Are You Learning Or Looping: What To Do When Training Your Dog Stops Being Fun #313
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 22 October 2025
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
When training your dog stops being fun, it's often a sign that something in the process needs a reset. In this episode, I share how to recognize when you're looping instead of learning and how to shift your mindset to get back on track. With a few simple changes, you can bring clarity, confidence, and joy back into your training sessions for both you and your dog
In this episode, you'll hear:
• What to do when dog training no longer feels fun or rewarding.
• How to redefine what "fun" really means for you and your dog.
• The powerful question to ask yourself: Am I learning or looping?
• What learning looks like and how to adjust your training for success.
• What looping looks like and the four steps to move from looping to learning.
• Why resetting yourself matters just as much as resetting your dog.
• How mentors and guidance can help you find clarity when you're stuck.
• Advice for coaches and instructors supporting students through challenges.
• A special opportunity to keep learning with Home School The Dog and/or Recallers.
• Why target training is a brilliant way to grow your dog's understanding.
• How shifting your mindset brings the fun and connection back to training.
Join Home School the Dog:
Write to us at wag@dogsthat.com with the subject line "Learning or Looping" for a very special opportunity to join us in Home School the Dog.
Resources:
1. YouTube Playlist: Puppy Training with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy2SggplHx3uEWAjXOL9hI21&si=QsXvt3IokvU9VTfa
2. YouTube Playlist: Helping Your Rescue Dog After Adoption: Success Strategies For Rehomed Dogs With Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy1uFZJTuWdJCjQYmjjOguax&si=4OpGY8_cLkRX9PbO
3. YouTube Playlist Reactive or Aggressive Dogs: Key Insights with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy0Tbd6ZybIXgJk3mtpBLLk7&si=CW8n1yX4bRhhUWHJ
4. Podcast Episode 110: Is Your Over-Aroused Dog Just Over-Faced In Training? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/110/
5. Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/89/
6. Podcast Episode 133: Become Your Own Dog Training Coach With This Video Strategy - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/133/
7. Podcast Episode 205: The Hidden World Of Reinforcement For Dogs And Why You Need To Know - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/205/
8. Podcast Episode 24: Distraction Intensity Index: Help For Dogs Who Chase Chipmunks, Bicycles, And Neighbor's Cats - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/24/
9. Podcast Episode 21: The 5 Critical Dog Training Layers for Confidence with Anything - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/21/
10. Podcast Episode 307: Not Seeing Results In Dog Training? Why Layers Of Learning Lead To Real World Success - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/307/
11. Podcast Episode 301: When Dog Training Doesn't Go As Planned: How To Make Adjustments To Find Success - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/301/
12.YouTube Playlist Target Training for Dogs with Susan Garrett - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy3ylCyQ2bJQSCwo_ERiVHj3
13. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/HjOeqUByTqw
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | If you're a friend of the podcast, then I'm pretty sure you heard me say at least one time, |
| 0:05.0 | if not more, that dog training should be fun for the dog and fun for the human. That means |
| 0:11.5 | it should be filled with connection, joy, and two-way communication. But I'm pretty sure |
| 0:17.8 | every single person listening to this episode can think about a time when |
| 0:23.6 | it wasn't all that much fun for you. And that's what today's episode is all about. |
| 0:32.6 | Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. Welcome to Shape by Dog. |
| 0:41.5 | And the question is, what can we do when training stops being fun? |
| 0:47.5 | I mean, I'm sure that when you get a new puppy home, there is a period of time when you think, |
| 0:54.0 | oh my gosh, this is so much fun. |
| 0:55.5 | I love training with this puppy. |
| 0:56.7 | When you get a new rescue dog home, there's got to be some period of time where you think, |
| 1:02.2 | oh my gosh, I love working with this dog. |
| 1:04.8 | But what happens when it stops being fun? |
| 1:07.8 | I think part of the problem is we need to redefine what fun means because fun |
| 1:12.4 | doesn't mean easy, but that's not to say learning should ever feel hopeless for anyone. |
| 1:19.7 | And after today's episode, I promise you that there will be a solution for you if you ever |
| 1:25.4 | get to that place where training feels hopeless. |
| 1:29.3 | The first thing we're going to do is we're going to redefine what does fun mean. |
| 1:34.3 | Because dog training can be fun for the human and not fun for the dog. |
| 1:39.3 | I see that in the sport of dog agility where dogs are sniffing the ground when they're supposed to be |
| 1:44.9 | going over jumps, they're running off to visit other people, they're leaving the ring, |
| 1:49.6 | they might just stop and scratch and the owner, if they can keep them moving, we'll just keep going |
... |
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