Introducing the "celebration session"

In dog sports, it's easy to get caught up in striving for the next big goal—new titles, clean runs, more Qs. But sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do for both our dogs and ourselves is to slow down, take a breath, and celebrate how far we’ve come. Enter the “celebration session”: a short, focused training session where the goal isn’t to improve or push boundaries, but simply to reinforce skills you and your dog already know and do well. It’s a chance to remind both you and your dog that you’re a great team with plenty of skills under your belt.

Why Celebration Sessions Matter for Your Dog

For our dogs, learning new skills and refining old ones can be intense, especially when we’re always working toward a goal. Celebration sessions provide a break from the grind and allow them to focus on what they know and enjoy. It’s all about success and positivity—building on behaviors they’ve mastered, giving them extra praise and rewards for skills they know well, and letting them shine in a low-pressure environment. This helps to boost their confidence and reminds them that training is fun, reinforcing their motivation and enthusiasm. Plus, we should always be solidifying our foundation!

During a celebration session, you might ask your dog for some of their favorite, well-practiced skills—a perfect set-up, a sharp recall, a solid weave entry. You know they’ve got it down, and you can reinforce these behaviors with treats, praise, and fun. This can be especially powerful if you’re working through a rough patch in training. A celebration session can help reframe the training process, making it feel positive and encouraging for your dog rather than stressful or challenging.

Why Celebration Sessions Matter for You, Too

But let’s be honest: the celebration session isn’t just for your dog. It’s also an opportunity for you, as a handler, to recognize how much you have learned and achieved. In the hustle to improve our dogs, we often forget that we, too, are learning every step of the way. We’re building skills, overcoming challenges, and refining our ability to communicate and connect with our dogs. Celebration sessions provide a moment to reflect on your own growth as a trainer and teammate.

Think back to where you started—perhaps you were a little unsure about handling, or you felt nervous about getting certain sequences right. Now, here you are, executing those same skills with confidence and ease. Celebrate that! Give yourself credit for all the time and effort you’ve put into becoming a more skilled and knowledgeable handler. Recognize how your timing has improved, how your understanding of cues has deepened, and how you’ve become more attuned to your dog’s body language and needs. These are all wins worth celebrating.

Building a Stronger Team Through Confidence

When you make space to celebrate both your dog’s achievements and your own progress, you’re not only reinforcing skills—you’re strengthening the bond between you. Celebration sessions allow both you and your dog to experience the joy of working together without any pressure. And when you feel good about your skills, your dog can sense that positivity and confidence, too.

After a celebration session, consider jotting down a few notes in your training journal or planner. Write down which skills you reinforced, any moments that felt particularly rewarding, and how your dog responded. Over time, these notes will serve as a wonderful reminder of your shared journey—of the many small victories that have built a strong foundation for your partnership.

Celebration sessions are about more than just fun—they’re a way to remind both you and your dog of how much you’ve accomplished together while strengthening your foundation. By focusing on what you already know, you’re reinforcing trust and confidence that will carry you through future challenges. So next time you feel the weight of the “next big goal,” take a step back and celebrate the small wins. You’ve earned it, and so has your dog.