Train When You Don’t Feel Like It: Motivation for You & Your Dog | Ep. 5

In Episode 5 of the Kaizen Doggie Dojo Podcast, Trevor Smith tackles one of the biggest challenges in dog training: staying motivated—for both you and your pup.

Whether you’re stuck on the couch, overwhelmed by life, or your dog just isn’t “feeling it,” this episode offers practical tools to reignite your enthusiasm and build a training rhythm that’s fun, flexible, and rewarding.

🎯 Inside this episode:

• How motivation works like a muscle—not a mood
• Why novelty, rewards, and unpredictability trigger focus
• Training hacks like music, timers, and micro-journals
• Ways to make training feel more like play
• How to empower your dog with choice and variety
• This week’s Kaizen Challenge to jumpstart momentum

If you’ve ever struggled to “just start” or keep sessions enjoyable, this episode will show you how to shift the vibe—without relying on willpower alone.

🎧 New episodes weekly to help you and your dog grow together, one step at a time.

Tune in weekly for new episodes that blend practical dog training tips with mindset, philosophy, and inspiration. Let’s grow together, one step at a time.

Transcript

0:00

Welcome back to Kaizen by Doggy Dojo, the podcast where we train mindfully, grow intentionally, and strengthen the bond between you and your dog. One small step at a time. I'm your host Trevor Smith, and today we're diving into a topic that feels everything we've talked about so far. And for this particular topic, I would say it'd be really good to go through together with somebody because without this one, it's one thing. Doesn't matter how well you understand training theory, how many tricks your dog knows, or even how detailed your goals are. The thing we need is motivation to accomplish this, to accomplish all of our goals, to accomplish all of our training. Motivation is a muscle for you and your dog, and also I find that motivation. It's helpful if you bring somebody along. So share this podcast with somebody that you know. But before we get started, let me ask you something. Have you ever wanted to train your dog but just couldn't bring yourself to get off the couch to stop watching that show or get started on the training session? Or maybe you are motivated and you look at your dog, and your dog looks at you like me. I'm good. I don't need any training. That's not failure, that's not laziness. That's just motivation. That's just being human or being canine. Motivation isn't something that you either have or don't. It's a muscle and like a muscle. Need the right warmup. Fuel recovery, stay strong. We're going to talk about how to keep yourself motivated, how to keep your dog motivated, and how to make training feel less like a chore and more like a game. Both you and your dog are going to love to keep. Playing. Recently, I was reading the book called The Power of Fun by Catherine Price, and she nailed something that I've thought about for years, but I really couldn't put into words. She talks about what actually sparks motivation in the brain through what she calls dopamine triggers. And here are the top three novelty, rewards and unpredictability. Let's go and break these down real quick and I'll show you how to use each one of these in your training, both for yourself and for your dog. Novelty. Do something new. Our brains love new things, and so do our dog's brains. When training feels stale, motivation drops, but change just one thing and suddenly the spark returns train in a new location, even if it's just the backyard. Instead of the living room, use a different toy or reinforcer. Teach a silly new trick you've never tried before, for example. Instead of practicing the same stay, try a little spin queue or a little jump over a bar, something that's unexpected. As you enter the session, this perks up the dog and also gets you excited to train as well. Next is rewards. Let's celebrate those wins. Motivation is driven by reward, but not just for your dog. You need reinforcement too. Ask yourself what makes you feel good about training? Is it. Checking a task off your list, watching your dog succeed. Treating yourself to a coffee after a focused session. For me, I usually try to get my coffee or caffeine and before a train, but that can help if it helps you afterwards as well. Reinforce your own consistency because motivation builds when we celebrate progress, not just the results. And for your dog. Don't just use the same old kle. Bring out that high value treat. They go crazy for or better yet, reward with play, tug, fetch, or praise in a goofy voice, make it worth it. Next is unpredictability. Keep them guessing. One of the most powerful ways to trigger motivation for you and your dog is unpredictability. It might kind of seem strange. That doesn't mean chaos. It doesn't mean surprise, but it means like using a random schedule, reward every few repetitions instead of every time play a game mid training like the Chase Me game, or Find the toy for yourself. Try maybe a training wheel or spinner or flashcards with different games and drills. Let chance choose your focus. The brain lights up when you can't quite predict what's next. That unpredictability triggers dopamine and makes us want to keep going. Right? Real quick, take a moment. You just learned something in this podcast that's helped you or you think would help another person share it. I'm not talking about doing it just online. You can share the link and I do appreciate that. But share it with a friend, like text somebody, call somebody, walk through some of these things that you're struggling with so that you can get progress on the journey. And if you need somebody for that, feel free to message me at the Doggy Dojo. I'd love to hear more about your journey and what you're doing with your dog and how you're growing together. Alright, let's get back to it. On that note, let's give you some more trainer motivation. Hack. Let's switch gears. And how do you motivate yourself to train consistently? Especially when life just gets chaotic as a dad with a three-year-old toddler. I know this right now, but here's some favorite Kaizen style hacks. Create a training playlist. Music changes your energy. Build a go-to hype list for you to use when you train. If you have one, share it with me. Use a two minute timer. Tell yourself I'm just gonna train two minutes. That's it. Get started on the hardest part, but once you do. Momentum kicks in buddy system like we talked about the top of the episode. Text a friend what you plan to do. Check in at the end. Even one accountability partner can do Wonders. Micro Win Journal. Keep a little notebook or a notes app where you write one thing down, you did well. And training each day. Progress builds motivation, but have to notice it, track it, and celebrate it. And we're gonna talk about this in next week episode just to. Deeper dive into fixing this problem when it comes to celebrating your wins and staying motivated. But let's now talk about your teammate, your dog. Here's what works especially well to keep them fired up rotating rewards. Don't just use the same treat or toy. Let them pick play as payment, and each cue with a quick game of toss of tug. Belly rubs. If they don't like toys, it's okay. Just get goofy and have some fun with it. Training breaks, keep sessions short and snapping. Two to five minutes is plenty. Give them agency. Let your dog choose a toy. The direction of the walk. What trick to do next. That little bit of control makes a big difference in motivation. Dog will work harder and you'll have more fun. And when they feel like training is a game and not just a drill, gonna find some magic there. That's all what it's about is finding that magic between you and your dog. Alright, you know what time it is. It's Kaizen challenge time for this week. I've given you already a few, but let's do this. Pick one dopamine trigger novelty, reward, or unpredictability, and use it in your next training session. Here's how. Write down what changed. Note how you felt about what happened to your dog and how your dog responded. And bonus points. Share it with me on Instagram at the doggy dojo, or use the hashtag life with your dog. We're training as a team here. We're working together. We're having some fun. Let's celebrate that fun. Let's build that momentum. Let's spark motivation together. Before we wrap up, I want you to remember this. Don't need more willpower. You need more fun. We're gonna talk about that in future episodes, and motivation isn't just about pushing through, it's about pulling yourself and your dog into a moment of curiosity, joy, and play. So try something new this week. Don't just do the same old, same old, make training unpredictable, and celebrate those small wins because that's what keeps the fire going. And we're gonna dive deeper into celebrating the small wins next week. But for now, thanks for joining here on The Doggy Dojo. The journey is just getting started and we're growing together, and we're growing stronger every small step of the way. Let's train, let's grow. Let's have fun together, and as always, have some fun with your dog and we'll see y'all next time. Bye. Alright, if you've enjoyed the Doggy Dojo, I have some resources for you. Uh, link down below. I have on my Patreon some guides that you can download. I think it's gonna be great. You don't have to buy a membership at the Patreon. I do appreciate any support, but if you just want some guides to help you walk through some of these. Training principles, then I have them all for you and they're ready to download. And if you have any questions or comments, leave 'em down below. And if you have any questions or comments or things you wanna talk about or you're struggling with, I wanna hear about 'em. Put 'em down below in the comment section.