Happy New Year! It's that time again when we come out of our chocolate and mince pie induced slumber and start thinking about the year ahead. Interestingly, did you know that the first full moon after Yule is called the Wolf Moon? Seems like a good time to think about goals for you and your dog!
I'm sure you've noticed that our own New Year Resolutions often tend to focus on the negative, things we DON'T want, rather than things we DO want- "lose weight" rather than "get fitter, eat better, be stronger" or "work less" rather than "set aside creative time." The same is often true when we apply that to training our dogs, "I want my dog to not do XXX"- rather than focusing on what they DO want. So let's look at how we can switch that thinking to positive goals, taking the most common requests:
Old, negative goal | New, positive goal |
"I want my dog to not pull on the lead" | "I want my dog to walk at/ near my side, when on the lead, with slack in the lead" |
"I want my dog to not jump up" | "I want my dog to sit nicely when greeting someone/ offer a hand touch/ bring a toy" |
"I want my dog to stop running up to dogs" | "I want my dog to turn and check in with me when they see another dog" |
"I want my dog to stop ignoring me when I call them" | "I want my dog to turn, immediately, with enthusiasm, and race back to me when called" |
Have a read again, and look at the verbs- "to not pull" becomes "to walk at my side" and so on- rather than the negative language, we can give clear, positive direction. By focusing on the things we DO want, we can see a resolution, a pathway to success, rather than feeling like we are stuck in a struggle.
We also need to remember that we are a big part of that picture, not some helpless bystander! What our dogs need from us is CLARITY about what we do want, and CONSISTENCY in asking for it, and rewarding them frequently enough that the new behaviour becomes the default. And, as we know with New Year's Resolutions, we humans are not very good at this side of the bargain- just go into any gym in mid-February to see that ;)
With that said, it is important to recognise that we need balance, and that the experience needs to be predominantly enjoyable for both ends of the lead. Thinking about that, I thought I'd share some of my training goals for me and my dogs this year, and maybe it might spark some thoughts for you as well...
Have more "fun" with my dogs! Sounds silly, but we have been on a lot of shoots this season, which demands a high level of concentration from me, self-restraint from my dogs, and connection between us. This doesn't always create a "fun" dynamic as it's very work-focused, so as the season draws to a close at the end of January, I'll be thinking of ways to build in joy to training- trick training, sniffari walks, lots of connection.
Taper down my dogs from the shoot season- the season ends quite abruptly, and for working dogs their pattern for the last 5 months switches off overnight. So it's important in February and March to slowly bring their minds and bodies into a different pattern, to avoid physical and mental stress. Lots of conditioning exercises for their bodies, and mental stimulation to replace the stimulation of shoot day.
Tidy up behaviours that have gone AWOL during the working season- whistle work, hunting patterns, heelwork... it never ends!
I'd like to think about taking the Grade 5 Gundog Club tests with Bisto and Toffee later in the year, but this isn't a goal I'm going to "set", more of a "let's see where we're at in July/August", as I don't want to interfere with the fun times this spring by being too serious!
Scentwork- I've dabbled in scentwork for the last few years, but this year I'd like to properly focus and do more, to give my dogs something else to do in the off season.
Canine Fitness and Conditioning- I want to continue developing my knowledge in this area, to help support my dogs (and the dogs I work with).
So, let's see where we get to this year! Over to you all now, what are your goals, big or small, for you and your dog, and what are the steps to get there?
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