Setting Our Dogs Up for Success: Why Changing the Approach Matters

One of the biggest frustrations dog owners face is feeling like they’re trying so hard… yet nothing seems to change. You practise the same cues, take the same walks, manage the same behaviours, and hope that eventually things will “just click.”

But dog training doesn’t work through hope — it works through intentional rehearsal.
Dogs learn from what they do, not what we wish they would do.

Why Repetition Without Change Doesn’t Work

If a dog keeps rehearsing a behaviour, even accidentally, that behaviour becomes stronger. So if your dog:

• pulls on the lead every day,
• barks at the same triggers every walk,
• gets overly excited at visitors every time someone arrives,
• ignores recall in the same distracting places…

…then repeating those scenarios won’t suddenly create a different outcome.

In fact, it often makes the behaviour more reliable — just not in the way we want.

Success Starts With the Set-Up

Training is not just what we do with our dogs — it’s how we arrange the environment to help them get things right. Before asking for a behaviour, we want to be sure the dog has the skills to offer it confidently.

That might look like:

• using distance, long lines, or barriers to prevent overwhelm,
• practising skills in low-distraction areas before taking them into the real world,
• switching to shorter, more focused walks instead of long free-for-all outings,
• teaching calmness at home so the dog has the ability to think clearly,
• choosing the right time of day to train based on your dog’s routines,
• using games that grow the concepts your dog needs — focus, optimism, confidence, recall, impulse control.

This isn’t avoiding the problem — it’s building the foundations your dog needs so the problem stops appearing in the first place.

Small, Intentional Changes Make the Biggest Difference

When we stop repeating what hasn’t worked and instead change the way we set things up, everything shifts. For example:

• If recall is unreliable, build success in the house and garden before heading to the fields.
• If your dog pulls, work on engagement games before even starting the walk.
• If they become overwhelmed by visitors, build boundary games first, without visitors present.
• If calmness is missing, prioritise enrichment and sleep over more stimulation.

Every new approach creates a new possibility for success.

Training Is About Supporting the Dog, Not Challenging Them

Great training isn’t about “fixing” the behaviour in the moment — it’s about preventing the dog from practising the wrong choice and giving them opportunities to rehearse the right one.

When a dog gets something right, confidence grows.
When the environment is supportive, learning becomes easier.
When success is built intentionally, progress finally starts to stick.

The Final Thought

When we feel stuck, it’s rarely because the dog can’t learn. It’s usually because the approach needs adjusting.

And that brings us back to a perfect reminder — one that fits dog training beautifully:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

If we want change, we must create the conditions for change.
And our dogs will always rise to meet the environment we set up for them.