Prince is one of our doggie guests, living in our house while his owners are on vacation. I offer a unique service of boarding dogs in my house with each dog basically becoming my pet for the duration of their stay. We follow their regular routine so the dog can be as comfortable as possible while the dogs owners have peace of mind knowing their dog is following their usual routine with a whole bunch of added in fun.

My goal with our doggie guests is to give them their ultimate vacation. Most people’s ultimate vacation might include a private jet, penthouse hotel rooms and high class food. A dog really just wants attention and company, a good walk around the neighborhood, and some type of setup to help them learn and think otherwise known as formal training.  

Most people can agree that it’s fun and fulfilling to learn something new or level up a certain skill they’ve been developing. How many times have you read a new book or article and then can’t wait to tell everyone how good it was and how they need to read it themselves? We want to pass on that wonderful feeling and help people obtain it for themselves. 

Dogs are the same minus wanting to spread the word of how much fun training is (they’re too busy thinking about themselves and being first in the training room!). They LOVE the lightbulb moments when they accomplish something in training just as much as the frustrating moments when they are trying to figure out the answer. With no real idea of where the training session is going and no social pressure to figure it out, dogs live in the moment and fully concentrate on what they are in the process of doing. Done correctly, training is something dogs are looking to seek out again and again. 

Some dogs naturally love training while other dogs need to be gently guided through the early stages and rituals of training before they realize how much fun it is. No matter where the dog starts out, by the end of their boarding stay they are all trying to get back into the training room for one more session before they go home.

How awesome is it that something our dogs enjoy so much is also something thats so useful for us? Anyone who owns a dog can probably state at least one reason why training does or would help their dog.

So dogs love training and what we train our dogs to do can help us lead the life we want with our dogs, not to mention limit the headaches our dogs can sometimes cause us.

So why is it from my experience that most people don’t train their dogs, think of training their dogs as a chore or are always looking for the finish line when they can stop training their dog? 

That question has prompted me to start writing this blog and share not only my insights as a professional dog trainer, but to also help people see how much fun training is and how to develop and maintain the habit of training their dog.