Got your attention, didn’t I? But while most people are resolving to lose weight, get fit, save money, quit smoking, and organize their homes, we know that January is Train Your Dog Month. So instead of eating kale chips and lifting weights, why not join the Train Your Dog Month Challenge and lose:
- 30 pounds of guilt for neglecting your dog
- 30 pounds of barking and misbehavior from a bored dog
- 30 pounds of wondering why your dog doesn’t listen to you
And, who knows, maybe your dog training goal will even help you lose some latke or Christmas cookie weight or make you more fit.
What is the Train Your Dog Month Challenge?
Last year I joined the Association of Pet Dog Trainers challenge to work with Honey on some behavior that would increase our bond. We began the many month process of getting Honey comfortable riding in her bicycle car. Many of you joined me in training your dogs, cats, and birds. At the end of the month, we all shared our posts in a linky list. It was so much fun I’m bringing it back. One person will be chosen at random from the participants to receive a a treat package and a $25 donation in their name to their favorite animal charity.
Pamela and Honey’s Training Challenge
This year, we’re working on grooming.
I hate doing it. Honey just tolerates it. Why can’t we make it fun?
I’ve already started clicker training Honey to jump into the tub. I’d like to change our grooming experiences from something to be gotten through as quickly as possible to a fun event. Who know? Maybe I’ll even teach Honey to file her own nails.
What Training Activity Will You Do?
Those of us in the snow belt find January pretty drab. You might not feel ambitious. But that’s no reason you can’t take up the challenge. And it will be much more fun doing it with friends. Here are a few things you could try:
- Increase your dog’s comfort with handling by playing with his paws while you’re watching television.
- Feed regular meals out of a food toy.
- Take the 30/30 challenge with You Did What With Your Weiner by walking your dog every day in January.
- Try something entirely new like pulling a sled or cart.
- Train your cat to sit on a mat.
- Train your guinea pig to ring a bell for food (my sister’s does this).
For more ideas, visit the Association of Pet Dog Trainer’s page to find training webinars and other resources.
Help Spread the Word
Nothing strengthens your relationship with your animal more than training. Help us spread the word by sharing the Train Your Dog Month Challenge on Twitter and Facebook. And feel free to grab the badge to show everyone you’re joining the fun. Are you in? What would you like to do in January to strengthen your bond with your dog (or cat or ferret or conure or guinea pig)?
Dang it – I’m in! For so long, my dogs have needed more grooming attention on a regular basis instead of “OMDog! Look at your nails!” or “What filthy ears you have!” Sigh. Both your and Jess’s challenges are perfect timing for us (I say that now – HA).
Grooming: for all dogs, mine and rescue, trim nails every two weeks (was already trying to do one dog a day), BATHE once a month whether they need it or not and, at the same time, attend to ears, which are prone to filth and infection due to hounds’ drop ears.
Walking (YDWWYW): this challenge belongs to Justus, my Dobie/hound mix. He will be three Feb. 14 (aaahhh) and can sometimes be a butt-head to the other dogs so he needs attention, exercise, and concomitant training. He can be the ultimate “30 pounds of wondering why your dog doesn’t listen to you” dog.
Let the games begin! And thank you for the challenge, I think :).
You’ve just blown my mind, Roberta. The reality of running a rescue comes home when I think of trimming nails EVERY DAY. I bow before you.
Hmmmm…. last year I participated with my bird. Maybe this year I’ll work with my rabbit. I’m thinking about teaching her how to carry a basket.
I was looking for your bird video so I could link to it here but I couldn’t come up with it. Could you provide the link?
I’d love to see your bunny carrying a basket, BTW. 🙂
Sorry Pamela, I’m just coming back to this page now- here’s Eco’s trick from last year. http://youtu.be/zpXTMJjOtgY
I’m already in on Jessica’s 30 in 30 challenge, so hopefully that will count! Our plan is to start the New Year off right with our annual hike and then keep the ball rolling after that. I want to do the Idita Walk with Bunny again this year, so we need to get back in the habit of our regular walks. December wreaks havoc on many aspects of our lives, including getting our regular walks in and eating in ways that are good for us. I’ve already gone and gotten the Fitbit gadget to help me get started being motivated. We’re also sticking to our daily photography project, so Bunny and I will have time to bond while we do that, too. I’m proud of myself that I will finish my 365 project, and I’m looking forward to doing it again this year.
I thought Jessica’s 30/30 challenge was a great idea and it certainly fits my idea for the challenge which is to build your bond, have fun, and not stress too much.
And congratulations on completing the 365 project. We’ve certainly benefited from the beautiful photos. Can’t wait to see all the projects coming from the dueling Taleteller household (you’ll need to set up a separate studio for the hubby). 🙂
I’m all for accepting challenges this new year – I think I have joined like five already! Count me in!
You over achiever you! 🙂
Well, why not? Y-Bo and I have already signed up for the 30/30 challenge and I feed him all of his kibble out of a toy. He loves it. But in truth, the one that intrigues me is putting my cat on a mat. A challenge…….we’re in!
Did you click the cat link? It was a video showing you step by step how to clicker train your cat to a mat. She made it look easy. Really!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with Loy.
It’s BJ. I tried to talk her out of this challenge because it involves grooming (not my favorite activity) and a bath (also not my favorite).
Mom said, “The two of us are up for the challenge”. So we’re in even though I’m not happy and I whined to let her know.
I have a suggestion for Moms with pups that don’t like bath time.
When it’s bath time, Mom goes to the cabinet and takes the jar of my FAVORITE treat. I’ve learned that when those come out, I’m getting a bath. Food over takes me and I run in the bathroom. jump in the tub, and wait for my treat. I try to be sneaky and jump out of the tub as soon as I get my treat, but she closes the door so I can’t escape. I get those treats during my bath, so I’ve decided to grin and bare it because I get those special treats.
By the way, bath time is the ONLY time I get those treats.
Thanks for the encouragement, BJ. I smear the edge of the bathtub with Honey’s favorite peanut butter. But I’ve never gotten her to jump right into the tub. I’d like to see that on video.
I’m finding that when I bring the clicker out, Honey gets even more excited by the training than the treat. So I’m hoping that making bath time into a fun training time will make it more fun for her.
BTW, you didn’t tell us what your favorite, only-at-bath-time treat is. I’m curious.
Pamela asked me what kind of treat I give BJ. It’s Grandma’s Meatballs.
I didn’t know that January was Train Your Dog Month! I am defintley going to try new things this year but I’m not sure if I can commit to doing it in 30 days! Attempting to get Leroy to pull a sled of something is something I would love to do but I honestly don’t know if we have the right equipment for this. We also hope to maybe attempt to introduce the boys to water rescue training, but that isn’t until the summer! Now, I would really love to train Gibby to do something besides poop on the floor! Ringing a bell would be an awesome challenge!
If you saw last year’s post, I didn’t accomplish my goal for Honey in one month. We just made a start on getting her comfortable with the dog cart. It took us months more and the help of a trainer to meet that goal.
My sister’s guinea taught himself how to ring the bell. I bought him a round wire ball with a bell on top for a food toy. My brother-in-law always put Lenny’s veggies in the ball and pretty soon he started ringing the bell on his own when he was ready for some carrots.
Who says guinea pigs aren’t smart? 🙂
OK, we’re working on food issues. We’re still battling Koly’s “crack of dawn meal requests. We’re working on setting his meals to a marker (like a special bell, rather than us getting out of bed being the marker.) We need to be more consistent about it. This is the perfect opportunity to step it up a notch. We’re also doing the YDWWYW 30/30 Challenge (and I have already congratulated myself on a job well done with two very nice leashes. They’re so nice I just have to show them off, eh!)
Hey Jodi…we need your tips because the dogs jumping out of bed at 5 am…or 4030….or 4….to be fed is getting real old. If you haven’t already, you should write a post about it – or at least how your progress goes.
Will do! I’ll outline my plan in a post this week about the challenge and then post regular pupdates! (Ohmiwoof, I hope this works!) He has gotten A LOT better, during the week he sleeps in. We’re just struggling with weekends still.
Of course, dogs don’t know the difference between weekends and weekdays. Maybe the solution is to get Kolchak a job? 🙂
HA! Koly *totally* knows when it’s the weekend. I suspect the change in mine and the hubby’s hours/activities tip him off, but he is definitely aware of the day and the plan. It’s almost like on the weekend he wants to get as early a start as possible, so we can fit in more fun things. He’s always ready and raring to go!
Oh geez, I’ve been so terrible for the last two months, should I commit to something for 30 days?? Cali is not a fan of brushing, bathing or nail clipping. She does enjoy a good walk or play time . . hmmmmmm, what will I do??? I’m in, for training her on something!!!
I never want to suggest something that causes more stress so pick something fun and easy. If Cali’s not a grooming fan, maybe feeding her cheese every night on the couch while the brush gets closer and closer would be a simple training goal.
Thanks for the shout out about our challenge. Yours sound great too but I think walking regularly is all we can handle right now. If I pile on too much stuff I would end up in overwhelm and then stay stuck like I have been. On another note, I have been challenging myself to once and for all get my cluttery house mess under control. i don’t have a strict 30 day deadline on it but I hope to be pretty much done by the end of January.
I think the 30/30 challenge is wonderful and I hope lots of people join in. I would but we already walk every day. I couldn’t live with Honey if we didn’t. 🙂
When you write about your walking challenge at the end of the month, just add your post to the linky I’ll set up. It certainly fits my idea for the challenge and I’d love for more people to be encouraged to walk with their dogs.
As for decluttering the house? Now that’s ambitious. The only way I’ll ever do it is if I sell everything I own and move onto a boat (and getting rid of stuff is just one of the motivators for a future life at sea). 🙂
We’re In! We’re part of the YDWWYW 30/30 challenge and we’ll add one more thing…Gizmo has never enjoyed grooming…not even being brushed…and when we hike he often gets covered in burrs so brushing & combing are imperative…I worry that the grooming takes away his joy in the hike…Does he think that it’s a punishment for having fun? So this month we’ll do daily brushing in a pleasant atmosphere with treats and hope that he begins to enjoy it
I love it! You’re combining the challenges in such a creative way.
Honey likes being brushed. But, while she tolerates baths and nail time, she doesn’t enjoy them.
I started a little early on this challenge. But I find that bringing out the clicker and shaping her to approach the tub on her own turns it into a game. It’s much more gratifying to her than just feeding her treats.
If you clicker train Gizmo, you might want to use it to get him to approach or bring you the brush on his own. It would change the whole dynamic of grooming.
I’m not well-versed in clicker training…I understand it in principle but have never been able to really break down the steps well enough…Or maybe it’s just that I’m not coordinated enough to manage the clicker, treats and dog all at the same time 😉
I love it!!!! I am starting training with my pups this week. June to learn better manners and Coop to become CGC certified so he can be a therapy dog. I am so excited to get started!
Ok… confession time. Rita is STILL mouthing us when we play with her. I know I should have nipped (no pun intended) this in the bud, oh, like 11 months ago when we first got her, but we haven’t worked at it consistently enough, and the hubs doesn’t help cuz he just sits there happily while she gnaws on his hand. So – count us in. Hopefully by the end of Jan, I will no longer be saying to her “No punching, no biting, no kicking!” whenever we start playing.
For the last two years I have tried and given up multiple times to teach my dog to hold something in her mouth. It’s driven me crazy! It seems no matter how patient I am or how slow I take it, she just isn’t interested. But it would add to much to my blog photos if I could get Shiva to hold objects in her mouth for more than half a second. I know she has the brains! She just needs to learn the patience. And so do I. Maybe it’s time we go back to the beginning and try again.
I am so glad you are running this challenge again!
Yes!! It’s January again, and we are in! I’m taking on Ty and working to get him to “watch me” when there’s another dog around. Rod is taking Buster and working on a good, reliable “heel.” If we can make some progress in these areas, it will make our life a lot easier.
BJ is in. Mom has a question – Does the 30 minutes include my stopping to sniff and pee at every pole and tree?
I’m in!!! I have a new young Labrador in my life. She literally spent the first 9 months of her life in a cage, meeting no one and never getting out into the real world. Because her former owner reads my blog, I can’t explicitly say all of that (it’s a very complicated story as to how this dog ended up with me)… but we will continue our work on socialization, going into town at least twice a week to get her comfortable with the world. And, I’m going to teach her more tricks using a clicker. She is super smart and trainable, and I’ve neglected teaching her purely fun and frivolous tricks while we’ve been working so hard on her socialization. I’m going to teach her to “take a bow” and to rest her snout on her paws while lying down… And, if we get good at those ones, we’ll think of some more!
I’m in! I just have to choose from the many possibilities. I wonder if I can think of something that Kelly and Brooks could do by working together that might strengthen their bond. Or maybe that is just something that I have to let them be as they are. Kelly’s become very barky lately, startling at every little noise or car door outside. I could also work on that. As for our boy Brooks, he is so easy. I hate to tell you this, but he even climbs into the bath tub on his own and stands there willingly as I bathe him! (Kelly on the other hand, is a struggle and I end up soaking wet.)
It’s BJ. I already responded that I’m in; I just wanted to give you an update.
I’ve already noticed a change. Now that weather is colder and the cold stiffens my shoulder, we don’t go to the park in the mornings as much. I miss running around but I get cold and start to shiver even with my new FidoFleece. Then Mom has carry me so I get warm and
20 lbs is a lot to carry.
What I’ve noticed though is that our walks are longer so we’re getting the 30 minutes in. Yeah for the challenge.
Hi from Max in Missouri! We already do daily walk/jogs so he’s covered there. Max, this January, will learn he has a rear end, where it is, and how to control it…all by himself! Max usually just pays attention to his front paws and lets his back end follow. No more! We’ll be picking up those feet and positioning that wiggle-end to eventually get a good heel and some useless circus tricks that I’m sure I’ll regret teaching later when he uses them for evil! Happy Training!
I would also like to improve my dog’s bathing habits. As of now, whenever he bathes we run around in circles inside the washroom and that’s really tiring for me.