Everyday Dog Training Opportunities

When you’re trying to train a better dog, every day is a good day to train your dog. Feeding morning breakfast, getting “dressed” with collars and leash, going out the door, and on your everyday walk, the opportunities can be significant.

How do you identify training opportunities? 

Seeing issues that need changing is easy when it’s big blatant behaviors like barking at the neighbors, running out the front door, chewing shoes, and jumping on the counter. But what about all those other smaller things that you usually just ignore or never even consider? Recognizing and working on the small issues is the beginning of next-level training and going for the best dog in the neighborhood.

When you begin to identify these next-level training opportunities, you’re on the right track. Raising your expectations and standards is the first step. It takes wanting a better-behaved dog.

Some questions to ask to identify more dog training opportunities: 

1. Where/ when is your dog adrenalized or over-excited? 
2. Does your dog’s behavior meet your expectations at home? Out on the leash?
3. When/ how often does your dog blow off your commands?
4. At what point are you getting frustrated?

Dog Training Starts at Home

If your dream dog has excellent recall, walks nicely, and greets others politely, that begins at home. At home, you can manage fewer distractions and make it easier to focus on improving your behavior. Your high expectations out in the real world (like walking nicely past another dog) start to take shape at home. Chilling out in a crate or on place is a high-level expectation at home that can make a big difference.

Start at home to identify daily opportunities to establish and uphold expectations that hold your dog to a higher standard. This could look like your dog waiting patiently for his dinner, not barging through the front door, settling easily when UPS delivers, and so many more scenarios. See the previous questions and start to ask yourself where you’d like to see improvements.

Dog Training is a Process

You know the phrase, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The same goes for dog training. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start raising your expectations for your dog by setting new, healthy rules that benefit your whole family situation. Small, meaningful changes can go a long way. 

If you’re looking to make big changes and seeking support, we have dog training programs for each step of the journey. Clients who have completed Foundation or Remote Collar Training are eligible for Best Neighborhood Dog and other Advanced Training Programs.