What is the biggest mistake dog owners make with their dogs? They pursue a finite result on a timeline. Here’s more of what I mean by that.
Let’s say you exercise correctly, very diligently, and by such and such date, you are in the best shape of your life. Now, you stop exercising for the same amount of time. Will you still be in shape? You know the answer… of course not. What if you are a firefighter, you get in shape, you use that fitness to do your job, and you keep in shape to continue doing your job. Will you get out of shape? No.
How do working dogs keep working? Are they trained and then do they retain that training for the rest of their lives, even if they are retired as soon as the training standards are met? No, that would be impossible. In fact, working dogs are in training all their careers. The work alone is a form of maintaining performance, and ongoing training continues to keep them sharp.
Here’s what professional athletes do, whether on purpose or not. Let’s say half the year they are playing their regular season. The other half of the year, they are healing injuries, building up their speed and strength, and improving their skills. If they don’t do that, then they risk losing their million-dollar contracts, and someone else will take their place on the field next season. They can’t just say, “hey, I made it to the major leagues and now I don’t have to do all that work anymore.”
We already know your dog will UNTRAIN if you stop working with them. But what if you just keep doing the same things you did with them, repeating the same lessons that got them to this point? Hint: Have you ever watched a movie so many times you can’t watch it anymore? That’s what happens when you don’t treat your dog as needing ongoing interesting challenges and social engagement. Yes, some dogs can be activated in drive to do trained things, but I’ve seen plenty of dogs go stale like an open soda pop left out on the counter for a couple of days.
Here’s a little-known secret. Let’s say you don’t quit but keep repeating the same work your dog has already learned. Especially in obedience, I’ve seen dogs that would just lay down, become inert, and stop doing any lesson, even for food or toys. Repetitive and boring training can become a punishment. To keep dogs going, some kind of planned novelty should be infused in the work to keep them interested and working, and it is best if all that work is engaging their inborn drives.
Do you think that expensive board and train program you sent your dog to is going to keep your dog engaged today and into the future? How about that simple pet store dog training group class you took a few months ago? Or the limited things you did with your dog so far? Is that going to keep your dog going? It is rare for me to assign the exact same lesson again to any dog. I always have some novelty, a challenge, some variation, sometimes something completely different, so that my students and dogs happily work together for some goal and never adapt to any kind of routine. Not only does that keep the dogs working over the years… and liking it… they also continue to think, improve, and relate to the owner.
My Recommendation: Do not seek a RESULT. That kind of thinking will sabotage the result you think you want. As soon as that kind of training stops, your dog will quickly “get out of shape”, just like you would if you stop exercising.
The correct objective is to implement a good training PROCESS. My students want a well-trained dog. That means keeping them working together, like real working dogs that have a meaningful job all through their puppy and adult working years.
Dogs are intelligent social creatures. You can’t fix them like you would a flat tire. Engage their intelligence, their drives and their innate need to have a socially satisfying relationship with you.