18/11/2025
This! โค๏ธ
A lot of talk about training philosophies on social media in the last few days โฆ so I want to add my 2 cents, too.
Deciding what training approach to take is really not so difficult. It can all come down to simply asking:
โHow does my dog feel when weโre training?โ
And in order to answer that โฆ just look at your dog. Are they thrilled to be working with you? Are they excited to be your partner?
Or do they look like โOh dang, I hope no ๐ฉgoes down todayโ
When a mistake happens (and yes they will happen at some point) - do they eagerly bounce back into starting position to try again?
Or do they look apprehensive and afraid of the consequences?
When you finish a session, does your dog seem elated and proud of themselves? Or do they look like โThank god this is overโ?
And speaking of ending a session โฆ the vast majority of your dogโs time is spent NOT being trained by you.
So how does your dog feel during THAT time?
Are they happy to be in your presence? Do they seek out your company, do they ask you to play, are they excited to be around you? Do they come to you when theyโre afraid and unsure of something?
The next time you wonder which way you should train, just ask yourself โฆ
๐ โAm I making my dog smile?โ ๐
Because if the answer is no, itโs time to change things ๐
