Why “consistency is key” truly is important in dog training?

Dalmatian

Now we all have fallen victims to our own lack of motivation and ability to actually commit to certain lengthy goals. Whether it's going on a diet, going to the gym, saving up money or learning to drive, all of these things take time and consistency to get to your end goal.

The same thing applies when it comes to dog training across the board. You want to teach your dog how to sit? It takes repetition and practice, they don't just sit after one cue and one reward. We have to be consistent until they have learnt to sit, but even then the training doesn't stop!

Lets compare dog training to going to the gym. Now I previously LOVED going to the gym, probably just as much as I love dog training. However in the beginning I was weak, could probably only lift around 6kg per arm, and for very few reps. By my peak just before lockdown I was capable of doing a body weight pull up (that's the one where you hang from the bars with your arms and life yourself up until your chin is over the bar). So by consistency and repetition I was able to lift my own body weight which is almost 10x that original weight.

Now all you gym folk don't come to me about different muscles, because no I probably couldn't bench press or row 60kg in my arms, but the moral of this blog is that consistency got me from barely lifting a weight to being able to pull up my own body weight. It took work.

So back to dog training, whether you're teaching basic obedience or you're working on reactivity or separation anxiety it all takes practice and consistence. It can be hard, you can lack motivation. I have been there myself, we all have. If any dog trainer tells you they have been flawless and consistent the whole time then they're kidding, we all have our moments where we lack our compulsion to do tasks at hand. Where we just can't think of doing anything other than sitting on the sofa. Things happen, life happens.

How do I stay consistent you ask?

Take pressure off of yourself, don't tell yourself that you have to train for an hour every single day or nothing will change. Because that's not the case. Five minutes here or there every day, while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, while your food is cooking in the oven, or even while walking the dog is enough on the days that you don't have motivation. Practice, if you're not able to motivate yourself to push forward then stick with maintenance. Practice the skills you and your dog already know how to do. Set yourself up for a win, because wins also make us feel better!

Your progress may be slow, but progress is still progress. You don't lose weight on a diet by not dieting, you don't learn to lift heavier weights at the gym without doing your exercises, you don't learn to drive without getting behind the wheel.

Let's also not forget that dog training progress isn't always linear, it isn't straight forward and it's not always smooth sailing. It has its dips and falls, we come across mountains that we have to face. It can be a literally rollercoaster, but we stick on the track and keep going before we come out the other side.

Stay consistent, little and often!