Benefits of Coaching A Dog Training Client

I’ve heard from clients before of how burdened they feel about the dog training industry.

Pet parents expressed feeling beaten down by other trainers that they are hesitant to get help.

Sometimes the hesitancy turns to refusal to try again. They would much rather “just deal” or sadly, rehome their dog.

One client shared how she felt overrun by pet professionals and lands on the periphery of the training plan.

Another client shared how she feels judged other pet parents, family members, friends and neighbors about how to “best” handle her dogs behavior. Much to her dismay, their suggestions are misaligned with her values.

When a pet parent’s growth edge shows up, old limiting beliefs float to the surface.

Feelings of “My opinion isn’t valued.” “I’m not included in the training program.” “I feel alone in navigating x situation.” “I’m not enough.” “I feel lost.” “I don’t know how to do x and I’m afraid to ask.”

Training alone doesn’t empathize or address how our clients move forward with their dog.

The essence of training is for the expert in the field (trainer) to impart knowledge and set learning objectives for the pet parent (trainee).

Expert level training is time limited and lays the foundation for how’s and why’s of what you’re doing with your dog.

The focus is strictly on building the skills.

Coaching is the other leg.

Coaching succeeds training.

Coaching creates space for the pet parent to apply what they learned and ask questions in a safe place.

Through coaching, a pet parent can feel heard, seen and valued. They receive support in a way they didn’t have before and within this leveled up professional relationship, pet parents can transform.

The pet parent’s transformation can directly impact the wellbeing and life of their dog because the pet parent isn’t just learning how to perform a skill, they are becoming the person they want to be and how they want to show up for their dog.

Your client becomes an advocate for their dog’s needs in a way where they empowered in their voice.

Your client can be present with their dog, recognize their own stress response find the space to calm themselves and then respond to their dog’s emotional needs.

Your client learns to identify the values which ground them in knowing where they stand when navigating judgmental conversations from friends and family members. This frees them from carrying the burden of those judgments.

Ultimately, when your clients embody how they want to show up for their dog in this new way, they are no longer just doing, but they are being the pet parent they envisioned for themselves.

Attachment to Outcome No Longer Serves You

The way things are going are no longer working.

You’re exhausted from doing the same thing every day and expecting a different result.

This is creating havoc and frustration in your life and you can no longer ignore it.

The push to change is palpable.

You start to see you’re so far away from where you want to be and now the pull to seek out a new way of doing things is evident.

You recognize making the choice to change creates a bit of excitement within you.

The catalyst to change is feeling the push in expanding your awareness of yourself and gaining knowledge of how to get yourself to the next level.

Embarking on a new journey, especially when you’re learning how to do things in new way is also scary.

Self doubt simmers underneath the surface. You question if you can do it.

You question your own capability of what is possible.

You’re brave and take the next step towards your own transformation.

Putting yourself out there exposes your own vulnerabilities. Your growth edge is exposed.
�You become so laser focused on the end result because fear of the unknown creeps in leading you down a rabbit hole of self doubt about whether you’re capable to do the thing settles over you when you judge things as not going as planned.

You hold on to the end result with a tight fist, but when the experience doesn’t fit nicely into how you perceive the outcome to be, this feeling of control becomes your self imposed prison.

The more you attach yourself to the outcome, you lose your way and lose sight of what you’re already achieving.

Transformation isn’t about the outcome.

Transformation is how you make the choice to experience what you’re learning and gaining as you continue down your own path and taking action based on the information you’re mind and body are receiving from the action.

I was working with a client recently and she was sharing how she wanted her dogs to walk with her on a leash and to how she wanted her dog to check in with her.

While we were outside working on leash walking, I noticed how her dog took a few steps along with her, by her side.

I exclaimed, “Did you see that!”

She said, “What?”

I then shared how Patty was walking alongside her a few steps and my client shared she didn’t notice.

By not remaining consciously aware of what you’re working on, of course you’re not able to see what’s happening right in front of you.

But, you’re awareness of what you’re doing and taking action on is where the magic happens.

This is how you can actually observe what you’re achieving!

Another client was struggling for a long time with some major biting behavior in the home.

He’s been wanting a connection with his dog that is relaxed and of course without a lot of biting.

In the midst of him sharing about all the problems he’s been facing and how the last week was tough with an increase in biting and jumping, I pointed out his dog was settled on the ground in the living room, away from him and happily chomping on a toy.

I pointed out how his dog was actually doing what he wanted.

But, in the midst of all the moments judged as bad, a problem or just all wrong, the good was there, but it didn’t exist in that client’s reality because the overwhelm of the problem filled that space.

Rather than judging things as all good or all bad based on how you perceive the outcome to be, instead see what you’re observing is information.

Information feeding into how you proceed. How you adjust what you’re doing. How you take the next step.

When you release your death grip on the outcome, remain consciously aware of what is going on in the moment, here is where you can adjust how you proceed by the information you’re receiving.

The goal is achieved by the small action steps you take and they may show up in the smallest of ways.

Be ready to receive.

Be ready to celebrate.

Without your awareness of what you’re already achieving, you lose sight of where you’re going.

Lighten Your Load

What weighs you down?

Other people’s expectations of what you should be doing, how you should be acting, how you spend your time and energy?

Maybe even how your dog should be behaving.

A good friend of mine explained it this way.

Each of your worries are bricks. The weight of one is easy to handle, but when you combine all of your worries and doubts into a pile, the weight of each brick is amplified together.

Not only do the bricks exist and are in a nice neat pile, but everyday, you fill up your backpack with these bricks and carry them around with you all day, everyday.

When you fill your backpack with these worries and your dog starts practicing behaviors you would rather live life without like

Barking out of boredom.

Escaping from your yard.

Stealing socks, underwear or even your kids toys.

Your dog becomes another brick to add to the pile.

Your dog didn’t choose to live with you, but you brought your dog into your home and wanted to share a life with him.

When you allow judgements and expectations to consume you, you have no more room in your life to create a loving bond with your dog. Your dog becomes another thing to worry about too.

Inertia creeps in.

Fear takes over.

Believing that the tighter you hold on to your worries will give you a sense of control, but all it does is limits what you can accomplish.

Now, what if you make a choice of prioritizing the bricks you carry with you?

That’s right, you have choice of where you give a piece of your mental real estate.

You can leave the pile outside and take the ones you want and switch them out.

Which ones do you value the most?

These are the bricks to prioritize.

Reconnect with your “why”.

Why did you adopt your dog?

For companionship?

Provide a better life for your friend?

Shifting your perspective from what your dog can do for you, to what you can do for your dog will open your world.

When your dog flourishes, you flourish too.

Meeting your dog’s needs for bonding, trust and love, your dog will not be finding ways to meet this need on his own which may be a source of your stress.

When you can allocate time to play, teach and celebrate what your dog is already doing that you want more of, the worries about your dog’s behavior will not make it into your backpack.

You’ve made room for other things in your life, you’ve alleviated one of headaches and replaced it with joy, harmony and kindness.

Make a change to how you spend your life with your dog.

You’ll achieve greater self satisfaction, connection and most of all you will receive the greatest gift of all, unconditional love from your best friend, your dog.

Want to learn how to change old pattern of behaviors?

Set up your Discovery Call with me

Get Started