Who's fault is it anyhow?

You've all heard it before.

My dog blew me off.
My dog doesn't like the scent my instructor uses.
My dog is so stubborn.
My dog missed the contact again.
My dog .... fill in the blank

How about getting to we and sharing responsibility?

We weren't communicating quite well enough
We didn't practise the right stuff
We don't have the pre show routine worked out yet

Or even better accept the human role in the mistakes:

I need to plan my training
I need to work on fitness
I should work with more distractions
My reward placement should improve
The rate of reinforcement needs to be better

How about it isn't a fault thing? It's a learning opportunity?


What a concept.