I used to be a lazy trainer.



Not lazy in that I skipped steps…



Or jumped to less than ethical methods to reach my goal quickly.



No, not lazy like that.



I was a trainer that never finished what I started.



You see, I liked teaching new things…



I did NOT, however, like logging the reps.



As soon as things became methodical…



As soon as they lost their “new” trick smell…



As soon as they became a bit mundane…



I was over it…



And I’d quickly jump to the next “new trick”, never really finishing everything unless it was absolutely crucial for everyday life.



I did this so often that I used to beg those trainers who loved precision to teach me their ways.



Not their techniques (although I’m always down to learn a new approach)…



I wanted instead to learn how they maintained motivation…



How they continued pushing forward…



Doing the same thing day in and day out…



While I consistently got bored and jumped ship.



It’s funny how much things have changed over the years. In fact, when I reflect back, I often laugh at how scattered my training was because these days, I log the reps every day without fail.



Now, I do the work.



Now, I enjoy the journey far more than the destination.



And now, new isn’t as exciting as finished.



So what caused the shift?



How did my mindset do a complete 180?



I implemented one single life hack that changed everything.



I made training a “lifestyle”. Not just another “to-do”.



Think about it. Ever heard those fitness coaches that say “It isn’t a diet…it’s a lifestyle?”



Well, listen. The same can be said for dog training.



And the thing is, while one could argue that dog training IS my life, I would have fought you tooth and nail if you told me that training my dog needed to become my lifestyle…



Because I LOVE my dog training time…



But I’d much rather go for a hike with them…take them swimming…or embark on some other adventure that does NOT include logging reps to get a flashy focused heel that…let’s face it…isn’t going to do them any favors in the living life department.



I train my dogs because sometimes it’s a necessity, but mostly it’s simply a fun and productive way for me to spend time with them.



So no…I don’t want teaching advanced tricks or playing dog sports to be a “lifestyle”.



Yet, even with that attitude, I made it so…



And I did it without sacrificing the hikes, the beach time, and the time I spend without my dogs (because this is important too!).



I did it while still keeping my house clean…



And keeping up with my chores…



And with time to spare at the end of the day.



So how did I do it?



One simple technique.



I created habits.



I know, I know. You’re thinking “Easier said than done, Meagan.” Or “Tell me something I didn’t already know…”



But stay with me for a minute.



You see, creating habits is hard. I get it.



It’s not like one day you’ll wake up, get motivated, decide to create a new habit and it will just…stick.



It doesn’t work that way.



Sure you might be successful for two or three days…maybe even for a week.



But pretty soon, life will get in the way…



Your shiny new habit will get interrupted…



And you’ll find yourself back in the same old patterns of not training your dog…



Or not doing your chores…



Or not exercising.



You can’t create habits haphazardly. For them to stick around, you have to get strategic.



Here’s what I did…



I used old habits to make new ones.



First, pick a habit you already have. Something you do every day without fail. A habit that’s bombproof.



Next, create an If -> Then scenario in your head. Even better, write it down and stick it on your fridge (or in my case, on a whiteboard in my office).



Then, practice.



So for example, every day, I let Shank out in the morning. When he comes in, I wipe his feet (we live in a VERY muddy part of the world) and then feed him breakfast.



So my If —> Then becomes “If I wipe Shank’s feet, then I train him.”



And I write this on my whiteboard.



By tethering the new habit to an existing habit that’s pretty much set in stone, you’ve created a daily reminder to train your dog.



And if you really want to get creative and jumpstart your motivation, you can tether training your dog (or any other healthy habit you want to adopt) to habits you want to change, habits that aren’t doing you any favors OR to limiting beliefs you might have.



Check it out…



If I have a habit of saying “I’m bored”, and then replacing my boredom with a snack (90% of the time, I snack because I’m bored), I can flip the switch on that habit by tethering my boredom to something more productive.



I can create a new scenario that looks something like this…



The old habit:



If I say to myself “I’m bored” —> I grab a Snack



The new rule:



If I say to myself “I’m bored” —> I walk the dog.



Or if I spend too much time on Facebook (Guilty!), I can create a new rule that says…



If I open Facebook, I must train the dog for 5 minutes. Then, if I still feel like scrolling afterward, I can.



By creating If-> Then scenarios, and writing them down, I can create simple reminders that help me establish new habits and patterns, making me more productive with little effort.



Here are a few more tricks that will help.



Keep your sessions short

You will NEVER find me training for an hour straight.

But a few short sessions each day is completely do-able.

Convincing yourself to practice for 2 minutes is easier than carving out an hour of training once a week.

Not to mention, by practicing for short bursts daily, you’ll make more progress more quickly than you would if you entirely ignored your training during the week, and only tackled it in that big chunk of time you have scheduled on the weekend.

By practicing my training in small bursts, my new habit is easier to adopt, and far less overwhelming (your dog will think so too!).

Create a reward system

Listen, we as trainers are awesome at motivating our dogs.

I mean, if you are anything like me, rewards come often and there’s motivation a-plenty. In fact, I’d argue we are experts in keeping our dogs motivated for training. So why can’t we do the same for ourselves?

The answer…it’s easy.

We don’t use (or even think to use) the same training techniques we use for our dogs…on ourselves.

So I’ll challenge you to start rewarding yourself for sticking with your habits.

Pick a training goal you have…Keep it simple, and achievable, and clearly defined.

For me, it was finishing my retrieves.

Then, create a plan to reward yourself when you hit that goal.

To be effective, make sure the reward is something you really want. And make sure that it’s not something you gift yourself with regularly.

For example, I said, “When I finish Shank’s retrieves, we’re going to go to my favorite restaurant for dinner and drinks.” Boom. Motivation to keep going.

Just make sure you keep your promise to yourself.

And make sure you don’t reward yourself before you’ve earned it.

Listen, I’ll be the first to admit, it can be easy to neglect logging the reps in favor of those shiny new training tricks…

But if you get strategic about creating new habits around your training, you’ll see far more progress and you’ll become more effective. Not to mention, your training will become significantly more satisfying once you start seeking out the finish line, above the “shiny” and “new”.

