Too many cooks in the kitchen?

A frequent issue I see in people starting out with a new dog or puppy is trying something for a day or two, then finding a new book or clip on TikTok and trying that instead. The next day they see a reel on Instagram and do it that way instead. The result? A really confused, frustrated dog, and a team that isn’t any closer to achieving their goals.

It’s kind of like baking a cake using five completely different recipes at once and wondering why it turned out a bit funky!

The reality is that dog training takes time, with techniques usually needing to be practiced consistently in a range of different situations to truly teach or resolve something. There are few shortcuts that really give lasting results when dealing with real live animals behaviour, so the best and most effective training method is generally going to be the one that you’ll put the effort into practicing on a consistent basis - not the one you happen to stumble upon and try once.

As an owner, your best bet is to find a trainer (in real life or online) who is working with similar types of dogs and achieving similar things to what you want to work towards. Make sure that trainers ethics and personality align with what you’re going to be comfortable with. Then commit to giving it a good shot with consistent effort and practice. If things aren’t working out after you’ve committed a good amount of time into trying it their way, absolutely go find another trainer/approach that might work better and commit to that instead. And like baking a cake - as you get more experience, you’ll learn where you can tweak certain steps or integrate different approaches to get to a result you want.

Learning from a wide range of sources is really helpful to gain perspective and add to your toolbox. Many roads lead to Rome, and what works for one dog might not be the best approach for another. But the bottom line is your individual dog will learn best with consistency and clarity around what you want. If you’re trying to do every method at once, you and your dog will struggle to find that and the results you’re after.

Start with one recipe, and commit to being consistent with that first.

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Need training help? www.wolfedogs.nz