Learning isn't linear

I had the BEST conversation with Trainee Dog Trainer Jess the other day and it led to a really great conversation about her training journey that I wanted to talk about on here too! A few weeks ago she had a one to one session with a lovely dog she is working with who is dog reactive. The session had gone really well and as we started heading back, we got stuck in a not very big pathway with a man with two dogs who were really staring at our dog in training and looking as though they were going to lunge at her. The owners did really well at getting past as best they could and we talked through crisis management in situations where there just isn't space to take or situations aren't ideal and the owners left feeling much more capable in dealing with those situations in the future.

As we were de-briefing about the session, Jess was saying how she was frustrated in herself for not knowing how better to have dealt with that situation. We talked it through and I asked her was she frustrated at the dog for not walking past the dog perfectly and she said no. I asked why and she responded with:

"Because she's in the learning stage and when you're in the learning stage you don't have all the answers and the progress isn't linear."

So I said to Jess so if the dog you're working with gets some grace for still learning why don't you?

We would all LOVE for the learning process to me a simple, straight line from one goal to the next with no lumps, bumps or issues but the reality is not in line with this. There will be days you aren't feeling it, days your dog struggles and days where everything goes perfectly, and that's okay! When you and your dog/s are learning there are bound to be up's and down's and it is important to not feel too disheartened when things don't always go to plan and also not get complacent if things go really well.

So what do you do when things don't go to plan?

1. Make sure everyone is safe

2. Take a deep breath

3. Give everyone time to decompress and relax

4. Try again tomorrow and if you can - set yourself up for success!

Don't forget to give yourself and your dog some grace. We all make mistakes and the worst thing you can do is hold onto the bad days and let them affect tomorrow.

If you're struggling and need help, get in touch with our team and we'll be happy to help. This is a safe community and we are here to support each other on both good days and bad so lean on us and let us support you just like we do our team and our clients!