How Dog Training is Like Going to the Gym

My husband and I are back in our 3x/week gym routine, now that the holiday season is over and it is dark and cold in the evenings.  We went sporadically before Thanksgiving (well he was consistent, but not me).  And every time I went it it was almost like starting over.  It turns out that going once every other week has very little lasting impact.

I’ve often used the “training your dog is like going to the gym” analogy with clients. Our gym has some motivational quotes painted on the wall. Last night I spent my 45 minutes there thinking about how they also apply to dog training.

I’ll share them with you:

1. “Don’t wish for it, work for it”

Yup, you’ve gotta actually go to the gym and do the work.  Just like dog training, you have to put in the time and effort. 

Along these same lines, in order to reach your goals, you have to have a plan.  For example, say your goal is to run a 5K. While showing up at the gym is great first approximation, you can’t go to the gym and halfheartedly do the elliptical to meet this goal. You have to build up to actually running.  Your effort has to be focused towards your goals.

2. “Results happen over time, not overnight.  Work hard, stay consistent, be patient”

You probably can’t run a 5K on your first day at the gym either! (Or maybe you can, but it won’t feel good tomorrow). Likewise, your dog can’t learn to walk nicely on a leash in one session. It takes practice over time.

On the same topic, you usually can’t tell a large difference from one gym visit to the very next visit.  But if you compare the first visit (maybe months ago) to the one yesterday, the differences are huge.  Dog training is like this too. Results are born from building on success over time.

This is one reason that keeping a training log or similar data can be so helpful.  It makes the tiny improvements more visible.  Sort of like tracking how many sit ups you can do.  Maybe the first time it was 5, then 6, then 6 again, then 7.  But across a few weeks you might get up to 20.  When you compare 5 to 20, that’s a huge improvement!

Staying consistent is another key factor.  Jumping around too much or changing your goals all the time can split your attention so much that it’s impossible to make progress toward any one goal.  Have your dog trainer help you to pick a few top priorities and stick to them until you reach your desired results.

3. “If you feel like quitting, remember why you started”

This one is going to be personal and different for everyone, but in some way, you chose to go to the gym to improve your quality of life. 

When you chose to start down the training path with your dog, it was likely a decision you made with the goal of both improving the quality of your life and your dog’s life.