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Our Great Dane, Beretta, has
been a therapy dog for 5 years,
visiting
hospitals,
veteran
centers and assisting me with
my business trainingworkshops.
This
canine
continually
amazes me with his wisdom,
emotional support for others,
and gentle demeanor. Seeing
the world through his eyes has
enabled me to devise simple,
straightforward
approaches
to
creating
collaborative
workplaces where respect, trust
and teamwork are integral parts
of the equation.
He started his training at a local
dog training center where there
were many dogs who not only
participated in group training
classes, but also partook of
the dog park located on the
premises. During this training,
we discovered that if I wanted
Beretta to learnanewcommand,
it would most likely happen if he
watched and learned from other
dogs who modeled the behavior
we wanted. Jethro was just the
right dog to help Beretta. Jethro
is a smart, well-trained German
Shepherd. Beretta really liked
training with Jethro because
Jethro could show him how to
master basic commands and
stay focused. Beretta and Jethro
wouldwalk through the adjacent
woods and I would follow along
with Jethro’s owner, JoEllen. The
dogs became best friends over
time and began working as a
team.
Here’s an example of teamwork.
Jethro and Beretta were playing
in the dog park with another
dog—a Border Collie. Jethro
found a Frisbee, picked it up
and took it to JoEllen to throw so
he could catch it. Jethro loves
this game. However, every time
the Frisbee was thrown, the
Border Collie would dart in front
of Jethro and catch the Frisbee
first. Border Collies are quick
and very adept at this game.
Well,
Beretta—who
never
catches anything, saw what was
happening. He found a way
to help his best friend, Jethro.
The next time JoEllen threw
the Frisbee for Jethro, Beretta
stepped in front of and blocked
the Border Collie enough so that
he could not get to the Frisbee,
and Jethro was free to catch it.
Team work! Helping each other
succeed. No one taught Beretta
this technique, but he saw his
friend needed his help.
But there was another key
ingredient in this teamwork
success. Something that is
essential in the success of teams
in the corporate world. These
dogs took advantage of their
differences and the specific
attributes they each brought
to the situation. Dogs seem
to respect and utilize these
differences in ways that could
be very instructive to humans.
Building Highly Productive Teams—As Modeled by Dogs
By Ann N. Gatty, Ph.D.
SOAR TO SUCCESS
/
S
eptember
2016
/
Business Acceleration Strategies