Maintenance in Progress

Dog training requires maintenance!

Practice is for life.

We maintain other aspects of life every day.

A person learns another language but then does not use it for years. They forget. They need to maintain their practice.

We do not change the oil in our car once. We have to maintain it.

You run a 5k and never run again for 4 years. What was easy 4 years ago might be difficult now. The training was not maintained.

I have to brush my dog's hair and trim their nails to maintain their care.

If you have ever cleaned a floor, done laundry, painted something more than once you have maintained its care.

If you take medicine or supplements daily this would be a form of maintenance.

If you eat healthy or exercise you are practicing maintenance.

If you practice any skills or hobbies you maintain them.

Don't forget that your dog's education requires maintenance too!

What does this mean for dog training?

You have to practice and you must continue to reinforce the behavior that you wish to maintain.

Definitions:

Maintenance: The process of maintaining someone or something, or the state of being maintained.

Maintained: Cause or enable a condition or state of affairs to continue.