Some Dog Training Ideas That Aren’t Mutually Exclusive

^{Featured photo credit to the very talented Saint Paisley Photography 💛}

The dog training and ownership world can get heated. Everyone has an opinion… and those opinions sometimes appear to directly contradict each other.

But life is full of nuance, and there is often room for more than one thing to be true at the same time. Here are a few ideas that don’t have to be mutually exclusive!

• Being very proud of all you’ve accomplished & knowing you have a lot of improvements to make
• Supporting ethical rescues & supporting ethical breeders
• Thinking your dog is the best creature in the whole world & understanding she is poorly bred
• Using a retractable leash & being respectful of other people / dogs in public
• Giving your dog freedom & providing her with clarity
• Believing dogs can thrive in apartment situations & being excited about having a yard
• Going on structured walks & going on sniffaris
• Prioritizing biological fulfillment & believing leash laws are important
• Being wild in high-energy play & enjoying low-energy play
• Using a prong collar & using food rewards
• (Really, using pretty much any tool & using pretty much any other tool — sometimes in <24 hours we use a slip, a prong, a flat collar, a harness, a flexi, food, toys…)
• Advocating for your dog & pushing her out of her comfort zone
• Understanding the role of luck in your life & knowing you’ve worked hard to get where you are
• Supporting someone you care about & setting healthy boundaries
• Acknowledging your mistakes & thinking you’re a good person
• Acknowledging your wins & knowing you’re not invincible
• Thinking a certain training approach can be great & choosing to do something different in your own situation
• Sometimes letting your dog down & still being a good owner
• Thinking we need to let dogs be dogs & believing we need to teach them to cope in our human world
• Being obsessed with your dog & having a life outside of her

And more. Nothing is black and white.