Can you train your dog in 1 minute a day? YES! And I am going to prove just training one minute a day can AND should be done.
Every week I traverse the SouthCoast and parts of Rhode Island doing between 35 to 40 appointments a week. Every month I see a lot of dogs and owners. When I show up for the second or third appointment I hear the same comment. It goes like this:
“I must be honest with you Eric. I didn’t do much training this week.”
I ALWAYS tell the owner I understand, because I do. People have busy lives and dog training often gets the back burner. But there is a solution. A simple one anyone can do. The solution?
Train one minute a day.
You see, change is hard. People struggle to make changes in their life. Changing your dog’s behavior can be even more difficult. When you start to make changes you get resistance. Think of how hard it is for people to stop smoking, start an exercise plan, quit drinking, and so on. We tend to dive right in and stay motivated for a week or two and then we revert back to our old ways.
Robert Maurer, author of “One Small Step Can Change Your Life, The Kaizen Way,” states instead of trying to make big, sweeping changes in your life you should start with very small steps.
Want to start an exercise program, write a book, or train a dog? Start with small steps to develop a new habit. Mr. Maurer adds by starting with small steps you begin to gain confidence and come to enjoy the new activity as you see improvements.
In his book he shares a story of attending a presentation by a UCLA pain expert helping cancer patients. He asked the class to go home and meditate for just one minute a day. At the end of the class Mr. Maurer approached the speaker and asked him how meditating for one minute a day would make any difference in their lives.
The speaker responded: “Many of them may think meditation is the worst idea they have ever heard. I would they rather go home and meditate for one minute than not meditate for thirty. If they try they discover it’s helpful and they may forget to stop.”
I feel the same way. I would rather you train for one minute and come to enjoy the process of training your dog.
So your instructions for this week are to do just one minute of training this week. As you come to do it more often, you may enjoy it and spend more time doing training with your dog. Let me know how it works out for you.
And if you are struggling with your dog you can get a FREE Behavior Consult. Fill out the form to request one.