Training Tuesday: Overwhelm in Dog Training

How to take action on challenges

This podcast and video are shared with permission from Susan Garrett's Shaped by Dog podcast series.

Success in dog training is about taking action. But if you are frustrated or overwhelmed or not sure you are doing the right thing, taking action can be challenging. We’re looking at how to put barriers aside and find the fast track on the path ahead.

In the episode you'll hear:

• About the epiphany I had when cycling and going through gates on the trail.
• Why I focus on the path and not the obstacles.
• How people can get wrapped up in focusing on the things they don’t like.
• A story from basketball about Giannis Antetokounmpo for inspiration.
• How easy it is to let your ego interfere with our dog training.
• Why our emotional state is important for an amazing relationship with our dog.
• What to do when you feel triggered.
• Why timeframes can have us focus on the outcome, cut corners, and lead to frustration.
• The reason I think of surrender as a place of strength.
• A quote from Alexandra Horowitz about how dog training can change us.
• Why we need to give ourselves grace and our dogs grace.
• About how every interaction with our dogs is training and a conversation.
• Five things to focus on to progress your training.
• Why exercise, games, downtime, socializing and enrichment are important for puppies.
• How things happen faster when you focus on the path.

Visit the website for the complete transcript of this podcast.

About Susan Garrett

Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behavior started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in animal science. Since then she has developed into a pre-eminent canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last two decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years.

A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply learning principles to practical and competitive dog training has made her a much sought-after speaker throughout North America and as far away as Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The Dog Writers Association of America named Susan’s book “Shaping Success” the 2005 "Dog Training and Behaviour Book of the Year." 

Read more about Susan and her training philosophy.