Resetting Puppy Training
This week on The Weekly Reset, we are going to take a look at my training of Reset ADHD’s Director of Tennis Balls, Ace. On July 14, my Alaskan klee kai passed his beginner obedience course.
Ace did not like the graduation hat.
Ace turned one on August 25. He is a good boy, but he still needs to become an even better boy. Since graduation day, I have been procrastinating moving into the next stage of training. Well, I will procrastinate no longer!
It’s time for a RESET
My Challenges
Ace’s puppy class left a lot to be desired. We didn’t cover as much as I thought we would. Also, Alaskan klee kais were bred as companion dogs, so they are very motivated to please their owners. Therefore, they are easy to train. Ace picked up on stuff rather quickly, and it felt at times like we should be moving faster. I have decided that the best way forward is for me to do the training myself.
The big challenge to overcome is accountability. Going to a class once a week ensured that Ace and I would put in the work to get the concepts we learned committed to memory. By choosing to train Ace without a class, I have forfeited that accountability. I will need to manufacture some new accountability.
Another challenge I foresee is time. Those of us with ADHDers are not the best with time. I will need to be diligent about working training into my schedule.
My Why
Ace, the day I got him
I got Ace when I did because I was going through a hard time and also found myself with a lot more time on my hands. I needed more fun and activity in my life and decided now was the time to pull the trigger on getting a second dog, specifically a puppy. I wanted the challenge of training a young pup and dedicating the time to train a rambunctious puppy to be a good boy. Training is something I want to do.
Remembering this WHY will help inspire me to move forward. Reminding myself of this fact has motivated me to get Ace and me into a regular training routine.
Who I’m Going to Be
I love dogs. They are incredible animals. They are cute, fun, and great company. I want my love for dogs to shine bright through my training of Ace. I want him to be a good boy and an impressively well behaved dog. My love for Ace has to be the driving force behind this. Remembering who I want to be as a dog owner will help me make our training successful and keep me focused.
The Strengths I Am Going to Employ
Creativity is one of my top Via character strengths. I want to be able to employ that as I work through training Ace. My love and compassion are other strengths I can use. I want training Ace to be an act of love.
My Strengths-Based Strategies
Using my creativity, I am going to seek out unique strategies for training Ace. I also want my creativity to keep our training sessions fun for both Ace and me. Keeping things fun will help both of us stay engaged in the training process. The ADHD brain can get bored easily. The same applies to the canine brain.
My love for Ace will help me reward him properly and let him know when he is behaving as I desire. Additionally, my love for Ace can also help me build some accountability. I want to show off how good of a boy will be becoming, so I will be sharing updates of our training on social media. Knowing others are going to be following along with our training will help keep me accountable. If you want to follow along, follow @resetadhd on Instagram.