Let’s Get Specific; Digging Deeper .

Time doesn’t equal engagement, you got to let them fail.

Now, what I mean by this is simple yet profound.

I can spend over an hour taking my dog through a wooded trail with 50% body weight strapped to her three times a week, yet the DAY I put them on a cart or wheeled implement with heavier weight… they pump the brakes. Time doesn’t equal engagement. The hours you spend every week doing the foundational work and conditioning, does not translate into submaximal or max effort work (competitions) or how well she will put forth effort to get a wheeled implement moving. Remember, you don’t want a house built on cards…..

So all these videos floating around with dogs dragging chains, pulling weight.. everyone is having fun,right? . In the beginning stages of development, the focal point for ANY dog and handler should be learning how to find the fun in feeling resistance. I have always said, and still stand by this, that neural adaptation begins in this phase. Good form (amongst other benefits) begins here… .. The dog begins to feel what resistance should feel like….they start to learn they are in fact stronger than they thought possible (confidence grows)…. and you two get to do an activity together! (that is my favorite part). Their overall general physical preparedness develops… but next comes SPECIFICITY. You will need to train specific to what your goals are. If you want to compete…. gotta start training that picture. Chains, wooded trails, and flexi leads are a world different than 500lbs, handler in front, and NO leash. With that being said, still a proper way to do that…and if you are doing it right.. that shit ain’t “fun”. It’s not a clicker/treat party. It’s not hugs, rainbows, and baby talk. It’s work…. and it’s going to be challenging.

At some point if you train through long enough, the weight isn’t going to be fun anymore. You dog is going to stall, fail, and feel defeat. Does that mean your dog doesn’t love it anymore? Does it mean your relationship with your dog isn’t as solid as you thought? NO. Enthusiasm will wane, and the love of the work is going to look drastically different. At this point, you have two options, and your choice needs to be determined by the goals you have for you and your dog. Option A—- keep the focus of training more recreational and fun to maintain the health benefits…. OR…. Option B— competition is the end goal, in which case you will WANT those moments where the “fun” isn’t visible.

A lot of people, once they finish the foundational work, experience this with their dogs and it either makes or breaks them. Every wants to do this work, UNTIL, they watch their dog struggle or even quit. NO ONE likes that feeling of defeat, same rings true for your dogs. IF you are going through the progression the way you should be, you successfully build a dog up and they learn how to handle the “failure”. The Digging Deeper program is dedicated for you to learn a more advanced approach to training, how to navigate the dogs through the set backs ( yes, you will have them… and should have them). The fun won’t look the same…. it won’t feel the same to the dog or you. Suddenly your role as cheerleader and support takes a sideways turn…but that is the point. You want a dog who can look at adversity and think “ no problem, I got this”. You want a dog who is willing to TRY, unbroken. You want them to DIG…. but you have to teach it. It’s taught in the moments where failure is their best option, when quitting seems and feels like the most reasonable, but they don’t.

The time you and your dog spend dragging chains for miles, does not equate the engagement they will give you in the efforts to get a cart or sled moving. THAT is where a good coach and handler comes into play. HOW do you teach that? THIS is why perceived resistance are important, the implements you choose to train with, the mentality you craft…. this is a direct reflection of how much you pay attention to your dog during training. Are you seeing the signs of defeat, are you catching the thoughts of quitting and helping them persevere?