Get The Most Out Of Your Dog Training Sessions
Congratulations! You’ve just made a significant investment in yourself and your dog! This investment has the power to yield returns for many years to come - it will involve dedication and focus on your part to find maximum benefit. It helps that you’ve selected a modern, ethical dog training team committed to your short-term and long-term success!
At Attention Dog Training goes beyond obedience skills and aims to coach you on how to communicate successfully with your dog and how to meet your dog’s needs. We call it the ‘whole dog approach’ as we look to help your dog interact successfully with the world around them. Now that you’ve made your investment, it’s important that you know how to maximize your return.
In order to get the most out of your training program, there are some key considerations to put into play.
Be Prepared. Be Ready to Start! Make sure you and your dog are able to start training on time for your scheduled training session. We know you’re taking time out of your day to commit to learning with us! If you’re running late or rushing to another appointment, you’re going to feel pressured for time and your dog most certainly will pick up on your stress. Choose dates when you can more easily build in a cushion of time. Think of training more as a therapy session and less as a piano lesson you just drop into.
Bring Lots of Rewards. Make sure you have a variety of rewards to use with your pup! Think back to the Treat Ladder; do you have a mix of high-value rewards and low-value rewards ready to go? Do you have enough high-value treats with you? Get to know your dog and what motivates him/her - try bringing a non-food reward such as a favorite toy, too!
Wear a Treat Pouch. All the cool kids are wearing them! Trying to hold the leash and a bag of treats and a clicker can get frustrating very quickly. A treat pouch can easily free up your hands plus provide quick access to everything from treats, poop bags, and even your cell phone!
Wear Comfortable Attire. Choose clothing and footwear that works with your training, not against it! Training your dog requires ease of movement and a stable stance - stilettos or uncomfortable pants will make it harder to stand or bend when training and increase risk of injury. If you have any physical restrictions or limitations we are happy to help modify our programs for you!
Be Open Minded. Many clients have had dogs in the past and have trained using different methods. At one point or another, most of us believed that training a dog was done a certain way. We grew up with concepts such as going out the door first to let your dog know ‘who’s boss’ or rubbing your dog’s nose in their accidents to teach them not to do it again. These methods have been circulated for decades, if not longer.
However, in the last 5-10 years, we’ve seen more and more scientific research being conducted in the world of canine behavior. We now have vital information on how a dog communicates and which methods work best in behavior modification. Scientific advances in the field of medicine and technology have taken us out of the Stone Age and into the 21st century - it’s essential to recognize and utilize methods that make us safer, healthier, and smarter!
Our team is dedicated to canine behavior education and we are excited to share the information and developments in our profession with you! We share because we care!
Be Patient. Remember, your pup is a living creature with strengths and weaknesses, just like us! Some days your dog will struggle and other days your dog will excel - it’s an integral part of training that we humans tend to forget! Training at the most basic level is a learning process for dogs. We are asking them to perform specific tasks and certain behaviors that make our lives easier - walking on a leash, coming when called, politely greeting humans, etc. Those things don’t always come naturally to your pup.
It also helps to understand that even at adulthood, most dogs will never even reach the cognition level of a 3 year old human toddler. What does that mean? Well, have you tried to explain to a baby why they have to eat food with a fork instead of their hands? Your dog’s comprehension level is similar! It’s not realistic for us to expect them to make those links of understanding nor is it fair to yell at them when they are not capable of connecting the dots like we can. If your dog is struggling, that doesn’t mean that the dog is bad or wrong. It just means that the dog needs help learning what you want them to do!
Embrace Who Your Dog Is. Getting to know your dog is helpful when it comes to training. Knowing their likes/dislikes, strengths/weaknesses - all of that information is key to customizing your training techniques. If your dog enjoys high-energy activity, they may not want to sleep quietly on a bed all day and you will need to find a way to help them burn off extra energy. If your dog will do anything for a piece of chicken, use that when you see him/her struggling to perform a specific cue. If your dog gets stressed around crowds of people, going to a kids’ soccer game or a county fair may not be fun for them!
If going to the vet causes anxiety or grumpiness that lasts all day, make sure not to schedule your training session on the same day. Knowing your dog and understanding what makes your dog thrive is an important part of training - and will help you choose the right dog trainer.
We value who your dogs are and want to help them be the best versions of themselves!
Be Inquisitive! We encourage questions. We are firm believers in the saying ‘There are no stupid questions!’ Questions mean that you’re engaged in the training process and interested in making the most of your time with us. If asking that question helps you train your dog or understand your dog better, then that can only be beneficial! As a team of certified professional dog trainers who strive 24/7 to learn about new developments in our industry, we know that asking questions helps us be better critical thinkers, which is a necessary advantage in our profession.
We can’t wait to coach you and your pup!