The Quick and Easy Way to a Perfect Pooch

Surprise! There isn't one! And that's okay!

 When it comes to success, there are no shortcuts. -Bo Bennett 

    Owning a dog is a lot of work. Dog training is hard. Behavior modification is extra hard. This isn't something that gets talked about much. There are a ton of articles and videos about how to teach your dog to walk on a leash or how to sit on command. What's hard to find is how to stay motivated as an owner when the task ahead seems daunting or even overwhelming. 

    Watching an instructional video on the internet, spending an hour with a trainer, or reading books or articles about training are the easy part. The real work comes in after the trainer left or when the video has ended. It's thousands of repetitions throughout the dog's life. It's finding new ways to motivate yourself to push forward when it feels like you are stuck. It's all of the hours spent molding your dog into a perfect citizen, who makes you proud every time they demonstrate how all of that hard work paid off. These victories, which can be small or large, are incredibly rewarding and affirming for owners. For some, victories happen quickly, and they rack up new skills like levels on a game. For others, however, initial success is rapid and then begins to take more and more time. After long enough without a big victory, owners tend to lose hope that things will ever get better.  Some owners have the patience to put in those long, slow miles. Others start strong but eventually lose patience and give up. Sometimes, it’s the same owner who is pushing forward with one skill and giving up on another. It's okay to feel stuck in the mud sometimes. It happens. Ideally, you can find a training buddy or a group class who can help hold you accountable and provide encouraging words to push through the tough times. Unfortunately, owners don't often have that type of external motivation and either give up completely or start looking for a quicker way. This is where they will run into problems.  

    There are no shortcuts in dog training, period. It takes consistency and repetition. Even once you get the desired behavior, you'll still need occasional refreshers with your dog to make sure the undesirable behavior doesn't come back. It gets even harder when you have a dog breed that's predisposed to certain nuisance behaviors or is prone to stubbornness and independence. It takes the time it takes and that's all there is to it. You can buy harsher training devices or attempt other shortcuts, but you'll find that you either end up with new problems or that the behavior returns the moment the training device is removed.  They become a crutch on which you will always lean until you can put the proper training in place.  

    I feel that training through punishment or excessive force is a bit like playing the video game, Guitar Hero, and thinking you are playing guitar in real life. It may look comparable at first glance, but ultimately, it is an illusion. If you suddenly had a real guitar and had to play on stage, the truth would come out. 

    

    The same rule applies to dogs. A behavior that occurs only under threat of force or pain is not a behavior that can be relied on. Do you have a dog that only comes back to you when he has a shock collar on? What happens when that dog accidentally slips out the door and is running through the neighborhood? If his collar isn't on or he isn't in range anymore, do you think he'll come back? It's a coin toss. He might or he might not. And because you don't have that solid recall foundation that comes from hours of practice, you don't really know if he will come when you call. The distraction of cars passing by or a squirrel running across a yard may prove far more enticing than you. So of course, in a very controlled situation, it looks like he's got good recall, but out in the real world, his missing education becomes apparent and that could lead to dangerous situations. 

    The best thing you can give any animal is an education. A well-trained dog will get to experience more of life, have less overall stress and anxiety, and be much less likely to end up in a dangerous situation. It's hard work, but in the end, your dog will be so much better off because of it.