It’s time to make dog training fun.
Do you remember the excitement you felt when you first received your dog? Take in that feeling right now. I am sure you were thinking about the fun times you would have with your dog. That might include going on walks, hikes, lounging at home, hanging out in your yard, etc. Over the weeks / months / years, you may have forgotten how to enjoy your dog. It’s time to make dog training fun.
As you got to know your dog, your emotions start rising. You feel frustrated when your dog jumps on you. You feel scared when you call your dog and he or she doesn’t come! You walk your dog and notice the pulling is less than pleasant. It’s normal to discover these behaviors about your dog and to feel emotions about them.
Have you thought about making dog training fun? Many of us get tense, constricted and controlling when our dog’s don’t listen to us. This can create a circular cycle of stress. The dog feels this energy, and he / she doesn’t comply. You keep carrying this energy because you feel an intense emotion of something , maybe frustration. The power struggle begins and continues.
Prevent the dog training struggle before it arrises
Trust me. I have been there so I get it. The trick is to prevent the struggle before it even arises. Think of this. You already know some behavior about your dog that brings up frustration or stress for you. So instead of putting you and your dog in a situation where it’s going to be hard and struggling, think of how you can have fun with your dog while training.
Human psychology is similar to dog training
I am going to talk about my daughter for a moment because we as a species can easily relate to humans. Human and dog psychology are the same. My daughter hated homework, as most kids do. In the past we would sit down, she would get frustrated and a power struggle would begin. I decided that I wanted to break this pattern and make homework fun. Yes fun! So when she was younger, I would dress up like a teacher. We would get her toys out and play school.
She is older now, so we are taking a bit of a different approach because she is more independent and can do some of her homework on her own. Well that can be very boring and hard. So what we set up a container to allow homework to have a different energy around it. We created a homework to be fun and more successful.
First if she was hunger, I would give her a snack to eat or she would eat while she was doing her homework.
Second, I would make sure she was comfortable. She doesn’t have a desk, and she can do homework wherever she wants. Iris likes comfort so she would get her pillows and blankets set up. We also would play instrumental music. Iris likes gaming music.
Third, she could have a stuffed animal with her so that she could play with her stuffy while she did her homework. Usually, she would get Snowball and Snowball would do the homework with her.
Fourth, we had some regulation toys. Something nearby like playdough. If she gets stressed, she can take a short break, use the playdough or another regulation toy to ground her nervous system. Then she can refocus and get back on task. Stress really blocks the brain from learning so this step was one of the most important ones.
Fifth, we created breaks. The breaks were short and used to allow her brain to think about something else for a bit and then resume the homework after about 2 minutes.
Now, homework is much easier for Iris. So think of this with your dog. How can you create this previous stressful situation to be a fun training experience?
Follow these steps to create fun and successful dog training
What does your dog like?
First, can you have something that your dog likes. That could be a treat or a toy. It’s got to be something that your dog enjoys and is motivating to him or her. For some dogs that is cheese, hotdogs, hamburger, and chicken. For other dogs they are motivated by lower valued items like dog treats such as Zukes, Blue Buffalo Bites, Bill Jack Treats, etc. For toys, your dog has to be in a playful mode for those to work, and you have to use the toy that your dog wants. Is it a ball? A tug toy? A stuffed toy? A squeaky toy?
Allow yourself to feel regulated and good
Second, you have to be regulated. If you are feeling stressed, do something to realign your body. Go for a walk without your dog, meditate, take some deep breaths, do some yoga, etc. Start the training session with yourself feeling good, if you can.
Make the training simple and easy
Third, practice what you want your dog to learn in an easier scenario. So for leash walking, instead of starting on an actual long leash walk, you might just do a short leash walk in your backyard. For jumping, you might ask a family member to leave the house and re-enter rather than waiting until an actual visitor arrives. For come, it might mean practicing come in the house or in the yard when your dog is not distracted. Basically, you are making the task a bit easier so your dog can learn. You are also allowing yourself to be in a receptive training space.
Focus on the good behavior and reward that behavior
Fourth, focus on the good behavior and reward that behavior. Focus and reward sitting instead of jumping. Rewarding a loose leash instead of walking forward when your dog pulls. Giving plenty of rewards when your dog comes rather than yelling at your dog for not coming.
Turn training into a game
Fifth, turn the training into a game. So instead of focusing on, I feel frustrated when my dog jumps. You could focus on how many times can I click and treat (what is clicker training?), when my dog has four paws on the floor? How many times can I click when the leash is loose? How can I be exciting so that my dog actually wants to come to me? Your brain wants to focus on something. Choose to focus on the positive rather than the problem.
You are also going to turn the training into a game for your dog. How much fun can you have when your dog exhibits that behavior that you want him / her to do more often? Can you use tons of praise? Can you add play as a reward? Can you drop the treats on floor instead of just handing them to your dog? Can you throw a treat in the air when you are rewarding your dog to make it fun?
Take Breaks
Sixth, taking breaks can really help. It can be a great idea to train for just 2-5 minutes. Then if you have more time, take a break and play with your dog. Then train some more. If you are working on loose leash walking, you could train for a short time, then take your dog off the leash and play with your dog. Then train some more and repeat. This really increase connection between the two of you, helps set your dog up for success.
Dog training can be fun!
So the next time you train your dog, instead of feeling frustrated, remember to have a good time. Life is short enjoy it. Focus more on fun, play, connection, emotional regulation, and games. Focus on the positive behavior and reward that behavior.
Group classes to make dog training fun
Do you want to put this in action? We have the perfect group classes just for you and your dog!
- Elementary Obedience Course for dogs 8 weeks and older held at the Geauga County Family YMCA in Chardon. We cover all the basic obedience commands in this course.
- Junior Leash Walking Course for dogs that have completed a basic obedience course first. This course helps your dog to learn to walk loosely on the leash in distracted areas. For the winter, it will be held at the Tractor Supply Store.
- CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE OR TO REGISTER FOR THESE CLASSES
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