Priorities in Training
In training, the best idea is to focus on your top skills or behaviors you would like help with first. We may have a dozen goals for our dogs, and in an ideal world we would be able to make all of those happen with the snap of our fingers. However, realistically we need to prioritize our most important topics that will bring about the most positive impact on our, and our dog’s, lives. This is not to say that you cannot strive to reach every single one of your goals over time.
I usually start out by talking about any behavior goals, as behavior affects every other aspect of our dogs lives, and often it affects their learning. Therefore, if we first focus on any behavior that needs attention we will have a much simpler time working on any basic skills or fun tricks as time goes on.
Most often I begin our focus on areas of stress in our lives in conjunction with our dogs. This could be as simple as a puppy nipping at you with those little razor sharp teeth, or your dog excitedly jumping on you every time you come home. It could also be as intense as your dog being reactive to other dogs or people to the point where they go into what I call “Kujo mode” or, on the opposite side of the spectrum, get so terrified they turn tail and try to find the best hiding spot. These more intense behaviors severely impact your dog’s ability to live a life without high levels of stress, which therefore give you constant stress. And again, stress impacts their ability to learn.
With puppies I recommend focusing on socialization and handling practices as these really impact how they handle new experiences and interactions. If we focus too much on the “fun” tricks or skills and these get shoved to the back, then it can negatively impact your dog’s well-being as well as their trips to the vet or groomer that become extremely stressful for everyone involved.
I promise there is always time to work on ALL of your goals over time! We simply need to look at the big picture and make sure we are aware of how our dog’s mental health really affects every aspect of their lives (and everyone around them).
HAPPY TRAINING!
