01.08.2026

January isn’t just the start of a new calendar year – it’s National Train Your Dog Month, the perfect moment to focus on building a deeper connection with your dog while teaching them valuable skills. Whether you’ve got a bouncy puppy, a newly adopted companion, or a seasoned adult dog, this month is a great opportunity to invest in reliable training, trust, and teamwork with your pet. Dog training improves behavior, strengthens communication, and enhances your dog’s quality of life while giving you both purpose, structure, and plenty of tail‑wags along the way.

In this blog post, you’ll learn why training matters, how to establish healthy routines, and practical tips you can use immediately – plus how Farmland Traditions’ nutritious treats and food can help make training more effective and delicious.

Why Positive Reinforcement Builds Trust

Positive reinforcement training (rewarding the behaviors you like instead of punishing the ones you don’t) helps your dog feel safe, confident, and eager to learn. Research-backed training consistently shows that rewarding good choices with treats, toys, or praise leads to better results and a stronger human–dog bond. Over time, that trust becomes the foundation for reliable cues, easier vet visits, and a dog who looks to you for guidance when life gets noisy or confusing.

The Five Pillars of Smart Training

Dog trainers and veterinary behavior experts tend to agree on three core pillars: keep it positive, keep it consistent, and keep it bite-sized (short sessions, clear goals, small rewards).

• Use rewards your dog actually cares about (high-value treats they love, play, praise)
• Keep sessions short (5–10 minutes) but sprinkle them throughout the day
• Focus on one or two behaviors at a time so your dog isn’t guessing
• Use a cheerful tone and clear, consistent commands
• Reward immediately when your dog performs the behavior

Choosing the Right Training Treats

Not all dog treats are ideal for training sessions; you need something safe, soft, bite-sized, and motivating enough to cut through distractions. Choosing the right treat for training is about more than taste – it’s about size, texture, and how motivating it is to your dog. At Farmland Traditions, all of our food and treats are air‑dried for 9–12 hours in our Southern California kitchen, made with no grains, no soy, no fillers, and only simple ingredients you can pronounce.

✨ Tiny Loves with Bone Broth: Your Everyday Training MVP

• Made with 98% real animal protein plus bone broth for digestion support
• Soft, chewy, and packed with just a handful of simple ingredients you can pronounce
• Only 2 calories per treat, so you can reward frequently without overfeeding
• Small size keeps your dog focused without filling them up or worrying about excess calories

These qualities make Tiny Loves ideal for training sessions of any level – whether you’re teaching sit, recall, or a fun new trick. It’s your go-to training treat for every day.

♥️ Dogs Love Jerky — High‑Value Reward

• Soft jerky patties packed with 95% premium protein
• Patties break apart easily, so you use one patty over several repetitions while still giving your dog that “jackpot” feeling
• Gently air-dried to lock in rich flavor dogs go wild for
• Excellent for big milestones or challenging commands

High‑value treats like Dogs Love Jerky help keep your dog engaged and motivated, especially when learning something new or difficult. It’s a more exciting reward than their everyday snack for those behaviors that deserve an extra-special payment!

💪 The Good List — Air‑Dried Nutrition & Training Fuel

Technically a complete air‑dried food, The Good List also makes a fantastic training tool. With 90% premium animal protein and 10% superfood nutrition, these tender morsels support digestion, immune health, skin & coat, and double as nutritious training rewards or meal toppers. Use The Good List as:

• A complete balanced meal
• A training treat or reward
• A topper for other foods
• A mixer for added flavor

🍖 Simple Snacks — Versatile Bites for Variety

For dogs who love novelty, rotating textures and flavors keeps training exciting and prevents boredom. Simple Snacks offer that variety with different protein options and formats, from small waffle bites to sticks and strips. Each recipe uses limited ingredients and the same slow air-drying process as the rest of the lines, so you can experiment with taste and texture without compromising your standards.

Top Training Tips for National Train Your Dog Month

Here are some practical ideas to make training successful and fun:

1. Start With the Basics
   Commands like sit, stay, come, and leave it provide a solid foundation. Once your dog masters these, more advanced skills and tricks are easier to teach.
2. Be Consistent
   Use the same cues, signals, and expectations. Training is a language – consistency helps your dog understand it faster and more reliably.
3. Mix Skills With Daily Routines
   Incorporate commands into everyday activities like meal prep, walks, or playtime. This reinforces learning and builds trust.
4. Keep Sessions Short & Predictable
   Short bursts of training prevent fatigue and boredom. Most dogs learn best with brief, frequent sessions.
5. End on a Positive Note
   Always finish training on success – give a favorite treat and praise so your dog looks forward to the next session.

Turn Training Into a Bonding Ritual

When training is short, light, and reward-based, it becomes less like “work” and more like a game you and your dog share. Trainers often emphasize that the real magic is not just in the behavior you teach, but in the conversation you build with your dog through repetition, timing, and rewards. More than obedience, training builds trust, communication, and mutual understanding. It’s one of the best investments you can make in your dog’s happiness and quality of life.

This January, incorporate Tiny Loves with Bone Broth for high‑frequency everyday rewards, use Dogs Love Jerky for extra motivation, use The Good List for nutritious reinforcement, and switch it up with Simple Snacks for variety.

​Whether you’re just starting or leveling up your dog’s skills, National Train Your Dog Month is the perfect time to create habits that last a lifetime.🐾