July Training Challenge!

Ok Everyone, I know how hard it can be to get kick started to work with your dogs. It can feel overwhelming not knowing where to start or what to focus on. So join me in a DAILY training game. Each day for the month of July I will share an exercise to work on to the Hiker Pup FB Group page. If you are not on FB you can use this Youtube Playlist link where I will post the exercise videos to as well. I encourage you to use the FB group to stay motivated and encourage each other, but I get it if you are not a FB person. The lessons will be short and fun! Training doesn’t have to be hard to be effective, in fact, short fun sessions done each day are far more effective then lengthy sessions.

If you have been watching Julia’s progress on IG it’s amazing to watch her change and grow, a HUGE part of that process is every single day I spend 3-5 minutes a day training and 5-10 minutes of dedicated play practice. Every day! But it’s so quick and easy. And now it is just a habit, each day before either dinner or breakfast I take her into the garage or outside with a handful of her kibble and we play these games I am sharing with you this month. And each evening I grab a toy and head out into the yard or the garage and we play. I don’t worry too much about WHAT I am working on, it is really just about that dedicated few minutes a day. That consistency has created a habit for me, and it has become her favorite time of day! She can’t wait to see what we will do each day. It has deepened our bond, that time is for just her and I and she knows it will involve lots of rewards and play, so she is all in. The concept of training itself has become it’s own fun game for us both.

Join us! Try not to miss a day, but if you do, just jump in on the day we are on in the challenge, you don’t have to go back and catch up (unless you want to). Again, the lessons are so short they should be simple to squish into your day. Do them as you get ready to feed them, or while you wait for your coffee to brew.