What is interesting when one considers a fixing deadline with a living being is that many parameters are not being taken into account.
If you want a situation to change, it is reasonable and achievable by arranging the environment, not just by training your dog. For example, your dog chases mosquitoes and flies : mosquito nets become your allies.
On the other hand, when you consider training a behavior or changing an emotional response to an element, it does matter that you recognize the goal you truly have : to achieve an intended result only, or, to move forward at the pace of each being's abilities. In the first case, it does not matter what is implemented as long as it leads to what is desired ; in the second case, you set up a certain number of training and see if your purpose matches with reality.
❇️ For instance, you want to spend time on a café terrace with your dog, but for him it's too exciting (positively or negatively).
➯ In the first case, you may flood him, put him on a terrace and leave him there until he stops certain behaviors (even if it means using aversive tools to reduce these behaviors). If your goal is not achieved by a date that you alone have set, you become frustrated and question your cohabitation with a dog that does not allow you to blossom.
➯ In the second case, you first analyze why your dog is not comfortable on the terrace. Potentially, you choose very large terraces with few people and stay there only for a coffee, or even less if you see him in discomfort. You can also create fictitious terraces and invite friends to put your dog in a familiar context. You can also break down what causes stress into several training sessions : static position, movement of strangers around, attraction to smells, etc.
When you are modifying a behavior, or when you are training one, there is always an emotional component.
When setting a goal, there are various parameters to keep in mind :
Doggy's emotional state,
his health,
your availability in time,
your emotional state at the time of the sessions,
the cognitive abilities of Doffy (just as you will teach me a new language faster than a geometry theorem, some dogs are better suited for certain activities),
Doggie's needs,
the vagaries of everyday life, everything that you cannot control,
distractions.
Having a goal allows you to take a path to reach it. Sometimes, to keep your cohabitation harmonious, changing paths, taking simpler, slower or, on the contrary, more direct routes can help. And sometimes, changing the goal, grieving over a desire (I'm not talking about the human need for security if the dog shows aggressive behaviors, but a desire) allows you to recognize the individuality of the being you live with.
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