Let’s talk management – the most under-utilized tool in dog training and day-to-day life.
Most new puppy parents use some degree of management to help their young pups build good potty habits. Controlling the environment and the pup’s access to it makes perfect sense. However, expanding this concept to other situations is often where parents’ feelings about management change.
Why You Should Use Management More
I don’t know why parents are not keen to use management in their training and day-to-day life with their dogs. A few reasons might be:
- using management feels like you are avoiding dealing with the problem
- you are in a reactive, not proactive mode
- you can’t figure out what your management options are
- you’re trapped in a conflict zone with your dog
- implementing management seems tedious or troublesome
Do any of these register with you? They are all legit reasons. But you can rectify them, leading to a more positive outcome.
Reasons to Implement Management With Your Dog
- management IS NOT an avoidance tactic. Management is an essential part of any good training plan. If you’re not using management, your training will be inconsistent, and results will be affected.
- without management, you will be reacting to your dog doing things you don’t like. Putting out fires is frustrating and can affect how we feel about our dogs. And undesired behaviours will be repeated, practiced and made into habits that will be harder and take longer to change.
- a crate comes to mind when people think of management. But it is SO much more! There are so many ways to manage your dog, or if you prefer, to manage the environment. No matter the issue, with a bit of creativity, there is a solution.
- if you are reacting to your dog rather than setting them up for success, you are stuck in a cycle of conflict. Being proactive will take away the stress and leave more time for training and helping your dog learn the habits you want.
- the reasons listed above should be more than sufficient to convince you of the value of management. Any notions that it is a hassle to set up fall away in comparison to its benefits.
Whatever issue you want to address, passive or active management must be part of your training and daily life. Management will be paramount to your success, whether it is a more serious behavioural issue such as reactivity, separation anxiety or a ‘bad’ habit like jumping up or counter-surfing. Don’t miss out!
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