Homework
Why It Matters (And How to Actually Do It)
Nothing makes people go dead in the eyes quite like the mention of homework. Most of us are scarred from school or uni — endless assignments, dull revision, hours wasted hunched over books.
So why do I give people something I know they probably don’t want to do? Because you’re the one who makes the change in your dog’s behaviour — and ultimately, their life.
(Disclaimer: I’ve written about this before in I Can Only Show You the Door, but this time I want to give you some practical tips that’ll hopefully stick better.)
What a Trainer’s Job Actually Is
My job is to teach and show you the skills you need to get where you want to be with your dog.
The chances are your dog will be annoyingly fine for me. It happens all the time:
“Well, they’ve never been like that before.”
“Honestly, they don’t usually do this with me.”
It’s cool. I get it.
I had it with Sam in the early days. I’d tell trainers, “She’s reactive to other dogs,” and then by the end of the session she’d be stood calmly next to the trainer’s dog, like it was nothing. I was dumbfounded.
Reality check: Sam didn’t have a long history of behaviours with that trainer, which made it easier for him to set clear boundaries with her straight away.
My homework? To go away and work Sam around other dogs in the same way that trainer had shown me. If I didn’t, nothing was going to change.
The Swimming Lesson Analogy
Think about swimming lessons.
Scenario 1: you or your child goes once a week for 30 minutes. That’s it. Progress is slow, maybe it even stalls.
Scenario 2: same weekly lesson, but in between you spend another couple of hours practicing in the pool. Suddenly progress skyrockets. Kids on holiday show this all the time — average swimmers turn into little dolphins in just a week because they’ve been in the pool non-stop.
Training your dog is no different. It’s the time outside of lessons where the real progress happens.
Excuse #1: “I Don’t Have Time”
If we ignore the fact that time is infinite (yeah, I know — deep, right?)… the truth is we all have little windows throughout the day. Five minutes here, ten minutes there.
We usually fill them with scrolling, telly, or a brew. But they’re prime training opportunities.
I live in the real world — I’ve got kids, a dog, work, all the rest. It’s tricky. But when I’m brutally honest with myself, I’ve got plenty of downtime. I just choose to use it on other stuff instead of training or doing my accounts (which I really do need to get on top of).
For extra context: two hours of extra training per week works out to just 17 minutes per day.
So yeah, you’ve got time. It just depends how you use it.
Excuse #2: “I Can’t Train and Film at the Same Time”
Not impossible. You just need to get creative.
Use a hat, shoe, jacket, fence, clump of grass — or dare I say it, buy a tripod off Amazon. Prop your phone up and get on with it.
Why film?
It gives you accountability.
I can see what you’re doing and help in between sessions.
You can rewatch and spot things you missed.
It becomes a video diary of progress.
And when you’re having a rubbish day, you’ve got proof on your phone of how far you’ve come. Proper movie flashback stuff — but real life.
What Happens If You Don’t Do It?
Honestly? Nothing.
No homework = no progress. You’ll spend money, see no change, and I’ll just end up on your list of trainers who “didn’t work.”
That’s not why I’m here. I do this because I want people to succeed, to feel like they’ve got the power back with their dog.
So do the homework. A few months from now, you’ll be able to look back, see the difference, and know it was all you.