Why to make training fun

Training is supposed to be boring…a chore or task that has to be done. At least that’s what I’ve been told before. But I offer a different perspective. One that emphasizes training becoming fun again! Training shouldn’t be something tedious or something that you dread doing everyday. Not only will that impact your relationship with your dog and your dog’s emotions around training, it just simply isn’t helpful in making training something you want to do daily.

And yes, the best results will come from daily training. But, when training is fun, you don’t mind training every day. In fact, there are times when I wish it was an hour or so later when I could be training my dog with her kibble at her meal time because I look forward to training!

Another reason is because dogs can understand our emotions and the emotional energy we are putting forward. And this you can test right now! Start cooing at your dog, saying “good girl/boy” in an excited tone. Did your dog perk up? Maybe start wagging their tail? Now imagine how your dog acts when they do something you don’t want them to do and when you’re upset. You can probably remember them lowering their head, moving away from you, if their tail is wagging it’s wagging low and slow as a stress behavior. Your dog can totally understand your behavior!

That’s why we focus on “game-ifying” training. Not only does it turn training into a game for you and for your dog, it also helps to clarify expectations of what you expect your dog to behave like while training. 

If training is going to be something that you are doing consistently (and it should be!) then it should be something fun! This is how Astra has ended up with over 60 tricks. She loves training and simply asking “do you want to train?” gets more of a response from her than “do you want to go on a walk?”!

Reach out if you have any questions or want any suggestions on how to make training more fun in your situation! It is one of our core goals and components that we strive to achieve with every team we work with and we are always available for a free short online consultation.