Years ago I had the fortune of training extensively alongside a great trainer. I was new to CKC Competitive Obedience and was interested in learning all the exercises necessary to compete in Novice through to Utility. This wonderful trainer took me under her wing and helped me with my young German Shepherd. I also learned so much just watching her work her own dogs, both in training and also competing in the ring. She was a beautiful handler and was highly successful with a wide range of dog breeds. She was one of the most important mentors I had as a young student, learning about dog training.
Prioritizing Dog Training Goals: The Foundation
Of all the advice she gave me, one that stood out and I carry with me today when working with my own students is deciding which behaviours/exercises are ones you have to get right, and which ones you can let pass. She would say, “choose the hill you’re going to die on and see it through.” As she put it, it is impossible to make everything a top priority. So figure out where your biggest goals land, and work hard to achieve them
When I see a new client, we will often go over their list of training goals and expectations. To make things achievable so there is success, I help them decide where to put their training energy – what to prioritize and make their “hill,” and where management might work just fine. Some things we might just decide to give a pass altogether and let the dog continue with what he is currently doing – in this case usually the student just needs reassurance that the dog is behaving perfectly normal and his behaviour doesn’t need changing.
My Personal Training Hills: Off-Leash Recall
For me, one of my big “hills” is that my dogs need to have a solid recall so they can enjoy off leash life in the city. For the breed of dogs I live with, they NEED to be off leash every day for their mental wellness. It’s hard to find a border collie that does well, behaviourally, without that freedom – and lots of it. So it’s a training issue I’ve worked very hard on, putting a lot of effort and resources into it, to ensure that our morning runs in the park are safe, and that I can call my dogs off a coyote, a running child or another dog. And that I have very happy dogs.
What I’m NOT Willing to Die On: Loose Leash Heeling
Less so for me is heeling on a loose leash perfectly at my side. It’s not a hill I care to die on. I manage it fine and my dogs are usually a bit out in front of me with the leashes taunt, but I don’t care. I could have worked much harder on this but not everything is a training goal for me and some things I just give a pass. Their leash skills are fine by me; I enjoy our walks even if they aren’t models of perfection, my two dogs.
Training vs. Management: Two Paths to Success
Most behaviours we want to change fall into two categories – either we make them training issues, or we figure out management strategies that don’t allow for rehearsal of poor behaviour. For those things that we prioritize as training, they might take an incredible amount of hard work and persistence to see them through. And each of us have different goals. The loose leash walking I mentioned above? Many of my students have made this one of their hills and they have worked very hard to achieve lovely loose leash walking. They have put in the time and the effort necessary without corrective collars and with positive methods to get lovely connection and heel position with their dogs. Hats off to them for the incredible job! Nothing is prettier to see than that connection on leash.
How to Choose Your Dog Training Priorities
When you sit and look at things you want to change in your dog, ask yourself how important those training objectives are. How much time and effort are you willing to put in to train your dog in each of those specific areas? And where do they land in your list of priorities? You can’t make everything a hill to die on, and so ask yourself what is important to you and what is ok to manage or let slide? For those things that are your hills, get a solid plan in place, some guidance from a trainer if needed, and get to work. You need to figure out which things quitting is not an option for you.
Real Results: From Obedience Training to Championship
That young German Shepherd mentioned above that I had years ago went on to get her Master Obedience Trial Championship and was the top German Shepherd in CKC Obedience in the same year. Reaching those goals was certainly a hill I was prepared to die on because I knew she was capable of it and she loved the training so much. The challenge was for me to figure out how to train all those exercises and to learn how to compete successfully with her in the ring. It was a big hill.
As my mentor said, I just had to see it through, which I did.
