Back to Training: Setting Goals

Petra Ford and Tyler in competition in the U.S.

We hope you enjoyed our ten days of Top Dog Stories.  Now it’s time to get back to training topics.

If you’re an instructor, Canine Good Citizen evaluator, or the owner of a new puppy in an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy class, you’re involved in some level of training, learning, or instruction.

To achieve maximum results, set goals for yourself.  Think of the acronym SMART.  Goals should be:

Specific

Measurable

Achieveable

Realistic

Time-targeted

A goal for an instructor/evaluator might be: “This spring I am going to hold a CGC class and test, and introduce a new AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy class.”

An advanced trainer may have a goal such as: “I am going to make 25 visits (giving me a total of 50 visits) to get my dog’s AKC Therapy Dog title this year.”

And the goal for an owner of a new puppy might be: “I’m going to attend a training class with my puppy and get the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy award.”

At the recent Crufts Dog Show in England, Petra Ford from Washington, NJ represented the American Kennel Club. Petra and her Labrador Retriever, “Tyler” (NOC OTCH Count Tyler Show Me The Money UDX7 OM6 MH) won first place in the Crufts Obedience World Cup.

Here’s an interview with Petra talking about her goal to win first place:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wicm09_nMk&feature=youtu.be

Whether the task is winning an advanced competition, earning a title for therapy work, or teaching your puppy to sit this week with a food lure, planning and setting SMART goals will help maximize training success.

About these ads