1. Seung Hee Shin, 10R
What Skills Are Needed to Train A Dog
BISS, Beijing International School of Singapore
April, 2012
Supervisor : Ms.Rankin
Word count : 2694
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2. The Table of Contents:
The Goal 3
Selection of Sources 4
Application of Information 5
Achieving the Goal 5
Reflection on Learning 6
Use of Process Journal 7
Bibliography 9
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3. The Goal
When I started Personal Project last year, I did not know what to do and even have a clear
idea of Area of Interaction in terms of the Personal Project. However, after Mrs.Lindsy tell
us that aim and goal can be anything if I feel enjoy doing it, I decided to do Personal
Project with my puppy Kong. Last year on July 4th, my birthday, my father allowed me to
have a dog, so my mother and I bought a little cute puppy, Kong. Firstly, I did not know
how to relate Kong with my Personal Project, but Mrs.Shrimpton told us that Personal
Project will be more memorable and valuable. Therefore, as I want to be a teacher, I
planned to teach Kong at least five skills for my Personal Project, and I felt that Personal
Project is a great opportunity for me to show other people my teaching and time
management skill.
At the beginning, I had planned to choose Human Ingenuity as an Area of Interaction of
my Personal Project, because I wanted to choose the change of mind and behaviors
towards animals and even humans as a goal. However, I felt that the product would be too
abstract and hard to show to other people for evidence. Therefore, I finally decided to
choose Approaches to Learning as my Area of Interaction. The main reason why I chose
this is that the product will be a concrete and actual written product. Furthermore, as I want
to be a teacher in the future, I want to get something precious and valuable from this
Personal Project which is reflecting and improving skill so that I know how to treat students
just like Kong. Lastly, since I have tremendous interests in a dog, I already knew many
things about training a dog and duties. Therefore, I could hand out the product little bit
easier than other kinds of result.
Honestly, it was unachievable to change the behavior and minds toward humans just by
training a puppy, which was my first goal. What is more, it is not clear enough. However,
learning skills that are needed to train a dog, my final goal, is very clear, achievable and
challenging enough for me. Comparing to study, getting knowledge is always possible with
devoting many efforts. Likewise, I could also get skills and essential behaviors when I
teach a puppy through this Personal Project. Therefore, this goal is achievable.
Furthermore, regardless of already having knowledge about training a dog, teaching a dog
was my first time ever and I had to record all the improvements and results as the
evidence. As a result, this goal is challenging to me.
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4. Selection of Sources
I think I did pretty well at selecting various sources to achieve the goal. First, as using the
internet is the most basic and easy way to research in these days, I researched written
information and also a video about how to train a dog on the internet. One can see what I
have got through the research on the process journal of 2011.11.28. One example of
internet researches is this website;http://www.puppy-training-at-home.com/. I read how to
stop my puppy from biting me and barking at me. Second, I went to school library,
searched the most suitable book for my Personal Project, which is 'How to Train Oner Dog'
written by Palmer Joan, and read it. I summed the information from the internet and a book
and wrote them on the process journal. Lastly, I met a few people such as my friends and
teachers to know some basic and essential points about teaching a dog. Ah Oneng is the
one who gave me the most useful tip to me among my friends. She especially helped me a
lot when I was choosing the Area of Interaction. As aforementioned point, I interviewed
Mrs.Wilkins to know more knowledge from the experience.
The researches that I found were helpful to me.
! Firstly, the reason why I researched about stopping puppy biting problems is that
Kong often bites our family members. I know that he barks us and bites lightly because he
wants to play with us, but my father kicks him and tells me to lock him in his room. After
this short research, I told my father to stop kicking him and treating him violently because I
found that treating violently makes puppy bite and bark more. As a result, both my father
and Kong become less violent than before.
! Secondly, the video was the best information for me when I researched because it
shows me directly how I have to do. Sometimes, I do not understand what the author is
trying to tell me because of language problem. However, since the video shows me what
to do, I could easily follow how to train a dog. It taught me how to make a dog sit and stop
moving.
! Lastly, from the personal interview, Mrs.Wilkins taught me many tips of treating a
dog. She also has a pet, and she raised it for about four years. She hasn't trained her pet
formally, but informally;training very basic skills at home. She told me that I have to treat a
dog carefully like a baby. In addition, praising should be the first, not scolding. I also have
to give snack to dog when it performed well. This is because the dogs become well
adapted to repetitive behaviors or routes. I think I did well so far based on the advice from
Mrs.Wilkins. I showed Kong same routes again and again so that he can adapt and
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5. understand what I am trying to teach. Furthermore, I gave him snack every time he did
well. All things that Mrs.Wilkins told me were very easy to me because I have seen the
information on internet. I think that researching was a very important thing before I start
teaching skills to puppy.
However, I think I had to do more various types of research sources such as reading
magazine or visiting a dog expert. This is because what I have done so far as research is
so old-fashioned and stale. I want to have a new and fresh source. Therefore, I do not like
how I researched and sources that I chose. If I can do research part again, I will interview
more people, find more books than only one, and articles about a great dog trainer. This is
because, in the article, there will be something about how to train and treat a dog, and also
other useful tips when raising a dog.
Application of Information
There were a lot of situations that I had to make my own decisions. For example, when I
planned to teach 'roll' skill, I really considered deeply whether to teach 'roll' skill or not. This
is because I felt many failures when I was teaching 'get the ball' skill. I was very afraid of
failures that I will get while teaching 'roll' skill. However, I decided to teach it, and I trained
him very carefully by following all the skills that I learned so far. Furthermore, I also found
out about myself during the project. Sometimes, even though Kong misunderstood me, I
gave him a snack. Although he did a mistake such as lying back on the ground when I say
sit, I smiled at him because he was so cute. However, it was wrong that I smiled at him,
and I found that I do the same thing on me. I am not strict enough to control myself and my
puppy.
Achieving the Goal
In my case, the outcome of my Personal Project is actually a trained puppy and the skills
that I learned from last about six months. One can watch my final product from this
site(http://s08213.biss.wikispaces.net/Final+Product), and specifications that I established
on the process journal of 2011.11.23. I think I did well at constructing final product based
on the specifications. At the beginning of Personal Project, I decided to get the product in
video format because I can only show trained puppy through the video. If I show it as
pictures, some people will doubt on them that they are taken luckily. Furthermore, I wanted
to show how to train a dog properly by recording a video. I used my wikispaces, but one
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6. thing that I did not follow is that I did not upload several videos. I only got one video which
has several videos in it. I also used some pictures of Kong. Therefore, I think that I got a
product well based on my own specifications that I planned at the beginning.
If one look around my wikispaces, one can see some comments and communications
between Ms.Rankin and I. They can be evidence of collaborating with the supervisor. In
addition, I mentioned about my supervisor often in the process journal. Sometimes, I
asked Ms.Rankin what I should do in this case when I was in a big trouble that I do not
even know how to solve it. Furthermore, I commented about every meetings with
Ms.Rankin on process journal. Lastly, I wrote the process journal like I am talking to her.
Therefore, I think I showed enough collaboration with the supervisor on the process
journal.
Reflection on Learning
I believe my project has extended knowledge and understanding of topic and the focus
Area of Interaction which is Approaches to Learning. As I went through the project, I kept
reflecting on my process and improving it. As one can find in my process journal, when
teaching skills become slow and no advance, I wrote it in my process journal and thought
about what I did wrong and what I need to improve at this stage. For example, there was a
time when Kong does not understand when I say 'eat' to him. I wrote that I am so sad and
disappointed to Kong that he does not understand, and I should add more hand gestures
as well. I tried to continue to focus on Area of Interaction. There are always at least three
paragraphs for each process journal. In this case, I kept focusing on AOI in the last
paragraph for every process journal. As a result, I learned many skills and tips from my
own experience and also research. This is the list of skills that I learned from my own
experience :
1. Praise is always the first, not scold.
2. Train a pet repetitively with the same route so that a dog can adapt to it.
3. Always give a dog a snack when it performs well.
4. Makes a dog feel comfortable and fun with training, not be scared or get stressed.
5. An owner’s facial expression is important;show a big smile if it performs well.
6. Do not use any violence toward a dog.
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7. In my Personal Project, the development greatly stands out because I cannot even control
or make fake development with Kong. Kong is just an animal that cannot think. When
Kong could not get 'get the ball' skill, I just kept training it regularly like what my research
result told me. As a result of teaching regularly with praising a lot, he showed me a lot of
improvement, which is one of many developments that I achieved during Personal Project.
Therefore, I think that developments were clear and challenging to me which makes me
learn how to be a good learner by completing the project.
Use of Process Journal
I think I organized my Personal Project very well through time and self management.
When re-reading my process journal(http://s08213.biss.wikispaces.net/Personal+Project-
Process+Journal), I realized that I wrote journal editions regularly. The positive element
was that they had a lot of detail. In addition, from watching all the videos, one can see the
differences of my puppy's appearance such as cloth, getting hair cuts and being dirty or
clean. Furthermore, logically, it is impossible for me to train Kong in only a few days
therefore the training occurred progressively and well before the due date of the Personal
Project. Kong is a dog and he needs lots of time to accept what I am trying to say to him.
He was born in June, so he was only 4-month-old puppy. There was not enough time to
teach all the skills before I start the project and finish the evidence, well trained Kong,
before the due date. Therefore, I honestly and sincerely went through my Personal Project
just like my process journal. I recorded all the videos when I saw the improvement.
Likewise, I believe I successfully finished Personal Project with a good time and self
management.
I met my supervisor Ms.Rankin for several times to discuss almost all the things about my
Personal Project such as Area of Interaction, research and the goal. My wiki journal
demonstrated there are some feedbacks and communications that Ms.Rankin commented
on my present work and meeting. (http://s08213.biss.wikispaces.net/Personal+Project) I
used those comments on Wikispaces and information that Ms.Rankin told me in the
meetings to inform my process. As an evidence, once Ms.Rankin told me that I need to
interview a teacher who has a dog and an experience of training it, I went to Mrs.Wilkins
and interviewed her. One can see the interview in the process journal of 2012.01.18.
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8. As I kept training Kong, I had a lot of troubles and also successes, and I wrote them down
on my process journal. I think that I had the biggest trouble I have ever had while training
Kong on January 24th. At that time, I was teaching 'get the ball' skill to Kong, but he never
gave the ball to me. I was seriously disappointed to Kong and wrote my feelings down on
process journal, but I also wrote what I need to improve to succeed the skill. I recorded
some videos of Kong failing in getting the ball to me as an evidence. One can see all these
things in the process journal of 2012.01.24.
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9. Bibliography
"Crate Training a Puppy or Dog."Puppy Training | Dog Training | Cat and Kitten Training.
N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. <http://www.perfectpaws.com/crt.html>.
"First steps in puppy training."Maccvets. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.
<www.maccvets.co.uk/fact_sheets/fact_sheets_puppies_training.htm>.
"House Training a Puppy | Potty Train a Puppy the Easy Way." Puppy Training | Dog
Training | Cat and Kitten Training. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.perfectpaws.com/htrp.html>.
"How To Train A Dog, dog training tips and techniques for home based dog trainers." How
To Train A Dog, dog training tips and techniques for home based dog trainers. N.p., n.d.
Web. 9 Apr. 2012. <http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/>.
"How To Train A Puppy | Puppy Training | Potty & House Training | Crate Training." How To
Train A Dog, dog training tips and techniques for home based dog trainers. N.p., n.d. Web.
9 Apr. 2012. <http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/how-to-train-a-puppy.html>.
"How to Train a Puppy - Free Basic Dog Training Tips, Small Breeds, Common Health
Problems." How to Train a Puppy - Free Basic Dog Training Tips, Small Breeds, Common
Health Problems. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. <http://www.puppy-training-at-home.com/>.
"Training Puppy the First Week."Puppy Training | Dog Training | Cat and Kitten Training.
N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. <http://www.perfectpaws.com/frstwk.html>.
"Training Oner Puppy. Free tips for puppy training, crate training oner puppy.."
TrainingOner Puppy. Free tips for puppy training, crate training oner puppy.. N.p., n.d.
Web. 9 Apr. 2012.<http:/trainingonerpuppy.net/>.
Palmer, Joan. How to train oner dog. 986 ed. New York: Crescent Books :, 1986. Print.
Mrs., Wilkins. Personal interview. 24 Jan. 2012.
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