3 Things to Do When Your Dog’s Progress Stalls
You’re not back at square one, you’re just ready for a new rhythm
You’ve been working hard.
Building calm routines.
Creating connection.
Maybe even seeing progress you’re proud of.
Then suddenly…
Your dog stops responding.
Old behaviours creep back in.
And that little voice in your head starts whispering:
“I thought we were past this.”
“Why is this happening again?”
“Have I ruined everything?”
If you’re nodding along, take a breath.
You are not failing.
You’re just in a training plateau, and it’s a normal, expected part of the process.
Let’s talk about what to do next.
1. Zoom Out (This Isn’t the Full Picture)
When progress stalls, we tend to hyperfocus on the one thing that isn’t working.
But zooming out often reveals:
✔ Your dog is actually doing well in other areas
✔ You’re in a new environment, season, or stress cycle
✔ This behaviour was “quiet” before, not gone
Plateaus feel like failure because we’re wired to expect linear growth. But dog training, like life, is anything but linear.
You’re not back at zero.
You’re standing on top of everything you’ve already built, you just need a new way forward.
2. Shift Your Training Energy
When progress stalls, what usually doesn’t help is pushing harder.
What does help: changing the energy of your sessions.
Try one of these resets:
Replace skill drills with enrichment or decompression walks
Focus on calm presence rather than training cues
Use pattern games to re-engage the brain and build momentum again
Training should feel like connection, not control. When it stops feeling good for either of you, it’s okay to pause and recalibrate.
3. Reflect on Your Own State of Mind
Sometimes your dog’s stall is actually your stall.
Ask yourself:
Am I feeling disconnected, distracted, or burnt out?
Have I been putting pressure on myself to “get it right”?
What might I need emotionally to feel supported again?
Progress stalls are invitations to return to your own calm.
To reset your nervous system.
To rebuild from a place of softness, not stress.
Because when you reconnect with yourself, your dog responds in kind.
Final Thoughts
If your dog’s progress has stalled, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means something in the system needs adjusting.
Training progress isn’t linear. It’s like a game of snakes and ladders, up and down - when you think you’ve made progress you go back a couple of steps.
You’re still growing.
Your dog is still learning.
And you’ve come so much further than you think.
Take a breath.
Take a beat.
Then keep going, together.
