Puppies and Middle Schoolers
Around the time I adopted Kya is around the same time I first started working with middle schoolers. I loved dogs, and I knew a little bit about training them. I strongly disliked middle schoolers and I knew absolutely nothing about training them. As I began to read a few books on how to train dogs, I realized that middle schoolers are suspiciously similar. For instance, both can be very easily bribed with food.
Here are 5 more reasons why training puppies is pretty much the same thing as training middle schoolers.
Energy Management
It’s nonstop all day, everyday with both of these groups. Not only is letting them get out that energy key, but so is matching it.
Chase them around a tennis court (see example in video to the right. Can exchange middle school aged human for dog).
Set a timer for one minute to let them be crazy. And be crazy with them. Next minute, incorporate mindfulness and/or meditation with them.
2. Patience.
Kya can still test my patience somedays. But don’t worry, you will absolutely still love your dog even after she eats your favorite sneakers. And long sleeve shirts. And makes holes in your sheets. And tears your pillows apart…
Admittedly, our first few weeks together were a little ruff. When I caught her doing any of the above, I would calmly take my sneakers/shirt/sheets/pillows from her and give her one of her toys or bones to play with instead.
Middle schoolers will always test your patience. The method mentioned above with Kya works here too. It’s easy to get middle schoolers excited about a topic. The hard part is taking the exciting chaos that creates, and making it work for your environment. To redirect their attention and energy, creating games and bribes works well. You get to be creative and find what works for your environment.
On the days when the shrimp still tests my patience, I take a big, deep, belly breath, and if I do lose my cool, usually one look at how cute she is reminds me how much I love her. I remember that she is a dog, she does not understand and communicate like me. And she is my dog, so it is my duty to give her the best version I can of myself.
On the days middle schoolers test my patience, I take a deep, big, belly breath and remind myself that these kids are someone’s niece or nephew, daughter or son, grandchild, dog’s best friend, etc. And if I have to take one of them aside after class and talk to them, to maybe even be there for them, then I do.
3. One thing at a time
Kya had to learn sit, down, and stay separately before she learned to sit, down, and stay all in a row.
Similarly, middle schoolers have to learn how to keep their chest up in a bodyweight squat before they learn to grip the ground with their feet, before they learn to control their reps, before they add any load to their squat.
4. Be clear
I can’t tell Kya “down” and hold out my fist as if I want her to “come touch” because she won’t understand which command to do. I also can’t be laughing if I am trying to get her to really listen to me because she keeps trying to chase the squirrels, for instance. When we are playing, we can laugh, bark and make all kinds of hand and paw gestures.
It is the exact same thing with middle schoolers.
If you are being serious, you can’t have your facial expressions and body language be saying something different. Likewise, if your posture does not say confident leader, you already lost them. Same with dogs.
5. Be concise
I do not say, “Kya, will you please come over here and sit down next to me. Thank you very much, you’re the best dog on the planet” (okay, yes, I do say these things sometimes).
What I do say if I really want her to listen to me is, “Kya. Come. Sit. Down. Good girl.” I also am intentional with my tone when I say it.
Likewise, explaining a really complicated game to middle schoolers is going to be really complicated to understand. So, it could help to start off with a simpler version and progress as you go on.
To sum up, training puppies and training middle schoolers is pretty much the same thing.
Both include:
Energy management
Patience
One thing at a time
Be clear
Be concise
and bribery with treats
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