October 2019 - 2 Minute Trainer

Be prepared with “Plan B”

“Huh?”

There are days we’d swear one of our dogs (it differs by the day) is an idiot who never learned anything, ever. You know those times – you start a high-energy, 2-Minute session and they stare at you blankly when you say “Sit!” or “Down!” or “Come!”

When it happens, and it happens to everybody on occasion, the best thing to do is just shift gears and try something else. Don’t abandon the session! Just go to “Plan B!”

"Plan B" is almost always better than continuing a fruitless session or abandoning it altogether.

Choose a different training game – or no training at all! There’s no timeline and no repercussions for not fulfilling one day’s plan. You’re certainly allowed, even encouraged, to just grab a toy and play “tug” or “fetch” with your dog.

What does your dog want to do?

On the other hand, if you think your dog is just “testing” you – try something else to engage him or her. Start with tug and turn it into a “hand touch!” Sometimes your dog can lead the session and let you know what he wants to do.

Hope’s Frenchie Torque’s favorite training game is “tap,” where he alternates paws touching Hope’s foot. There are sessions where he runs up to her and “taps” without prompting. And some days, he gets to choose! Other times he’ll get his “tap” at the end of the 2-Minute session – if he plays the game Hope wants, first!

Delayed learning does work

There are times when your dog just doesn’t seem to be “getting” what you’re teaching at all. If your dog usually learns something in about three to five sessions, and it’s just not coming, put it away for a week or so. Then try again. You might be amazed that the behavior you thought was never going to happen has almost been perfected by letting it lie dormant for a time.

Your dog is unique, and so is his learning

It will take a while before you know your unique dog’s learning pattern. What games she enjoys, which kinds of behaviors she finds easiest and which are most difficult. You may recognize similarities if you keep track on the worksheets available for download for each of the courses. The worksheets are a training tool that comes in handy.

Your dog can pick up on your energy

Dogs will also pick up on your preferences for training, too. Your energy level may be different for “place” than it is for “come.” If you take video of your training – watch yourself the first time through. Then watch it again, noting how your dog reacts to you. If your tone or energy changes – so does your dog!

Under the weather training

Simon was a little under the weather today. We did some training anyway.

Simon is under the weather today. So we did a little under the weather training. Nothing big, but not up to his lively, energetic self. We make a practice of individually training all the dogs before work in the morning. (Unless we’re working on a group exercise, of course.) The dogs who aren’t training are in their crates in the area. They can watch while they relax. I didn’t want Simon to feel left out, so I had to decide what I wanted to work on that wouldn’t overtax or over-stimulate him.

Why train today?

You might ask why bother to have a training session with Simon at all when he’s not feeling up to par. For one thing, he enjoys it, and it might help him feel a little better. And we’ve found that dogs love consistency. They love routine. If Simon sees his “brothers” training and he doesn’t get a turn, he’s perfectly capable of throwing a tantrum. Or he’ll mope. And a sick, mopey dog is worse than just a sick dog.

Of course, if Simon were severely ill, more than just a little under the weather, we would have been preparing to go to the veterinarian, and not training. We’ve lived with enough dogs to recognize a little bug versus something worse.

So, what did we do?

I didn’t ask for anything new. We worked on positions – the “Get in,” Sit, Down, and we worked on Stay. Simon will be competing in Obedience, so these are important. We did a little bit of heeling – that precise almost-walking that we do in competition Obedience. But not too much. And a little, tiny bit of focus forward – Simon holds his stay when he really wants that toy thrown in front of him.

We didn’t work on anything new – I wanted to keep the session stress-free for Simon. So we worked on reinforcing and perfecting behaviors that he already knew. Learning new things, no matter how much fun the session might be, brings a little stress.

How long?

2-minutes, of course!

Keep those plates spinning!

Your dog’s skills are constantly changing. You and your dog have a lot of plates spinning!

Lots of new behaviors

For the most part, his/her repertoire is expanding as your 2-Minute-Training journey continues. Your dog is learning how to learn – offering new behaviors, paying better attention, becoming a team with you, and you’re building a great relationship as your understanding grows.

And then, for no reason, your dog looks at you like she’s never heard the word “Place!” before. Seriously, dog?

What’s going on?

It could be one of a couple of different things.

Short-term to long-term memory

When dogs (or people!) learn new things, it takes a bit of time for them to become part of our skills list. When anything is transferring from short-term to long-term memory, it can get lost for a little while.

The other possibility is that while you’ve been training other stuff, “place” got a little bit neglected. When was the last 2-Minute session that focused on “place”?

Remember the Ed Sullivan show?

This circus dog knows her stuff! She's keeping her ball balanced while dancing on her hind legs! Lots of skills here.

The skills our dogs learn are like the “Spinning Plates” routine from old variety or circus shows. As the number of skills (plates) grows, it gets more difficult to keep each going. An occasional refresher session is all it takes to renew the behavior.

Hope hadn’t been working “place” with Torque in a while. They’d been having fun with tricks like “tap!” and putting stuff away. When she remembered, it only took one little session to remind him, and his “place” was back!

It might be time to revisit old skills

Just like it’s never too late for a dog to learn new things, it’s never a bad time to revisit old skills. It’s a good idea, especially if you’re having a difficult day, to just go back and refresh some familiar, fun skills that you’ve already mastered.

It’s nowhere near as frenetic as actually “spinning plates” – and it’s fun to relax and revisit the “oldies but goodies.”

Here’s a YouTube video of Henrik Bothe performing his plate-spinning act.

Get it on record!

One of your most important tools is your smartphone

One of your best dog training tools is your smartphone!

At least a couple of times a week, take video of your session with your dog. If somebody else is around, ask them to do it and be sure to get both you and your dog in the frame. If not, invest in a little tripod and set it up so both of you are visible.

Do it! No one else has to see the recording.

Do it even if you hate being on video. Even if you hate your voice. Even if you’re wearing clothes that aren’t fit for public viewing. Even if you haven’t showered or done your hair yet.

Why?!?

It’s a great way to keep track of where you’ve been.
You can see how good (or bad) your timing is when you’re rewarding your dog
Your dog is adorable.
You’ll have a way to visualize your progress.
If your dog isn’t understanding something, you can see where he/she loses interest.

No one has to see it but you. Unless your dog does something hysterically funny, in which case you’ll be happy you have the recording so you can upload it to YouTube and get rich!

Aside from your training log, which we’ve provided for download, your video is a great tool. When you’re in the moment, playing with your dog, there are things you don’t notice even though they happen right in front of you.

Watch your video at least twice

Watch the video at least twice – once concentrating on you, once concentrating on your dog.

Were your cues in the right place? Did you make sure you had your dog’s attention before you told her what you wanted her to do? Was your reward well-timed? Did you tell her “good girl!” often enough?

Especially notice the rewards

The most important feedback you give your dog is the timing and placement of rewards. Were they often enough? Were they in the right place? If you’re rewarding your dog for “down,” the reward should be placed on or between the dog’s front paws. It’s crucial that the dog doesn’t have to sit up to receive the treat!

What can you learn?

There are all kinds of little things you can learn from your video. It could show a stress signal from your dog, like yawning or licking his muzzle, that indicates he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do. If you notice where in the game that’s happening, you’ll know that particular part of the behavior needs extra attention – maybe as simple as more frequent rewards, or going back a step and trying again.

Video is a tool you have right in your hand. Be sure to keep those early ones – you’ll want to look back and see how far you’ve come!

“Socializing” Isn’t What You Think

Do you like everybody you meet?

Nah. Us neither.

Do you think you should be friends with everyone?

No way!

Social = Polite

So why is it that we feel pressure to have our dogs “like” every person and every dog they encounter?

They don’t have to – any more than we do!

Dogs do have to learn how to behave politely in their world. That’s what “socializing” truly is. Teaching our dogs to cope with their surroundings without freaking out or behaving inappropriately.

Social = Calm and Attentive

Dogs are well-socialized when they can remain calm and attentive to you. That means you can walk down the street with your dog, go to the park with your dog, sit in your yard with your dog. And your dog won’t bark inappropriately, won’t jump on people, won’t chase cars (or bicycles, or skateboards, etc.), won’t lunge at other dogs, won’t chase bunnies (or squirrels, or cats, etc.).

We don’t know where the notion came from that dogs need to be “friends” with the world. Dogs don’t need dog friends. They don’t need to love every person. They need to know how to ignore all the distractions of life so your life together can be peaceful and calm.

We’ve always said that manners are the “social grease” that keep civilization running. We may not all like one another, we may not agree on everything. But we can all act politely and respect each other’s space.

A dog who is well-mannered in public is properly socialized. Ignoring strangers – both people and dogs – is perfectly acceptable, socialized behavior.