Training as a Lifestyle

About 6 months ago we adopted our 3rd dog from Franklin County Animal Shelter. As I reflect on his progress over that time, many of the teaching points I offer clients are just as important for me. Today I thought I'd discuss some of them....

First, it's easy to forget how much work a new dog can be - especially when you're used to older, already trained dogs. Like they say, "once you've lived with a trained dog you'll never go back". True. But getting any dog trained is work, and that takes time. With our new addition, his training time competes with my other responsibilities - like all owners. But I do spend some time every day working with him, and we keep moving forward. Since training is never (really) done, I know this will be an ongoing process that will take more time up front. It's easy to forget this point when you haven't had a new dog in the mix for a while.

Which brings me to my second point... Every dog is different, they all learn in different ways, and at different paces. Looking back over the past few months I have to smile. Our newest has been more work than my others (if memory serves). There were many times I thought he'd NEVER get something, then it finally "took". There's no substitute for perseverance and repetitions when starting training. His youth and immaturity have been handicaps, but time and training are making a positive impact. It just helps to remember that some dogs take a little more time.

I'm always very focused on the role of a dog's personality in training. I intentionally chose our newest dog based on his confident and "Mr laid back" personality. But laid back dogs don't usually see much purpose in working, and that poses unique training challenges. Mine's coming along. And while I anticipated his personality based challenges, it has been a bit frustrating at times. But it's also been fun dealing with a dog who's personality is different from my older pets.

While I consider personality more important than breed when choosing a dog, genetics do add some interesting spices to the sauce. Our newest is a pit bull, and like many of his relatives, he can be very strong, rough, and have explosive energy at times. Taming these genetic gremlins has been on the "to do" list. It's amusing to watch his breed behaviors that leave me, my wife, and our other dogs thinking - "what's he doing now?"

Perhaps getting a new dog every few years keeps me honest. It certainly helps me understand what many of my clients are going through when the call for help. Trainers don't have magically perfect dogs. We have to work just like everyone else to make our dogs their best, and we know there will always be ongoing work. Training is really a lifestyle, and good trainers will help their clients understand this important point. Making training part of daily routines is the key to getting the best from every dog.