27/01/2023
Often you’ll hear me say the phrase “set your dog up for success,” but what exactly do I mean by that?
It means setting up realistic expectations and goals for you and your dog and creating an environment that sets your dog up for success. When we are training, it is essential that we give our dogs many opportunities to be right so we can reward them for making the correct choice. These are the moments when learning happens!
It helps in reducing frustration felt by you and your dog. It also helps in building bonds and trust in each other.
Think about it this way, teaching kids to swim before throwing them in the water on their own and expecting them to compete in a race. That would be unfair. So why should we expect anything differently from our dogs?
So how can you set your dog up for success?
✅ Know your dog:
- What they like - Figure out whatever motivates your dog. Is it food? Toys? Play? Praises and affection?
- What they dislike - Don’t force them into situations that will make them uncomfortable such as bringing them to the dog park when they don’t like dogs, or taking them into crowded areas when they’re nervous around people. That will only set them up for failure.
- Their age and abilities - If they are a puppy, then you need to set the expectations lower and expect yourself to help them out a lot more often. Puppies, just like children, need time to learn, grow and mature
✅ Understand your dog’s body language
Dogs communicate to us with their bodies if we know how to listen. They will tell us how they feel (excited, bored, distracted, anxious, or ready to stop training for the day) via their eyes, body posture, tail position, and stance.
✅ Practice in different environments
The key is not expect too much too soon in distracting environments. Practice at home first and gradually increase the level of distractions. Ie from the living room to the backyard, to a quiet street, a busier street, an empty park to a park with a couple of dogs at a distance etc....
