National Train Your Dog Month: Building Better Behaviors the Fun Way 🐾

HBP
Jan 8
2 min read

January is National Train Your Dog Month, the perfect time to focus on strengthening the bond between you and your pup while reinforcing positive, healthy behaviors. At Houston Bark Park & Daycare, we believe training should be fun, engaging, and rewarding for dogs and their humans. That philosophy is at the heart of our Academy Program, available at all Houston Bark Park & Daycare locations.

✨ Special January Perks:

This month only, clients can try Academy for the price of regular daycare
All Academy packages are currently 20% off

There’s no better time to see what Academy is all about!

Woman in a blue shirt feeding a white dog on green turf near a colorful ball pit. Red and blue containers in the background.

What Training Looks Like at Houston Bark Park & Daycare

Our Academy Program isn’t about strict obedience drills or pressure-based commands. Instead, we focus on reinforcing positive behaviors using positive reinforcement, a proven, compassionate, science-backed training approach.

What Is Positive Reinforcement?

In short, positive reinforcement means rewarding behaviors you want to see more of. When a dog makes a good choice, like listening to a cue, staying calm, or engaging appropriately, they’re rewarded with something they love, such as treats, praise, or play.

This approach helps dogs:

Build confidence
Learn faster
Enjoy the training process

Rather than focusing on mistakes, we guide dogs toward success in a way that strengthens trust and encourages repeat positive behaviors.

A dog jumps over a blue agility hurdle as a person in a blue shirt gestures in a grassy yard with wooden and brick fencing, under sunny skies.

Why High-Value Treats Matter 🦴

Not all treats are created equally especially during training! In our Academy Program, we use a combination of regular treats and high value reward treats that are extra motivating and exciting for dogs.

High-value treats:

Increase focus and engagement
Help reinforce behaviors more effectively
Make learning fun instead of frustrating

When dogs know something amazing is coming, they’re more eager to participate and succeed.

Short Training Spurts = Better Results 🧠

One of the most common training myths is that longer sessions lead to better results. In reality, dogs learn best through short, focused training spurts.

Our Academy training is: