Lotta Spjut
27 Oct 2024
A HUGE thank you to all the participants!
On October 27, 2024, we wrapped up the final session of my 6-week Everyday Obedience course.
Over the span of four weeks, six teams completed more than three hours of theory and 4.5 hours of practical training.
Thank you so much for these amazing sessions! It was an absolute pleasure to train together with the participants and their wonderful dogs – each one with so many great qualities.
Nobody becomes fully trained in just a few sessions. The truth is, we’re never fully trained. There’s always something new to learn, improve, or refine.
The purpose of this course was to teach tools and techniques to help build a stronger relationship with your dog, focusing on follow-up, contact, and self-control – essential foundations for walks, dog meetings, and other everyday situations – all through positive reinforcement.
Course Goals:
- Build solid contact where your dog seeks your attention and follows you naturally.
- Develop self-control and leash training for calmer walks.
- Handle dog meetings with effective strategies for a calm and controlled interaction.
- Boost confidence in both the dog and the owner.
A final piece of advice I shared:
When you encounter moments of frustration during training, take a deep breath and ask yourself:
“Have I been clear in my instructions so my dog understands what I mean and expect?” (If you were the dog, would you understand your own instructions?)
If the answer is yes, take a step back in the exercise to repeat and practice at that level for a while before moving forward.
If the answer is no, break the exercise into smaller, short steps and practice them individually before combining them into the full routine.
Our dogs don’t do things to upset or defy us. They act the way they do either because they don’t know what to do instead, or because their behavior is tied to an emotion. Most of the time, they don’t display these challenging behaviors, but as owners, it’s easy to focus on the “few” times they do.
Here’s a tip: Keep a daily log of the behavior you want to work on. You’ll notice that the challenging moments become fewer and fewer as you work on it together.
Of course, all teams received a diploma and a small goodie bag as a token of appreciation for their dedication and participation.