What copywriting and training my dog have in common
Copywriting tips AND cute dog pics? This newsletter's got both!
Welcome to Buhay Copywriter by Regina Peralta! It’s wonderful to meet you.
This newsletter is my way of paying it forward and being the person I needed when I was a young(er) writer.
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You know all those heartwarming stories of people with their childhood dogs, or wanting a dog as a kid?
That wasn’t me.
I grew up afraid of dogs, never mind the fact that our old house was too small to accommodate one. But my sister was gifted a Japanese Spitz-Labrador puppy in 2016, and I eventually warmed to the tiny creature she named Hershey. When she started living away from home due to community immersion activities and later, medical school, she counted on the rest of the family to take care of Hershey. I took on more and more of the work, even researching about healthier dog food options, adding home-cooked meat to his kibble and milk, and preparing a dogGO BAG in case of floods or earthquakes.
Eventually, I felt the pull to have my own little furbaby. After much deliberation, financial computations, and consultation with the family, I got a Japanese Spitz puppy named Auro (after a Filipino chocolate brand).
The first year went by quickly. I did my best to train Auro, and make him okay with the vet and groomer — or at least with muzzles at the vet and groomer. But after he turned two, he became difficult to handle. And even Hershey, who was thrice his size, was an easier patient/client during appointments. Soon, Auro was snappy and snarling, refusing to be collared, leashed, or held. I feared having to keep him in a crate forever.
In mid-2024, I decided it was time to consult those who knew dogs better. I looked up different dog trainers, checked out package rates and trainers’ locations.
I did an evaluation session with one trainer but was shocked at the terms and rates of their servicing, which involved at-home and boarding school training. I booked another evaluation session with a different trainer and found them to be a better fit in terms of budget, curriculum, and overall vibe. I also saw how Auro responded to each trainer and felt better about the second one we consulted.
After five sessions with The Dog Tango, I found that Auro and I enjoyed training together! He had something to expend his energy on. He had more excuses to beg for food. And, I could shape him into a more adaptable companion. Our trainer, Ms. Cheryl, has been gracious enough to accommodate updates and questions sent via Instagram, and I’ve found that I’m sometimes able to figure out what solutions to try, even before she sends a list of tips. Auro and I are both learning, yahoo!
We still have long way to go, though.
While I’ve been able to put a diaper on him (with looots of yogurt or liver spread on hand), he responds to muzzle commands indoors, and he knows how to use a scratch board, I still can’t get his attention when at the vet. Even with the most delicious treats! This makes it impossible for me to muzzle him, and we end up asking the vet aides to do it. I’m also not sure yet if I can introduce him to a carrier bag so that I can take him in ride-sharing taxis. And while we’ve deprioritized harness-wearing as a goal, I’m still nervous about removing his collar during bath time.
Still, Auro and I have those small wins together, and I have the privilege of enjoying the company of two beautiful doggos while I write copy from the comfort of home.
That said, here’s what I learned as a copywriter who also has a dog in training:
The similarities between dog training and copywriting
The importance of knowing your audience.
One of the key lessons in advertising is knowing your target audience. What are their goals, pain points, gain points? What channels or media are relevant to them?
The same is true with training a dog. It’s important to know your fur baby’s PUPsonality and motivations. You also need to read their language — when should you dial down the challenge, release the pressure, or help manage the situation they’re in?
Auro is very food-motivated and touch-motivated. This makes him quite sensitive during handling exercises (touching various parts of his body to simulate check-ups or grooming). It also makes commands like “Leave it” quite challenging when the food is just too good. But it also means granting those things is extra-rewarding for him!
The grind is inevitable.
Consistency is the key when it comes to learning copywriting. You don’t learn how to write a flawless A/V script in one go. It takes multiple revisions and different types of video projects for different brands. You don’t pick up a client’s quirks with just a few captions — it takes an entire project, months of social media retainer content, and multiple versions of a pitch deck.
The same is true with dog training. Consistency builds recall, helps desensitize situations where the dog may overreact, and so on.
I’ve been told time and again by others that consistency is one of my strong points. And it’s helped a lot with dog training! Even nowadays, when training sessions may happen daily or every other day depending on my schedule, I do my best to make time for it since training is an investment in future situations Auro and I might face.
Personalized mentorship is important.
The internet makes it so easy to learn things! There are millions of videos out there about copywriting. But what may work for one “guru” out there may not work for your boss and your client. And those job interview tips that work for Western countries? Not all of them will be looked upon favorably here in the Philippines.
And sure, the internet can probably provide you with a few “mentors”. But the online world makes navigating topics like dog training quite complex. How do you know if a certain trainer’s style will work for your pet? What if you try a hodge-podge of techniques and confuse yourself and your dog? What if you’ve tried all the tips to solve a certain problem, and none of them work?
The lack of appropriate Google-able solutions helped me realize that it was time to seek a professional trainer. I needed a mentor to take me and Auro through the process of learning how to learn together, and teaching each other as owner and pet. Plus, a professional trainer could evaluate Auro as an individual and provide personalized feedback and support. And that was exactly what I got from our trainer.
You and your dog deserve rewards.
Give yourself a break and a treat after working on a big project or tiring task. You deserve it!
The same goes for your dog. Learning new commands is hard work, and they deserve treats after every successful drill.
The journey is not linear.
There are days when you’ll be rocking a presentation with Client A, but bombing the internals for a pitch for Client B. You might have days when your first pass gets approved, and nights when you’re revising a script for the nth time that week. And that’s okay! Just keep trying.
Training Auro hasn’t been just full of wins, either. There are days when he’ll respond to commands, allow me to put a diaper on him, and respond to “Leave it!!. Then there are moments when no treat can get his attention, and Hershey’s food is just too good to resist.
As an advertising copywriter who works from home, our family pets heavily influence my day. And it’s interesting to see these parallels between something I’m skilled at (copywriting) and something I’m still learning to do (training Auro).
And that’s it! As I tell my dog after each session, “All for today! No more!”