Get Creative with your training!

Perfection can kill creativity. Or more so, the desire for perfection in a first attempt.

Dog training is messy. Unless you’re an experienced trainer or handler, you are going to make mistakes. Even if you’re experienced, mistakes happen.

Many owners are too afraid to try new things in the fear of making these mistakes, and yet we don’t improve without trial and error. It’s impossible to strive to be an award-winning competitor in a dog sport, or a well-renowned trainer, without first having learnt through your experiences.

It’s sad that, when posting videos for peers to see, imperfection is met with criticism. No wonder so many new trainers and owners are afraid to show their work, no wonder they’re afraid to try something new in the fear that it won’t be perfect first time.

You don’t paint the Mona Lisa the first time you pick up a paintbrush. It takes a lot of work to

build up skills, and it’s messy. I think the idea of perfectly clean training, with a written plan detailing every step, kills the opportunity of spontaneity and creativity. Maybe your dog will do something unexpected, and just maybe that unexpected thing will be so much better than what you had planned.

Don’t do no training in the fear it’ll be wrong, you can tweak things as you learn. Give it a go, and see how you get on. Something is better than nothing.

Take time out to sit down with a pile of treats, and just have fun with your training. No plan, no rules. See where the creativity takes you.