Dog Goals for the New Year
New year, new goals! It’s time to start thinking of where you want to be this year as a team with your dog.
The trouble is that it’s hard to know what direction to go in if you don’t have a guide.
With so much information out there, it can really be overwhelming! And let’s not get started on how many hours you can spend in going down the dog training rabbit hole. It’s a time suck for sure!
Trying to train your dog something that you’re just learning yourself is another big hurdle and adds another layer of complexity to something that seems like it should be simple.
Then there’s the fact that dogs commonly don’t act in the way that a trainer’s dog in a video might act, and there is little or no way of knowing if you’ve got the full picture or all the details from the resource you found either. Sometimes small details make a profound difference!
So suddenly you’ve found yourself spending waaaaaaay too much time researching something, not knowing if it will work or if you’re doing it right, and perhaps not seeing any meaningful results, without any real clue of how to fix what’s going wrong or why it’s going wrong in the first place.
Whew. What a frustrating place to be with your dog!
Dog Owners DON'T Have to be Dog Experts
Feeling like you’re spinning your wheels with your dog isn’t fun. It’s especially not fun when you’re dealing with persistent dog problems that just won’t seem to stop.
I mean you’ve done your part researching, tried a bunch of different techniques, and are still in the same place as you were when you started. With the exception of being more fatigued by the issues that are popping up with your pup.
I get it. I really do. And I’m here to help.
There has been a shift in culture where now there is an unhealthy expectation that people have mastery of all these different facets of their lives. Which of course includes dogs.
No one suddenly becomes an expert on dogs just by ownership. It would be nice if there was some magical process of information osmosis when you got your first dog, but alas, that just isn’t how it works. There is no magical answer although we all wish it were that simple.
It’s like once you become a dog owner you’re also expected to provide the best of everything for your furry family member, and that extends to how to handle problem behaviors. The trouble is that these issues often aren’t cut and dry and the answers are not just a google search away.
In our modern world there are a plethora of challenges that a dog and owner team might face, each with their own unique nuances that come from your individual lifestyle! Every single case is different, and this means that treatments are different too.
There’s also the glaring truth that an inexpert eye is going to miss critical details about what is going on with their dog, or come to incorrect conclusions, which means that you might be searching in the complete opposite direction of where your answer is.
It’s true that every dog owner has a responsibility to their dog to find and get help for issues they’re struggling with, but this doesn’t at all mean that it’s up to you to try to distill the entire internet + all the training books you can find into the right process and answer for your unique situation.
Take the pressure off of yourself! It’s ok to not be an expert on dogs, and it’s actually completely normal not to be one.
Dog training is both a science and an art, and it takes much studying and practice to have mastery.
Making the New Year Better Than the Last
It’s normal to experience training hiccups with any dog. It’s normal to feel like you’re struggling; who wouldn’t when faced with a problem that is not only overwhelming but seems unsolvable? It it normal and natural to have periods of time where you look at your dog and you don’t quite have those warm and fuzzy feelings in that moment. You love them, but you don’t always like them.
Getting help from a trainer isn’t throwing in the towel, it’s not admitting defeat, it’s being brave and realizing that you don’t have all the answers. That this is a place you could use a hand.
Going it alone is scary, not having the answers is intimidating, and being stuck isn’t a place that anyone wants to be.
So let’s make a change this new year.
Getting insight, clarity, the right answers, and having harmony in your home are possible.
Anyone can be taught how to train their dog and what methods work for their individual situation. You can do it, you just need a guide to show you how.
Taking the first step of your training journey is as easy as reaching out and asking for help.
I want you to succeed with your goals with your dog and I will help you with them.
I know this first step can be hard, isn’t the most difficult part of any journey getting started? I know you don’t want to stay stuck through this next year with the same issues as last year with your dog, replaying it all again.
Let’s make this year better. It’s time to write a different story for your future with your dog.
