Last week, I posted about feeling a bit down about how things were going with my dogs. I am pleased to report that things are already looking up from there, but I was struggling to stay motivated with my training for a couple of weeks there. I frequently struggle to stay motived. This is true outside of dog training as well.
I often get really excited about an exciting new project and then struggle to complete it as I get overwhelmed and run out of steam. I am also not always very nice to myself when I do this. I will feel like I've failed, or like there's something wrong with me. I can be really hard on myself but, the more I talk about feeling this way, the more I realize that this is just part of being human.
I have a few strategies that help me stay on track. They actually work for other tasks that have nothing to do with dogs. Honestly, I should probably take some of my own advice and use these strategies in parts of my life that are separate from dog training. However, since this is a dog blog, that is what we will be talking about.
Setting Goals
I recognize that this sounds corny. We have all heard this advice about a million times. There is a reason you hear this on repeat, though. It's because it works. To get myself back on track with my training over the past couple of weeks, I thought about a few things that I really want to accomplish with my dogs. I want to get more trick titles for them, Spice and Zero have a scent trial coming up this weekend, and Troy and Zero have a Rally-O trial coming up in a couple of months.
One night this past week, I sat down and outlined in writing exactly what I wanted to accomplish and what I needed to do to get those things done. Having this plan in writing made the whole thing less overwhelming. Instead of having these abstract thoughts about what I wanted to do, I had steps to follow that I could check off once I felt satisfied with each one. Seeing the list of things to do getting smaller and smaller is so motivating. It gave me something concrete that I can refer to in order to see how far I've come.
I have done so much trick training with my dogs since I actually put what I wanted to do in writing, and they have been having so much fun. Spice especially. She loves her tricks. Zero's stays for Rally-O have also improved so much. I am so proud of him! Troy hasn't really finished any of his tasks yet, but he has chipped away at portions of them. My goals for him are a bit bigger, so they may take a bit more time.
Sharing Our Progress
Talking about how things are going with other people has also kept me going. This includes both the good and the not-so-good. I have always shared my successes, but I've only recently started sharing the struggles I have with my dogs so publicly. This blog has really been the start of that.
Sharing the successes is important. When you do well, you deserve your moment to brag about it. I love taking photos of my dogs with their certificates and ribbons, or taking a video of a new trick that has finally come together. I also love seeing my friends' posts that are like that. One of my friends and co-workers posting about her doberman doing a great job at his first trial comes to mind, and I have a smile on my face thinking about how heartwarming it was to see her so proud of her boy.
It's more difficult to share when things don't go according to plan, but that's important too. My blog posts where I have felt the most vulnerable when sharing them have been the ones that I have received the most positive feedback from readers. I think the reason for that is that people relate to experiencing struggles. While it has been so amazing to know that I have helped other people feel less alone, it has actually also done the same thing for me.
I'm not saying that everyone needs to share their insecurities quite so publicly, but tell someone how you feel. Tell a friend, reach out to your puppy class instructor, share with a family member. If you are feeling hopeless or stuck in any area of your dog training, tell someone about it. Chances are they have felt that way too at some point in time. When you see that those people you look up to and value have gone through the same thing, it almost makes you feel silly that you were so hard on yourself in the first place.
Training Buddies
I have a lot of success in staying on track with my goals when I have someone to hold me accountable. Recently, my boyfriend and I have been training our dogs together. We've made plans a couple of times to get together to work on our training. It's easy to say "Oh, I'll do that later," when I am working alone. Having plans with someone makes it so I can't procrastinate. I don't make my training his responsibility or anything, but I like having it so we set aside time to get things done.
I also find that having a class accomplishes the same sort of thing. When I take a class with one of my dogs, I have a week in between each class to practice whatever needs more work. I really like the Rally-O class that I have Troy and Zero both in. We all cheer each other on and congratulate each other when we see improvement on one of the signs or when someone has a great run. Additionally, if I have a really busy week and don't get as much practice in as I would like to, my dogs at least have the time in class dedicated to them.
There are other ways to get this same sort of community. Meeting up with friends and attending classes are both great, but you can also find online communities where members support each other through their training journeys if your friends aren't dog people and classes aren't possible for you.
Make Note of the Positive
This final piece might be the most important. Acknowledge when things are going well. This might even be really small things. The other day, Spice was in the backyard and one of the people who lives behind us walked by the fence. Spice looked at them and chose not to bark at them. This might seem small, but I was so proud of her for making a good decision after spending the previous week being so stressed out and on edge. I told her what a good girl she was and brought her inside to get a big jackpot of rewards.
Acknowledging mistakes and challenges is helpful, and we learn from that. Acknowledging successes is how we stay sane. I feel like we are hard-wired to focus on the negative sometimes. You might do something right a thousand times and then do that same thing wrong once. The time you did it wrong is the time that you will obsess over and not stop thinking about. Try to start changing that thought process.
This doesn't have to be anything noteworthy. Spice not barking at the neighbour was such a small piece of the day, but it was a really good thing. Troy chose to go on his mat all on his own when I was eating my dinner tonight, and that's really good too. Zero stayed in a down while I walked around him in Rally class this week. None of these are earth-shattering, life-changing developments, but they are all signs of progress. Make a point to think to yourself, "This is a good thing!" whenever you can.
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