Dieting and Dog TrainingWhat do dieting and dog training have in common? I’m here to tell you! Dog training and dieting are related because of their connection to your daily habits. Think about all the crazy diets out there, ones that limit what you eat and when so strictly that you feel like you’re depriving yourself. What often happens after one finishes the laid out timeline of these diets? Very likely, they go back to their old ways of eating and gain back whatever weight they lost. Healthy eating on the other hand requires changing your bad habits and replacing them with better ones, but is a lifestyle change, a change that you start and continue to implement each and every day indefinitely. By changing your bad habits, but also not restricting yourself so much that it feels impossible, you make it sustainable to make healthy life choices.

puppy-waiting-to-eatAnd that brings us to dog training. A balanced relationship with your dog is a lifestyle, not just a quick fix that occurs in x number of sessions. As easy as it would make it, I can’t wave my magic wand and suddenly have your dog behave. I can teach you the steps you need to take to have a well-balanced dog, but it’s going to require work, every single day. Often it means switching out some of that affection for more structure. It shifts your dog’s relationship with you into one of give and take rather than you giving them everything without any expectation of good behavior! It’s not impossible, but rather it requires following through and remembering your end goal, a well-behaved family member that you can include in your life!

In the beginning, it’s more work for you AND your dog because you’re working on changing your habits which directly influence your dog’s habits. You may have been practicing these habits for awhile which means your dog has been too! Making training a lifestyle choice rather than just a program you follow for a short period of time is the key to a fulfilling and happy relationship for you and your dog!