don’t give up…
has your training journey been feeling like a long, long road?
you have heard that saying about the dark before the dawn, right? well, it’s kinda true a lot of the time. if you feel like giving up on your training plan, you are not alone….even dog trainers can feel this kind of frustration and overwhelm when working with their own dogs
maybe you started working with a trainer because you want to fix a big behavior problem (like lunging and barking at dogs on leash?
or you started working with a trainer because you want to build an important behavior like reliably and quickly coming when called in many different locations?
after an initial boost of progress and hopeful inspiration, have you felt like calling it quits, because it doesn’t feel like you are actually addressing the original problem?
shouldn’t you be farther along by now?!!?
Here are some things to consider when you are having the feeling that you are not making enough progress or that you have gotten off-topic and lost your way in your training plan….
your trainer should be setting you up for success by working on building solid and fluent skills first, before you start to do the hard stuff that feels like “real training”. your trainer may be teaching you skills that you will use in real life training, but breaking a complex skill into small steps. for example, coming when called usually requires your dog to know and respond to their name, which is a skill that is best taught in a distraction-free location and practiced many times before it is reliable when the dog is around distractions. your trainer should give you an explanation of why they are teaching you the skill - but if you are not sure where you are going with your training, you should feel comfortable enough with your trainer that you can ask something like: “how does this skill apply to our training goals? I would like to understand what the potential is for me and my dog once we have this skill.”
a good trainer can explain things several different ways. if you’re feeling disappointed, maybe your trainer does not yet understand your learning style or preference for depth of information. a good trainer should ask about your preferences early on. if your trainer has forgotten to ask you, or you feel your trainer has misunderstood your needs, you should be able to say something like: “with my learning style, I tend to do better if I can see a map of how we are going to get closer to our goals. this helps me focus on each step…can you share the big picture with me?”
the honest truth is, how the dog and human team respond to training really varies and adjustments to the plan are common. the magic of successful dog training usually happens when there is a collaborative team approach. that means that you are an active participant in your training plan, because you are an expert in your dog. you need to share and coordinate insights within your team (trainer, veterinarian, maybe dog walker, pet sitter, veterinary behaviorist, massage therapist etc). if you have noticed that you are silencing your own voice and your own knowledge about your life, your self, or your dog out of respect for the authority of the animal experts on your team, you should be able to request a re-set by saying something like: “I have the following concerns/observations based on living with my dog — can we have a discussion about what I am seeing on a daily basis and how that affects our training plan?”
If we prioritize these sometimes difficult conversations, then how we approach behavior challenges can be less disorienting and frustrating and more successful and rewarding. it is our opinion at GHK9 that the training process should be an enlightening and even fun journey — one in which you get to know yourself and your dog in a more fulfilling and empowering way. some of the ways Great Heart K9 works to support this are:
providing multiple technologies for feedback between training sessions and providing you with access to documentation of previous sessions
checking in and requesting feedback multiple times in different ways during and after training packages
requesting information about learning styles, training goals, and lifestyle priorities
giving clear information about what is generally possible, common outcomes, typical timelines, and the reasoning behind our training choices and plans
referring you to other experts for additional support when we feel that is in the best interest of you and your dog
If you want more inspiration, check out Karen B. London’s book Treat Everyone Like a Dog (where we got the inspiration to talk about this topic and it is a great book)!
Do you have questions for us? please reach out!
