April 2025 - 2 Minute Trainer

Training Game- Ring Around The Targets

How long does it take to create a new dog training game? Almost none. On the spur of the moment last night we made up “Ring Around The Targets.”

Most dogs love Target Training. It’s easy, it’s fast, and it lets the dog get rewarded for something they love doing anyway – sticking their noses into something. We started there and embellished, a lot.

Target Training is a great skill to teach your dog, and one that lets you build some distance from your dog. Most dogs are unfamiliar with the idea of doing stuff away from their people. Dogs’ preferred position is right in front of you, staring adoringly at your face.

In our Rally class yesterday we worked on getting the dogs to go away from their people and sit near a plastic cone about eight feet away. To get the dogs to move away by themselves, we used paper plates as targets next to the cones.

Left holding the targets

Since we only play training games for a maximum of five minutes at a time, even in class, Hope wound up with a handful of paper plates that had doubled as targets. So she made up a new game on the spot.

All the Rally class dogs know targets. We usually use plastic lids from containers of products like sour cream, cottage cheese, even ice cream. You can use anything as a target, as long as you’re able to “load” it with a treat.

For our new Ring Around the Targets game, we used the paper plates. You can use as many as you like, but at least five. Arrange them in a circle, with you and your dog in the middle. The circle of targets can be as big as you like – the bigger the better.

Don’t pre-load the targets with treats. We want to reward the dogs, not lure them to the goal.

Release the dogs

After you’ve got everything set up, release your dog. If you’ve built value in the Target game, your dog should dash from one target to the next. Depending on your dog’s experience, you can either follow along and reward each target (for newbies) or wait and give your dog a jackpot when they’ve completed the entire circle (experienced dogs).

All the dogs had a blast and got it right the first time. None of them, or the people, had ever seen the game before. It never existed – Hope just made it up. That’s the kind of training flexibility you’ll have when you play training games with your dog.

When you play training games, your dog expects to have a good time. No matter what the game, whether they know it or not. The expectation of having fun is always there. The dogs are open to trying new things. They’re not wary or afraid of things they haven’t seen before. They trust their training games partner and know it’s going to be fun.

Always a spoonful of sugar

Many of the training games address behavioral issues most dogs have. They teach basic manners and improve dogs’ liveability. But the dogs don’t know that. They just know they’re having fun, understanding more, and getting to spend time with the people they love.

Not all training games have to be useful or have a particular goal in mind. We have dogs because life’s better and more fun with a dog. Some training games are just for fun, too, like the Ring Around the Targets game. The best part is you get to play them with your dog.

Maybe it’s time to switch anvil makers

Wile E. Coyote has been trying to catch Road Runner for decades. He’s spent innumerable hours and buckets of money and nothing he tries works. And yet he persists in ordering his traps from Acme. When is it time to concede he’s put his faith and effort into the wrong thing? Agree that maybe it’s time to switch anvil makers. And how long will you stubbornly stick to something that’s not working for you and your dog?

Although its source is uncertain, we still adhere to the quote “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” The hardest part for many people seems to be recognizing when something’s unrecoverably broken and moving on. It doesn’t mean you give up on the behavior you’re trying to teach. It means you may have to approach it sideways instead of head-on.

Poisoning the well

Experience being the excellent teacher it is, of course we’ve “been there, done that.” Tango, Fran’s Brussels Griffon, has posed many challenges over the years. Since he’ll celebrate his 16th birthday this month, we can’t even count the vast number of lessons we’ve learned from him.

After Fran got him over being a snarling, hostile devil-dog (read Tango: Transforming my Hellhound, available on Amazon) , she was able to concentrate on more fun things like Rally, Agility, and Obedience. For unknown reasons, and Tango’s not telling, he stopped responding to his release word, which was “Go!” When he heard it, he visibly shrank and shut down.

For a short while, like most people, Fran tried to get him over the bugaboo. She loaded the word with treats, praised any slight movement, did all the right things to make “Go!” valuable and fun. Tango wasn’t having any of it.

Instead of persisting in hitting a brick wall, Fran regrouped, thought, “Maybe it’s time to switch release words,” and started from square one. She chose a new release word, “Action!” and taught it to Tango. Whatever negative association he had with “Go!” didn’t apply to the new word. They were in business once again.

Choose the easy way

Un-teaching something to a dog is difficult. If it’s attached to some negative emotion, it’s practically impossible. Dogs don’t just “get over it.” If some word, action, or place has become toxic to the dog, it’s often better to just let it go and approach from another angle.

A similar thing happened with one of our Rally students. Her two-year-old, rather skittish dog, became slinky and shut down if told to “Stand!” Nobody knows why. She was never abused, nobody hurt her after telling her to “Stand.” She’s a dog. She’ll never give us the answer.

We advised the dog’s owner to start over. Pick a different word and another hand motion to indicate “Stand!” And the dog perfected the “new” behavior in days. Does it look just like a “Stand!”? Yes, of course. Is it actually the exact same exercise? Yes, it is. But it’s different for the dog. And her opinion matters.

Train the dog in front of you

Dogs are unique individuals. Even if every one of your dogs is the same breed, has the same lineage, and come from the same breeder, each is unique. That’s why you have to train the dog in front of you.

“But my last dog didn’t…”

“My other dog never…”

If you find yourself saying things like this, you’re not being fair to your current dog. Every dog you share your life with will bring new challenges and joys, problems and laughter. And each dog deserves to be recognized for who they are. Every dog will bring something new to your life and you’ll share a special relationship with each and every one.

Simon vs Booker

The youngest dog in our house, Simon is a six-year-old Boston Terrier. He’s the fifth Boston, the second from the same lineage. There are lots of parts that are “typical” Boston Terrier. There are also bits that are unlike any other. For one thing, he’s the smartest dog we’ve ever owned. He’s also the nosiest, and the most intense. He’s the only Boston we’ve had that doesn’t have a silly side. The dude is serious, through and through.

Training Simon is different than training his uncle, Booker, who is 12 years old. Booker has the attention span of a gnat, and rockets off on bouncing, silly, barking jags. Simon looks at him like he’s lost his mind. Simon loves practicing the same behaviors multiple times. Booker’s done after two repetitions, maximum.

Train the dog in front of you

If Fran tried to fit both Booker and Simon into the same training slot, chances are neither would be very good at anything. Honestly assessing your dog’s enthusiasm, motivation, and drive is key to successful training. Booker, the flibbertigibbet, got his Novice Obedience title (CD) back in the day when a three-minute, across-the-room “Down Stay” was the rule. He didn’t get there with rote repetition. He got there by Fran making it fun in little chunks her scatter-brained dog could absorb.

That’s training the dog in front of you. Unless you honestly assess and adapt to your dog’s unique personality, you’re in for a rough ride. Expecting your now-dog to be like your then-dog isn’t fair to either one.

Comparison is inevitable

It’s very common to compare. In some ways, it eases the pain of losing a beloved dog when you see some of their traits in another dog. It lets you reminisce and smile. Because that dog was a very good dog.

It’s okay to cherish the similarities even while you appreciate the differences. The love you had for your previous dog will never diminish. There’s no limit on love. The dog in front of you deserves the same helping of attention and love. There’s enough for every dog you’ll ever have.

One is silver and the other gold

There’s a saying in dog training that you don’t always get the dog you want, but you always get the dog you need. Every dog in your life will bring something new. A different way of looking (or sniffing) the world. We’ve had dogs who would run to smell flowers. Others paid no attention at all. One or two have watched TV. Most don’t. Some of our dogs made our yard unsafe for all wildlife. The current crew walks by the sparrows pecking in our grass.

If you’re having trouble figuring out your dog’s learning style, play a training game that relies on the dog’s initiative, like “Boxey.” Do they look to see how you react? Are they checking in with you at all?

Successful dog training isn’t necessarily having the best-behaved dog on the block. It’s building a team that understands, respects, and appreciates your partnership. Just as each dog is a distinct individual, your bond with each dog is unique. And you can be part of as many teams as you have the time and energy to enjoy. And always remember to train the dog in front of you.