After the program
After training: what to do when your dog regresses
Your dog came home walking beautifully, and now the leash is tight again, or the place cue has become a suggestion. That slip happens to plenty of trained dogs, and it tends to carry information. Here is a calm order of operations: rule out the body, make the exercise easier, pay better, close the gaps where the old habit sneaks back in, and then call us.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Order of operations
Start with the body, then make the work easier.
Look at the dog before the cue. Is it sleeping less since a schedule change, getting less exercise in bad weather, moving stiffly, licking a paw, or flinching when touched? Pain and poor sleep often show up as ignored cues or new grumpiness. If anything physical looks off, see your vet before you train harder. Pushing a sore dog through a sit can teach it that the cue predicts discomfort.
Once the body checks out, go back one step. If the heel fell apart on busy streets, return to quiet ones. If the down-stay breaks when the doorbell rings, practise it in the kitchen first. Reward more often than feels necessary, then thin it out again as the dog succeeds. Tighten management too: a leash in the house, gates up, fewer chances to rehearse the old habit. Then book the free follow-up session your program includes.
- Vet check for pain first
- Return to an easier setting
- Raise the rate of reward
- Block rehearsal of old habits
Getting more help
When coaching or a refresher stay makes sense.
If the basics are covered and the dog still slides, a coaching session is often the lightest next step. Private Training is $150 + GST for a one-hour session with a written plan for the week, and it looks at your handling as closely as the dog. Graduates and existing clients can also add optional refresher work to graduate boarding at $65 + GST per night. At the consultation we point you to the lighter option whenever it covers the problem.
Some changes are not training problems at all. A dog who suddenly growls when touched, snaps over food for the first time, stops eating, hides, or reacts to things it used to ignore deserves a vet visit first. Behaviour can also temporarily increase when you tighten the rules. If it persists or escalates, reassess with a professional. And never punish growling; it is information too, and you want the dog to keep giving it.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Why is my dog forgetting its training?
Often the dog has not forgotten; the conditions changed. New routines, less exercise, pain, or a slip in how cues are rewarded can all look like regression.
Is it normal for a dog to regress after board and train?
Some slippage after a dog comes home is common, because the house has different rules and rewards than the training setting. Going back a step, rewarding more, and keeping the habits from your handover lesson tend to steady things.
Should I take my dog to the vet for a behaviour change?
Yes, if the change is sudden, involves sensitivity to touch, or comes with changes in eating, sleeping or movement. Pain often shows up as behaviour, and a vet can check what training cannot.
Do you offer refresher training?
Graduates and existing clients can add optional refresher work to graduate boarding at $65 + GST per night. Private sessions at $150 + GST are another route, and every board and train includes free follow-up sessions.
Keep reading
Seeing old habits return?
Book a consultation and we will look at what changed and suggest the lightest step that fits.
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