When to Push Your Dog and When to Hold Back

Knowing when to push and when to pause is one of the hardest parts of agility.
It’s not something you can measure with a stopwatch. It’s something you feel.

There are days your dog is fired up, focused and ready for a challenge. That’s when you push. You stretch the distance a little. You test the entry. You ask for more precision.

And then there are days where your dog’s telling you they’re tired, distracted, unsure, or just not in it. That’s not the time to “fix” things. That’s when you hold back. You simplify, reset, build confidence again.

Pushing too hard too soon doesn’t make progress faster. It just chips away at trust.
But holding back forever doesn’t build skill either. Growth sits right between the two.

The real art of training is reading the dog in front of you, not the plan on your phone.
Because success isn’t built from perfect sessions. It’s built from the right sessions at the right time.

So here’s your reminder:
You’re allowed to push. You’re allowed to pause.
Just don’t stop listening.

💭 Wisdom Wednesday: The best trainers don’t chase progress. They build it through feel, timing and trust.