My Training Journey
Editor’s Note: In April 2021, Christie Catan became a certified professional dog trainer, knowledge assessed (CPDT-KA). She is currently a Lead Trainer at Dog Trained. The following article was written before Christie received her certification.
I should start by saying that I am not a professional dog trainer. It was never my dream to train my dogs, and I always thought that I should leave the training to the pros.
After spending thousands of dollars on training my dog, Otis, I was frustrated. Costly training lessons left me with an obedient dog who lacked enthusiasm and was still afraid of so many things (think feathers, kids, boxes, bags, skateboards, scooters, noises, and the list goes on). I felt helpless and had no idea how to give my dog a better life.
Why I Decided to Train My Dog for Five Minutes a Day
Still determined to somehow help, I made a promise to train Otis myself for five minutes every day (I picked a goal that I could achieve even with my hectic schedule). Committing to those five minutes turned out to be the easy part. Figuring out what to do in our time together proved to be far more difficult.
Despite all the money I’d spent on training, I had no idea what to incorporate in our sessions or even what to research, and I felt incredibly overwhelmed. I bought dense books from the 1980s that invoked psychologists like B.F. Skinner and Pavlov and read articles with training terms that left my head spinning. I even watched YouTube videos about training bomb sniffing dogs (oy vey, I wish you could see my search history). A particular high point was when I ordered a four-hour training DVD set (even my determined inner-nerd didn’t finish these). Soon I also started following any living person who talked about dog training on Instagram, to the point that I was only getting served dog ads (even on my personal, non-Otis account).
Slowly - and I mean slowly - I started to notice patterns in my research. I began picking up on training terms and concepts and I finally had enough basic knowledge to identify the methodologies and trainers that I liked and respected. (I also grew frustrated with how difficult it was to find training content in a digestible format, but that is a story for another time). Interestingly, I observed dogs’ tails wagging throughout many training videos and wanted to help Otis experience the joy of training too.
How I Got Started with Daily Training
When I finally started to implement my research into training Otis for five minutes a day, I set some basic ground rules that really paid off. I vowed to listen to Otis and he became one of my greatest teachers. (I owe him a thank you for being so patient with me as I learned). I also stopped caring about perfection or compliance and no longer trained just to fix problems. Instead, I trained for joy (his and mine) and to help teach him how to thrive in this human world. To this day, I am in awe of what happened:
Increasingly, Otis started naturally choosing to do what I wanted him to do. To be fair, he does not always make the choices I want him to make, and that is okay! I find myself having fewer and fewer reasons to give commands or shout “no” because he has started to become a “thinking dog” who can make good choices on his own.
He became enthusiastic about training and working with me. He will fly over to me when I ask him if he is ready to train. He no longer looks like the pouty kid whose parent just said “it’s time to go” as he runs over to me. He is thrilled to head my way.
Otis started picking me over other things. Previously, I always played second fiddle to other dogs, but now other dogs take a back seat to me.
He grew so much more confident. He started to not only trust me, but also to trust himself to work through fears. He is a completely different dog.
I realized how much Otis (and dogs in general) need the ongoing mental stimulation that training offers. A trip to the dog park is not sufficient for a great life.
I learned to cater my sessions to Otis’ emotional and physical needs. Serving up what he needs has had a huge impact on our progress.
I found joy. Training Otis allowed me to be present, and for me, that is the ultimate gift in this crazy life.
I discovered so much about myself. That may sound crazy, but you would be surprised at how much working with your dog in a kind way has a way of telling us what we need spiritually and emotionally in our own lives.
I met so many supportive people along the way (including amazing professional trainers) who imparted wisdom and reminded me to laugh when I’m outsmarted by Otis.
Spreading the Joy of Training Now and in the Future
Most importantly, I no longer train because I have to. I train because I want to. Some days I don’t train at all because life happens, and that is okay. It has been such a gift to watch Otis, and now, Sully, transform through training. I feel lucky to get to be a part of it.
There are so many things about training that I wish I had known sooner, but chief among them is how much joy it can add to your life. Sharing this joy is what made me start Tails of Connection with Jessica, my co-founder. Our dreams far exceed what I’ve learned, and we are excited for the rest of the journey.
An Important Note
I want to be clear about something. I will always love working with (good) professional trainers! Through my journey, I learned that there is so much to be gained from also learning how to bond with your dog through your own regular training - even if it is to supplement work you’re doing with a trainer. Some of my favorite moments with my dogs have happened as I helped them learn something new or conquer a fear. I had always viewed training as some utilitarian thing, and it felt more like a big chore. I realized it could be as simple as five minutes, and if I wanted to make it a regular part of our lives, it also had to be fun.
Training Diary: What It's Like to Finish the Tails of Connection Challenge
Allison Jones and Marisa Lovaincy are two dog moms from very different corners of North America. Both are members of our Slack training community, and when we asked them this past December to test the Tails of Connection Challenge, they'd never met. By the end of our 14-day testing phase, Marisa told Tails of Connection (TOC), "I loved seeing Allison train her dog, Indy [in the private Challenge Facebook group]. It's so cool to see the different challenges that she gives her dog." We sat down separately with Allison (from her home in Canada - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to be exact) and Marisa (from her house in Boston, Mass.) right before Christmas to hear what they really thought about the Tails of Connection Challenge.
A Tale of Two TOC Community Dogs
Marisa and her Sheepadoodle, Athena, trained for the challenge mostly in the afternoon. “We didn't really train in the morning because she just seems lazier. She'll eat breakfast and then she'll lay on the guest bed and stay there for two hours,” she told TOC. (Photo Credit: Lauren Dobish Photography)
Allison's dog, Indy, is a three year old rescue mix whom she adopted when she was around six months old. "We thought she would be an easy dog. That's why we chose her. Then she got quite nervous and fearful and was not as easy anymore. That's what really drove me into looking into more training stuff," she told TOC.
Marisa's dog, Athena, is a one year old Sheepadoodle. "She's so sassy. Her personality reminds me a lot of [Christie’s dog] Sully. She's very, very independent… [and] she's not very cuddly...She'll lick your face to death but doesn't want to be cuddled," Marisa said.
How the Challenge Works for Dogs of Different Skill Levels
Allison works part-time and considers Indy to be her main hobby. At this point, they've taken six in person training classes together. "Coming into the challenge as a more intermediate-level person, I still had a lot of fun going back to the basics in addition to trying some new stuff that we had never done before...I love doing these type of things because they push me, as you say, to ‘spend five minutes a day’ with Indy," she told TOC.
Marisa also has a more flexible work schedule and brings Athena to a group classes regularly. Once a week, they join about 12 other dogs (who are mostly trained for the police force) to work on Athena's recall outside.
Marisa highlighted the difference between that group class experience and the challenge:
"In the class environment, we worked a lot on heeling, loose leash walking, staying, recall, and stuff like that. A lot of those things for Athena have taken a while to build that skill set...But then there's other things [in the challenge where] I've been really impressed with Athena. That could be because you laid out the training in such an understandable way where you could learn like different types of dogs (like Sully and Otis). She has really picked up on it. So that has been really interesting to me that I can see real progress so quickly."
Finding Time to Train Five Minutes a Day
Allison and her dog, Indy, trained mostly in her living room and posted daily videos (like the screen grab of this one) in our private Facebook group.
When it came to completing challenge during the busy holiday season, both women said they loved how short the videos and assignments were and felt it was very doable. Marisa told us that she would schedule a five minute training window everyday like a workout. They both admitted to doubling up and completing two challenge days in a single day, but had no issue playing catch up.
Since the point of the challenge is really to have fun bonding with your dog at your own pace, we loved when Marisa told us that she spent some days just playing outside with Athena as their “five minutes” because that's what Athena needed on that day. She explained, "I also [decided] if she's not getting this [day of the challenge], I'll just move on and come back to [the training game] a different day and continue onto the next day’s training."
Allison enjoyed the daily accountability of the challenge and decided to document her training in our private Facebook group by posting a video everyday, even though this wasn't a requirement. Some days she posted videos of her work with Indy at their local dog park that was transformed into a winter wonderland, where she reported that it was a balmy 28 degrees Fahrenheit!
Main Takeaways from Our Challenge Testers
Both women agreed that they would do the challenge again. Marisa wants to revisit days that Athena hasn't mastered and loves that she can replay the challenge videos. Her proudest dog mom moment came at day 13 when Athena learned to bow. "My parents came to pick up Athena before we went on vacation and they are huge dog people too. I showed them the trick, and they couldn't believe she learned it that day."
For Allison, the challenge helped keep things in perspective. "For rolling the ball, I was like 'today we're doing it like Sully.' Maybe Indy will never roll the ball with her nose, but it's kind of fun to work on it and play with it together...It does make it so much more approachable to be like ‘we mess it up sometimes.’ You've got to kind of laugh when you fail and reset."
To join the Tails of Connection Challenge click here.