20/11/2025
A lot of recent conversations are cropping up at the moment and it so clear the stress and pressure we put on ourselves and our dogs in order to be “perfect” is causing a lot of emotions when it comes to our dogs training.
I’m not perfect - so how on earth can I expect my dog to be?
This “perfect” mindset damages our ability to let our dogs know when they actually got something right! Because we are too busy nit picking at all the bits they did wrong!
This particular video is from back when Max did his first ever memory retrieve.
Was it perfect? Far from it.
Did it matter? Certainly not! Of course I was happy, over the moon and even did a little happy feet dance. All whilst Max got treat after treat after treat whilst looking up and the most humongous cheesy grin on my face. There was no doubt in his mind that what he had just achieved was absolutely incredible!
Yes he had picked up the dummy in an awkward way.
Yes his delivery could have been better.
His initial run out could have done with some more enthusiasm.
BUT HE DID HIS FIRST MEMORY RETRIEVE!
And that is most definitely worth celebrating.
Because of our little celebration, do you know what happened on the next memory retrieve? He ran out and brought it back, again and again and again!
We worked on the improvements separately and I continued to be his biggest cheerleader every single time we made progress.
And because of that, I created a Gundog Rottweiler!
Yes I’m a strong advocate for boundaries and structure when it comes to behaviour and life with your dog. They are an essential part of training. But without the fun, smiles and little happy feet dancing - what’s the point 🤷♀️
Enjoy the process, and your dog will most certainly do the same 😁
