Albert Camus wrote: “Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”
I like that quote a lot. I like it because it reminds me of why I opened my own dog training business in Fall River MA back in 1995. I had been working for a large dog training and boarding facility in Connecticut and couldn’t stand the way they did training. Every single dog was issued a choke chain and if you used a treat – look out, your head was on the chopping block. Before working there, I was the K-9 Supervisor for a large security company in Hartford CT. Even as the supervisor I was restricted on how to do the training and handle the dogs. Let’s just say I disagreed with much of the training policies.
Knowing next to nothing about running a business with very limited funds and zero contacts, I hung my shingle and opened the doors. I did have the help of my parents which was worth its weight in gold. It would have been much tougher without their help and I’ll always be grateful for them.
I was nervous but it was the best choice I ever made because I had the freedom to train dogs the way I wanted to.
And I wanted to train using a reward based method that improved the bond between dog and owner. Don’t let anyone kid you. Dog training is about having fun with your dog. Sure, you want your dog to listen and respond to your commands, but you can train your dog and have fun at the same time.
I had a subscriber write not too long ago and say that he never thought of dog training as fun. Necessary yes, fun, not exactly. Kind of like exercise he added.
So here’s a little dog training secret to help you. You can choose to have fun training your dog. You have the FREEDOM to choose having fun training or you can look at it like it is drudgery.
One more nugget to add: It is easier having fun training your dog if you are using positive methods like what I teach in my classes.
Use your Freedom to be better today!
Best,
Eric