Training your dog is supposed to be fun! The trainers on YouTube and Instagram and out working in public make it look so easy. So why does it make you want to pull your hair out at times?
All of the theories and ideas sound wonderful until you put them into practice. Then you realize that it’s a little bit messy, a little uncomfortable, and full of ups and downs.
Even as professional trainers, we have these feelings, too! When we start to feel discouraged, it’s important to take a step back and try to ask ourselves some deeper questions:
- Am I being clear with what I’m asking right now?
- Have we practiced this enough?
- Is my dog tired?
- Is my frustration showing in my tone or body language?
- Can I try teaching this in a different way?
If you’ve taken a step back and you still feel like you’re just not getting it, take a break! There is nothing wrong with a short training session (we actually encourage it). And there is nothing wrong with ending before your frustration gets the best of you.
In fact, did you know that we keep our training sessions short on purpose, with a long nap (for the dogs) in between each session? That’s because we don’t want to overload our dogs with too much information all at once. We want them to have a valuable learning experience, and then we want to give them time to process and soak it all in. So, short sessions may be just the thing you need to keep training fun, light, and successful for everyone!