Both :).
I remember reading survey results where dog owners rated the types of dogs they wanted. Least popular was the highly sensitive dog.
This post is about horses, but I think it's applicable to all animals, including people.
(Note that this post is written from the point of view of training using pressure and release of pressure. )
Teaching any person or animal well can be difficult. Learning can also be difficult. Remember this. Stay alert to your learner's perspective.
In positive reinforcement training, we aim to make the learning clear and reinforce (reward) behaviour we want with treats, play etc.
However, there will often be some level of pressure, even if we try to avoid it. Yes, a learner does need to learn a level of resilience, but ideally it will be in a controlled way, not because we confused them or asked too much of them, then hoped they'd get over the stress our mistakes caused. Sensitive animals are less forgiving of these errors.
I like to think of training as a conversation. I do my best to teach well and use the feedback from my learner to help me adjust what I do. I want to be a sensitive teacher.
Feedback is what our learners do, not just what they say. We have to do our best to accurately interpret their subtle signals, and modify the lesson quickly.
That's the art of teaching.
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