How to Make How I Trained My Dog Fun

Let me tell you about my journey training Luna. It wasn't easy, and I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I learned a lot.

Question:

My dog doesn’t seem to be enjoying our training sessions. How can I make dog training fun?

Answer:

If you really think about it, training time is playtime.

Training should be a fun experience for both you and your dog.

If your training sessions are fun as well as instructive, yet your dog still prefers to run off and play on their own, consider the following:

If the treats are interesting enough, your dog should drop all else and want to come train.

Try upping the ante by replacing that dry dog biscuit with something moist and tender.

Once your dog understands a particular command and has had plenty of practice with it, you can gradually wean them off treats and reinforce their good behavior with other high-value rewards such as a meal, a walk, or a toss of a favorite toy..

I wish I had known this sooner.

if your dog enjoys training, they should appear happy at the first indication that a session is about to take place.

Some dogs respond to fear by “fooling around” as a way to avoid confrontation.

And keep in mind that dogs pick up on our emotional states, so if you are feeling tense or angry for any reason, skip the training session that day..

Watching Luna go through this was heartbreaking.

if you’re attempting to train in the backyard and your dog keeps running off to sniff the flowers or chase birds, there are too many distractions.

I felt so guilty when I realized what was happening.

transforming dog training into a fun-filled adventure doesn’t take much, but the rewards you reap are endless.

This was definitely a learning experience for me. Luna depends on me to keep him safe, and I'm trying to do better every day.