Realistic Expectations in Dog Training

You might be reading our dog training blog because you are currently involved in a training program or you are researching different training options for your dog.  Either way, it’s important to figure out what you would like your dog to start doing, what things you want your dog to stop doing, and what you hope to accomplish.

The beauty about some training issues is that they are pretty straight forward and when they are approached the right way, these things can be eliminated or improved rather quickly.  Meanwhile, other more serious or complex behaviors and habits in dogs can sometimes take longer periods of time to get under control and to the point where progress can be seen.  Longer periods of time without seeing the payoff of your efforts can be very frustrating; especially when we’re used to getting a lot of what we want RIGHT NOW!!  It’s also extremely important to realize that not everything is “fixable”.  There may be issues that are just always going to be present in your dog, but it doesn’t mean you can’t see great improvement and use your dog’s newly found skills to manage these behaviors.

Sure, a good training program can teach your dog some functional skills like coming when called, proper greetings for people, how to go to their bed and stay there, how to walk nicely on a leash, and much more.  But, a good training program will not let you off the hook for any type of redirection, guidance, interaction, supervision, and other ownership skills.  Like I mentioned above, a good dog training program can teach skills, but it’s then up to you to use those skills to properly manage your dog throughout daily life.

Here’s an example of what I mean:  We can teach your dog to come when called in any situation (including real-world distractions) regardless of whether they’re on a leash or not.  But, this does not mean you can let you dog in the front yard unattended and expect them not to roam off of your property.  You can absolutely hang out in the front yard with your dog and call them back to you if they get too close to the street or if they start chasing a squirrel, but your supervision and interraction are still required.

Here’s another example:  We can teach an un-socilaized, dog aggressive dog some self-control (no barking, lunging, or biting) when in the presence of other dogs.  This does not necessarily mean that you should go to an off-leash dog park (check out some Austin area dog parks here) and expect your dog to get along with every dog at the park.  The reality is that not all dogs belong at a dog park, especially those with limited or poor social skills.  With that being said, it doesn’t mean you can’t take your dog for a nice walk around the neighborhood or on-leash trail and have them walk calmly at your side and not fire up when passing other dogs on your walk; you just have to be there to manage your dogs behavior through redirection.

Through consistent communication and management, dog training can make a huge improvement in the level of enjoyment you have together.  Staying consistent over time will make your dog’s new behaviors permanent and almost automatic, but until then – keep your training expectations realistic!

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our dog training blog. You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made. Also be sure to check out our Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter.