when there are new things out there to learn. And these new things don’t necessarily have to come from this generation. There are a lot of “new things” to learn from previous generations as well.
I will never stop learning in this field, it’s impossible, especially considering that dogs are not robots, they are capable of thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes and they are all unique individuals, which makes each experience with them and their families distinct as no two situations, people and dogs are exactly the same.
I am ok with “realizing I know less” if it means that I am constantly getting to expand my knowledge, grow in wisdom, and keep an open mind. It only benefits the dogs and those around me.
Happy training!!
Smart Dogs Canine Training Milton 