When it comes to dog training, practice really does make perfect (or at least, pretty darn close).
Did you take a foreign language in school? You spent years learning how to conjugate your verbs and learn basic vocabulary words…then you graduated. For many people, that’s where the language learning stopped. You went off to college or started your career, and you stopped flexing those foreign language muscles you’d built. Because you stopped practicing, it would probably be pretty hard for you to keep up in a conversation now, right?
Dog training is the same way!
Every behavior that your dog learns is a new skill they’ve unlocked. The more your pup practices that skill, the better they become. But if they stop practicing, it becomes harder and harder to pull that knowledge from their brains when they need it.
When it comes to all skills, if you don’t use them, you lose them. Regular training sessions on behaviors that your dog has already mastered are great ways to keep that skill fresh in their brains. Like a good workout for an athlete.
It also helps to practice behaviors in a variety of new environments and around common, every day distractions. This is what we refer to as “distraction proofing.” The more that you’re able to practice with your dog, the better your dog will become at responding, regardless of the environment or distractions.
How often do you practice with your dog?