Dogs come trained in loyalty, unconditional love, and friendship. It’s only the easy stuff that they need to learn. True, teaching all the other stuff can be daunting, but all we need is the right advice at the right time. How does the beginning of the year sound? January is National Train Your Dog Month.
It’s a time when trainers, dog owners, and canine experts come together to celebrate their love for their furry friends by sharing what they know. The internet and social media become a treasure trove of information, tips, and advice. All due to a movement started by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers many years ago.Â
NATIONAL TRAIN YOUR DOG MONTH ACTIVITIESÂ
Experts say training a dog is not a luxury but imperative to his well being and health. Teach a new trick or two, polish up on some tricks or progress your skills to the next level.  A new year calls for a new bag of tricks! Think of a simple and fun trick like rolling over, playing dead, or fetch.Â
Â
Enjoy Furry FridaysÂ
In January, reserve Friday evenings for your dog and share a yoghurt. Go for a walk and explore a new place; National Trust https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dog-friendly , or watch a dog movie with buttered popcorn and a special treat for your best pal!Â
Â
Take to social media.Â
We would love to see you and your dog enjoying your time together. Please share your dog training accomplishments and challenges with other dog lovers through pictures and videos on our FB page. Â
Â
WHY WE LOVE TRAIN YOUR DOG MONTHÂ
Extra bonding timeÂ
Train Your Dog Month means you get to spend more bonding time with your dog. If that’s not a great reason to love this month, then we don’t know what is.Â
Â
Meeting other peopleÂ
Training the dog means you are much more likely to meet other people in your neighbourhood who are also out and about with their dogs. It’s good to be social, both for you and for your dog.Â
Â
Good exerciseÂ
It’s good exercise and promotes mental well-being for you and your dog.Â
Â
January is a good time to assess where you’re at with your dog training activities and set some new training goals or maybe try a new dog sport in 2024 with your dog. Â
The first step is to define your training goal – this could be your dog walking everywhere with you on a loose lead, competing in the agility ring or achieving the next level in your chosen dog sport, or entering a KC Working Test with your gundog.
Your goal may be months or years in the future and you might modify your goal along the way but writing it down is a first step to making it real. Once you have visualised your goal, you can identify the skills you and your dog need to learn and put together a plan of the steps to take to achieve your training goal. You can start and plan your training sessions and keep records of your achievements – small and big ones. Â
Planning your training sessions gives a clear goal for each time you go out training with your dog, helps keeping records to monitor your progress and gives you a checklist of any equipment needed. Â