Speaker 1: 0:14

Hey there and welcome back, and thanks so much for being a subscriber. Your support really does keep the show going Now. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating Dog trainers are not magic. We don't have some secret gene or sixth sense that makes us better with dogs. What we do have is repetition, lots of repetition. We've rewired our brains after years of handling dogs to stop reacting and to use our cues instead. And that's the real key not just knowing the cue but using it without hesitation, automatically, without even thinking about it. Because, if we're honest, most training doesn't fall apart because the dog forgot the cue. It falls apart because the human panicked and forgot to use the cue. And here's what I mean.

Speaker 1: 1:19

Let's say you have taught your dog leave it. You have taught your dog leave it. You've practiced it, you've rewarded it, you saw it work during training. Your dog knows leave it. But then one day your dog starts to grab something he shouldn't A sock, the cat's toy, maybe a chicken bone. And in that real world moment you panic and you don't use the leave it cue Because the first thing that comes to mind is to yell no and then chase after your dog.

Speaker 1: 1:53

Your brain offered up the old response not because you forgot to leave it cue, but because that reaction the reaction where you panic and yell no has had more real life use. Leave it just hasn't had enough practice outside of training sessions to become your brain's go-to yet. And that's exactly why we say it's not just about training your dog but it's also about training your brain. And since we don't use leave it enough, slowly the leave it cue disappears, not from your dog's memory but from ours. And that's the real problem, because cues only work if they become part of the daily household conversation. And I don't just mean during training sessions, I mean in the real life, messy, in the moment, situations when your dog is making a choice and you need to give him direction right then and there. But in so many homes cues are treated like special tools and we only bring them out during training time. They're not woven into daily life or daily conversation and so they fade away.

Speaker 1: 3:10

Training breaks down when the cue never makes it into the real world. You taught leave it, but in the moment you panic and yell no. You taught leave it. But in the moment you panic and yell no. You taught come. But in the moment you chase your dog instead and you taught wait, but then you shrug your shoulders and roll your eyes as your dog rushes through the door. None of that makes you a bad owner. It makes you human. Your brain is just doing what it's always done reacting instead of using the cues that you've been training.

Speaker 1: 3:46

But here's the good news Just like professional trainers have rewired their brains, you can too, and we want to help you start doing that today, and not just in theory. We have actually created a step-by-step training plan to walk you through it. We're calling it the Rewiring your Brain training plan, and it's not about teaching your dog new tricks. It's about helping you change old habits, helping you rewire your brain. So leave it is the first thing that comes to mind when you need to redirect your dog.

Speaker 1: 4:26

For now, it's available exclusively to subscribers through the end of the year. Just look for the link in this episode's show notes. Because if we want dogs to succeed, we've got to train the humans too, and that starts by changing the conversation. Literally the words you say in the heat of the moment matter, so let's make sure they're the right ones. Thanks for listening and for being a subscriber. I really appreciate your support. And remember new bonus content drops every Thursday, so keep an eye on your feed. And hey, if you'd like me to give your dog a shout out on an upcoming episode, just let me know. And subscribers get first dibs on topic requests as well. So don't be shy. Talk to you soon and give your dog a cookie from me.