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One of the main obstacles our students face on their journey to dog training success is finding the time to practice the homework they’re assigned, life is hectic! Between taking the kids to school or going to work, it can feel like the day gets away from you. Before you know it, you’re getting ready to turn in for the night and you haven’t trained your dog at all. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow. But it doesn’t take long before tomorrow turns into next week, or your next session with us, and no practice has occurred in the days between. Oops! As you’ve learned by now, the most important part of a successful dog training plan is consistency and practice. Without these two things we simply won’t see the behavioral changes we’re after. So, how can we mitigate this problem or avoid not practicing in the future? Work your dog into your normal routine. Ideally, you should spend at least 20 minutes a day training your dog. Look at your weekly schedule, what do you have going on each day? Are there activities you do without your dog that could be arranged to include them? Do you walk your dog every day? That’s a built-in training session to work on loose leash walking, play skills, or polite greetings. Are you going to watch the new episode of your favorite show with your college friends? Add a jar of treats to the coffee table and have everyone take turns reinforcing your dog for staying on their bed during restroom breaks, trips to the kitchen, or animated recaps. We have a lot more minutes in a day than we think we do. Five minutes here and there can add up quickly. Set aside distraction-free and dedicated dog training time. Time to revisit your calendar and pen in 10 minutes with Fido! Prepare your training environment (do you have your rewards and treat pouch ready? How about your training collar and lead?) and turn off your phone or use it as a timer. Spend the next 10 minutes focused solely on practicing homework with your dog. Try to avoid any interruptions or distractions. We advise our students to treat their homework time just like a session with their trainer- you wouldn’t be constantly checking your phone, scrolling on TikTok, nor would you leave halfway through (hopefully). Afterall, your dog will spend more time working with you at home than they do with us, so treat this time like an investment; because it is! Set yourself up for success. The common phrase, “Out of sight, out of mind” can be our worst enemy when it comes to training our dogs. If a visitor comes to the door, but we haven’t prepared our entryway with the proper tools like a baby gate or food rewards, what could have been a training opportunity quickly devolves into crisis management. If your tools are out of sight, training your dog will truly be out of your mind. We can solve this by arranging our environment to support our training efforts. Place a sign (we're training our dog right now!) with instructions (ignore the dog etc.) and treat bag outside your front door, block off trashcans, leave a clicker on the coffee table, hang the electronic collar beside your leash, or place treat containers in strategic spots around your home such as doors and dog beds. Remember: effective dog training is consistent. This means rules are rules 24/7, and not just when we’re practicing! This is easier to stick to when we’re prepared for our dog’s behavior throughout the day and throughout their environment vs reacting to it. The best tools are the ones you use, and the ones you use are the ones that are available. Plan accordingly! Prioritize training your dog. The truth is that when we really want something, we’ll do whatever it takes to get it. Whether that’s setting aside time to train our dogs or going to the gym every day regardless of if we feel like it. Discipline usually precedes motivation when it comes to changing our habits. Getting up early in the morning to go to the gym might feel hard at first, but after a couple weeks your brain will look forward to the routine and it’s not going to the gym that feels hard! What sets apart the professional dog trainer from the pet owner, outside of knowledge, is the time spent practicing. With our guidance, you have access to professional knowledge! But ultimately, it’s up to you to spend the time practicing it. It’s important to remember that the off-leash dog coming when called on the first whistle at the park has come to hundreds of on-leash whistles with rewards. The dog heeling happily beside their owner at the farmer’s market has been fed hundreds of times beside their handler’s leg under varying levels of distraction. The dog doing a perfect send away in a trial has done a thousand send aways at club training. . . . In the end, there's no shortcut to training your dog. You can't wave a magic wand and your dog is magically trained (but imagine how great that would be!). Simply put, you must spend the time and effort to get the results you’re after. Don’t know where to begin? We can help you get started. Contact us today to schedule your dog training consultation online or in-person.
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About EQ dogsWe are a progressive dog training business located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota owned by lead trainer & Founder, Ryleigh Mars. Archives
October 2023
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