IF YOU'RE NOT HAVING FUN, STOP TRAINING!

This is mostly a reminder for me but you're welcome to hitch a ride and go through this inner reflection with me. It may apply to you.

Every once in a while I forget why I ever picked up a leash, a treat pouch and tug for. I wanted something fun to do with my time. Along the process, I found what to this day seems to be my calling, working with dogs (Who knows when that might change).

But seriously, how often do you get pulled down by the expectations YOU create for yourself and your dog? How often are you actually having FUN? You may be an over achiever and fun might in fact come second to achieving, but what are you really saying when you prioritize outcome over the interaction that is taking place in front of you when you work with dogs? Look, people get frustrated when they work with animals, that's nothing new. It happens and it will continue to happen. The question you have to ask yourself is, am I really enjoying what I'm doing? Not necessarily at the moment, but in a more broad and general way. If you are CONSISTENTLY getting frustrated, anxious and emotionally distraught, you may need to change your approach, or change your hobby/career. For two reasons:

1) It's not fair TO THE DOG: You'll end up just not only upsetting yourself but also the dogs you work with. You basically become the asshole. Some dogs may recover from that quickly, some will shut down, some will make you PAY. The latter is not a common occurrence unfortunately.

2) It's not fair TO YOU: Why would you wanna do this if it constantly upsets you, gives you headaches and brings the worst out of you. You need the money? You basically only have ONE THING to look forward to if you don't enjoy the process, it's the outcome. Achieving is great and all, but if you put too much weight on the achieving part, the times you don't achieve (and they are coming), will hit you hard and you'll even get depressed. Again, this isn't healthy for you at all.

THE SOLUTION?
Have FUN! Let go of your expectations momentarily. Yes, every session counts, yes you need to strive to do better and become better, but ENJOY THE PROCESS. Step out for a moment and realize what is actually happening. There was a time in the past you wanted to do this! There was a time in the past that you thought this was the coolest thing in the world. Not long ago this was your goal and look at you now.

Another thing that might help is to surround yourself with people who actually enjoy what they do! I don't mean people who enjoy the achieving part, I mean people who enjoy both! People who enjoy the process, people who look forward to training just for the pleasure of training! It's contagious! Their joy toward training makes you enjoy your training or it makes you feel out of place when you're the only one who complains about the dog(s) you have to train.

And remember! Learn to expect more from you, than you expect from your dog.