"You haven’t ruined anything, you haven’t missed your chance."

Fell off dog training? Let’s tlk about hot to get back on track.

Falling off training with your dog happens to you, me, everyone. Humans aren’t 100% consistent at everything they do and that’s what makes us humans, and not robots. Heck.. even ChatGPT says it can make mistakes..

But not only that, life gets busy, oftentimes unexpectedly, priorities shift, and if we’re being honest, most people don’t wake up excited about having to train their dog every hour of every day. Sometimes there’s also an unrealistic expectation that training a dog will lead to quick and instant results, and when that doesn’t happen, it becomes even easier to put it all off, give up… and eventually stop altogether.

If that’s you, you’re definitely not alone.

The part most people don’t talk about

When training falls off, it’s rarely because someone didn’t care. Most of the time, it’s because they’ve been doing their best with everything else going on in their lives, and training just wasn’t the easiest (or even the most pleasant) thing to keep up with at the time.

And I believe pet parents always want to do better for their dog, but oftentimes they just don’t know how to get back into it or where to start again. And usually, that’s what makes it all feel even harder than it needs to be.

What actually happens when you stop training

Dogs don’t forget everything you’ve worked on, but just like you and I, dogs fall back into their usual habits and that’s completely normal, and frankly quite relatable. Dogs are simply responding to what’s been most consistent for them recently. They’re really just trying to do their best with the information and environments available to them.

None of this means your past work and efforts didn’t matter, and it doesn’t mean you’re starting from zero at all. It just means your dog is doing what makes the most sense based on what’s been happening recently, but that’s something that can always be guided again.

And I have yet to meet a dog that wasn’t discovering new ways to feel great about themselves and you!

The biggest misconception

One of the biggest beliefs that can hold people back is thinking they’ve failed, and/or that it’s just too late to see progress, especially as their dog ages.

But please remember that all behaviour change takes time, a lot more time than most people expect. Are you able to magically get over your fear of that gaggle (a group of Canadian geese) that daringly stare at you everytime you walk past them, at the park? What if I told you to just whistle and ignore them when you see them? Does that mean than after one week you will be rid of all worries? 🪿

Dog training, especially behaviour modification, is no different than brushing your teeth or working out. You don’t notice the impact from one day, one week or one month to the next, but over time, the consistency adds up in ways that will really matter.

Your dog’s learning journey works the same way.

Getting back into it (without pressure)

If you’re thinking about getting back into training, the goal isn’t to do everything perfectly, it’s to do something small. That might look like focusing on one simple behaviour, keeping things short, or just being more intentional in everyday moments. That might even look like pretending your dog is 8 weeks old again and going back to day 1 basics.

You can lower expectations, give yourself and your dog time to ease back into it, and build from there. You don’t need a full plan to start, you just need a starting point and to continue being kind to yourself.

The great thing is you don’t have to figure it out alone

If you ever feel unsure about where to start again, you’re always welcome to reach out. :)

We can take a look at where things are at, talk about how you’ve been feeling, and figure out what makes the most sense moving forward, for you and your dog. There’s no pressure to have everything figured out beforehand.

We’re all here to learn, and to support one another along the way. It really does take a village.

If you take anything from this

Let it be this: you haven’t ruined anything, you haven’t missed your chance, and you’re not behind.

You’re someone who’s been trying your best, and who still wants to do better for your dog. And that’s more than enough to start again.