SMART Goals for You and Your Dog
What goals do you have with your dog(s) in 2019? I have found that the best way to hold yourself accountable is to (1) write it down, (2) share it with others and (3) find a group of people that can help support your goal.
For example, it might be like teaching your puppy to wait before putting their food bowl down or not jumping up or counter surfing. For yourself, having pre-made healthy snacks in the fridge/vehicle to help with good choices for snacks or using your fit bit to track your steps Once you accomplish that goal, set another one and keep challenging yourself.
However, make sure your goals follow the SMART acronym. They need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely.
In addition, It is good to have goals-we never grow or evolve if we don’t set goals for ourselves. And goals are not always easy. Setting small measurable goals is a good way to begin. A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Here is an example of my goals (personal and professional) for 2019-that way you can all help hold me accountable!
- Make healthy choices (drink more water (2 – 16oz bottles each day), exercise for 30 minutes at least 3x per week and lose 30 pounds). Those are small measurable and manageable goals. My goal is do this by May and then set another goal for myself.
- Complete 10 therapy visits with Rusty by August.
- Compete in (1) Rally trial with Rusty by November.
- Keep our ACT face book and website up to date with new content (5 posts each week)-including adding training videos and testimonials from clients. Our goal will be to have 5 training videos and 5 testimonials by June.
- Set up a bi-weekly podcast by April.
- For clients – purchase a grooming sling to help dogs get comfortable with nail trims by March.
- Attend at least one professional dog training conference by December
- Insulate our garage so we have better heating and cooling by April.
I have put plans in place to help me be successful. I love Hint water so that will help try to wean off the diet soda and I’ve been making lunches and having pre-made snacks at work and home to help curb unhealthy choices. I’ve met with a local hospice company to do some therapy work with Rusty. I’ve scheduled face book posts so new content posts each day. We got an estimate to get our garage insulated and I am going to offer a rally class in January to help me get prepared for a trial with Rusty.
As you know, I’ve mentioned in previous posts that in order to change your dog’s behavior, you have to change your behavior and habits and that works for your habits as well. Planning in advance, rewarding the small successes and setting realistic timelines will help you succeed.
My goal as a dog trainer is to be able to do that for you as a dog owner. Each owner may need something different (homework sheets, reminder call or texts, video examples, etc). Please let me know how I can help you be successful with your dog. I want 2019 to be the best year with your dog.
We would love to hear your goals for next year. I am happy to help hold you accountable for your personal goals in addition to your dog training goals.
Share them with us and let’s help make them become a reality!