2 Minute Trainer

What do you want to do?

Everybody has the conversation with friends or family: “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“I dunno.”

What do you want to do? Ask that in dog training too. Go with the most fun.

So nothing gets done. Or you wind up doing something that nobody’s really enthusiastic about. Or, worst case scenario, you do something you don’t really want to, because somebody else overpowered your inclination.

It’s a good idea to figure out what you want from your dog. And from training. As you learn more about dog training, your objectives and ambitions may change. It’s fine to shift gears and change your focus. It’s the way real progress is made.

We had a conversation today with a woman who got her dog from a breeder with the condition that she trained her dog to compete and succeed in performance events. Many breeders who build their reputations on the soundness and intelligence of their dogs have similar stipulations. We know one person who refunds a portion of the price paid for a puppy for every title earned.

The woman we spoke to was torn. She really enjoys “fun” stuff with her dog. They’ve earned some trick titles and enjoy training. But the breeder wasn’t impressed with that and is pressuring her to dive into competition obedience. She called us asking whether obedience or rally obedience would be a better fit.

You choose

After explaining the differences between the two, Hope invited the woman to observe our obedience club’s classes and make her decision after seeing what each is about. She and her dog should enroll in the class that she wants, that she feels is most suited to her training style, preferences, and dog’s ability. The one they’ll have the most fun with!

And that’s the whole point of continuing to train with your dog. Every single day we get to play with our dogs, grow their brains, build our bond, and develop a better relationship with the family and life in general. Dogs who are well-balanced, curious, know how to adapt and grow, will know how to get along in our human world.

What do you want?

Once you’ve developed the skill and tools to play training games with your dog, you may find yourself at a crossroads. The manners you hoped to teach your pup are well on their way.

Once you’ve solved the problems, are you going to forego the games?

You shouldn’t! You now know you can teach your dog anything you want. Your dog is even coming up with new behaviors just to have fun and make you laugh.

The woman we spoke to today said her dog, now two years old, even knows how to tell time. She’s been in the habit of taking him through his trick repertoire every day at the same time. When that time gets close, she can see his excitement grow. He starts prancing around, letting her know he’s ready to have some fun.

Keep having fun with your dog! It may lead you to explore the dog sports venues, or not. Whether or not you choose to pursue dog training for a hobby, continuing to play training games with your dog will enrich your lives, keep your dog sharp, and remind both of you that there’s time, every day, to have some fun.

No need for a happy ending

Torque got ribbons that day in agility. But there were lots of sessions that did not go according to plan, nor did they have a happy ending! — There were plenty of training sessions leading up to those ribbons – and not all of them ended well!

Some days your training sessions will go great. You and your dog are in synch, you’re both happy, everything’s “clicking” just the way you dreamed it would. And then there are other 2-Minute sessions that are unmitigated disasters. It’s like you and your dog are not only on different pages, you’re reading from different books, written in different languages. But there’s no need for a happy ending to every session.

Enjoy the great ones.

Call it a day on the bad ones – there’s always tomorrow.

But the vast majority of your training sessions will fall somewhere in between. Some stuff goes really well, some almost gets there, other stuff is just not working.

It’s all okay.

The advantage of training in short sessions is that there’s always another coming up. No single 2-Minute Training session is going to “make or break” your relationship with your dog or your progress toward your goals. There’s always later, or tomorrow.

Which means that it’s okay to end a session without success. It’s a myth that you always have to end on a positive. No, you don’t.

Sometimes it even helps to just stop when things aren’t going well and leave it for another time. It stops your frustration, it lets your dog process the information she’s gotten from you.

It’s all information

Every interaction with your dog gives both of you information.

The most common exchange is “I love you,” which flows back and forth between you.

In a session that isn’t going well, there are lots of things your dog could be telling you:

I don’t understand
I don’t feel well
I’m distracted by “xxx”
I’m not comfortable
I’m just not that into training today

Equally, your tone and body language could be telling your dog:

I’m just not that into training today
You kept me up all night and I’m tired
I’m really under stress and you’re another obligation
I don’t feel well
Why can’t you just do what I tell you?

Is it worth it?

There are days when dog training is frustrating, for whatever reason. If you start a session and come to realize that no one’s having a good time, and you’re not accomplishing anything, just end it. There’s no point in continuing.

You don’t always have to “end on a positive.” This session wasn’t positive. That’s okay. If you give yourself permission to stop when it’s not fun, then all of your dog training can be fun. Some things in life should always be fun – dog training is one of them!

Set your dog up for success

An obedience student came up to Hope after class Tuesday to ask for help.

“How do I get R.J. (her 2-year-old Portuguese Water Dog) to stop counter surfing?”

“Tell me what happened, please.”

“We had some people over on Sunday and it was just embarrassing. I put the appetizers on the kitchen table and when I came back he’d eaten almost all of them.”

“Where were you?”

“In the other room with our guests.”

Hope’s student is doing great in her competition obedience class. But she hasn’t learned to transfer what R.J. is learning to everyday life. She did nothing to help her dog understand the rules of the house. R.J. isn’t the problem, his “mom,” Mary is.

What are some of the things Mary could have done to help R.J. understand how to be a good boy?

Put his collar and leash on and hold the leash
Have him “help” greet guests with a lovely sit (which he’s fully capable of)
Crated him away from the chaos
Not put food within reach
Not walk away, leaving the food within reach

We do understand that a gathering isn’t the best time or place to train your dog. That’s why we play training games every day – so when a scenario arises, our dogs have the tools to understand what we ask of them in any circumstances.

In Mary’s case, just crating R.J. away from the party may have been the best solution. They hadn’t prepared for the party and Mary wouldn’t have been able to do anything but pay attention to R.J.’s behavior. At two years old, R.J. is the equivalent of a human teenager who has no manners and no impulse control.

It turns out that R.J. practices the same bad behavior every single day. Mary said that she puts her coffee on the breakfast table, then goes to get her toast. When she comes back, R.J. is slurping away at the coffee.

Mary’s fault, all the way. Take the opportunity to give your dog a job, especially in a case like this where you are in a familiar environment, doing a routine task that doesn’t require all of your attention. R.J. knows how to sit and stay. Use that tiny interval to practice it! Have some rewards at hand and, when he succeeds, give him something better than coffee.

This is a classic case of the dog behaving in a way that gets him what he wants most. He likes coffee, knows he’s free to get it, and he gets to play a fun game of “keep away” when his mom catches him at it. Because you know she yelled at him and chased him off the table.

Dogs don’t really distinguish between “good attention” and “bad attention.” R.J. knows his “mom” is interacting with him and that’s the best thing in his world. It probably doesn’t matter that she’s yelling at him – she’s paying attention and playing with him.

Will he like it even better when “mom” learns to control the situation and he truly is being good? Absolutely! How about having R.J.’s favorite toy close at hand and rewarding his beautiful sit/stay with a game of tug? Much better! Or having him “help” you get your coffee with a beautiful “heel,” followed by top-notch treats for a reward? Wonderful.

Dogs do what’s most rewarding to them. What does your dog find most rewarding? Food? Toys? Pets? Yodeling with you? Whatever it is, make sure the best rewards are given for best behavior choices.

Face time isn’t necessary

Face time with your dog isn't always necessary. For your dog to get full understanding, vary your location, your position, your distance.

Your dog’s face is adorable. But you don’t have to look at it all the time. In fact, when you’re training, “face time” should be half or less.

When dogs first join the family, training starts right away. The first behavior most people start with is “sit.” You stand, facing your dog and say “sit!” You may even use a lure, holding it over the dog’s head and moving it so the dog naturally moves into sit position. You praise your good dog – “Good sit, Fido! Good sit!”

Context is everything to a dog

After a few sessions doing this, most people believe their dogs know “sit.” Perhaps – as long as those exact conditions are repeated. As we’ve discussed before, dogs learn in context. Fido knows sit, as long as a treat is held over his head, you’re standing in front of him for face time, and the lure is moved in exactly the same way.

It’s the same situation for any behavior. Down is one we see often – the dog does it as long as the owner is standing facing the dog, bends over, holding a treat, lowers the treat to the floor while saying “down.”

Change any one of those contextual cues, and the dog may look at you as if she’s never heard the word “sit” or “down” before. It can be frustrating for owners – they absolutely know their dog “knows” it. He just did it a little while ago at home.

Fix face time – fast!

Fortunately, the “cure” is simple. It doesn’t take long, and it’s easy to do. Start by changing your position. Stand next to your dog, instead of in front, and see what response you get. If your dog is still performing “sit,” that’s great! Try sitting yourself and telling your dog to sit. Still knows it? Fantastic!

Training note: Regardless of your position, your reward should always be delivered to your dog’s front. Even if you’re behind your dog, reach forward and deliver the treat to the “front.” This teaches the dog that he doesn’t have to “help” you – he can stay in place and still be rewarded for good choices.

Just start over – someplace else

If, however, your dog is giving you a blank stare, start at the beginning. If you’ve used a lure to teach it in the past, use the exact same sequence, just from a different angle. Expand your range – do it from any position around your dog; to his left, to his right, even behind. As long as the treat is delivered to his face, in a short time you should be able to walk completely around your dog, while she maintains position.

This exercise is the start of a good “stay” behavior as well as the position sit or down. And it’s useful not just for those who want to play dog sports with their dogs. It’s also useful for visits to the veterinarian, the groomer, or anyplace your dog needs to stay in place.

Why click?

The Clicker is a wonderful training tool

Many people question the use of a clicker in dog training. You don’t absolutely have to have one, or use one, but it’s a useful tool and we think everyone should try it.

In our social media groups about dog sports competition, there are people who are “never-clickers.” Their arguments are that:

I don’t have enough hands
It can’t be used in competition
It’s one more thing I have to “fade” (stop using)
I always have my voice with me

Those are valid points. And if you’re absolutely opposed to the idea, you can do without.

One the other hand, the clicker allows:

Everyone training the dog to “sound” the same
Is instantaneous to mark good stuff
Lets you delay the treat
Improves your timing

The clicker is particularly wonderful if you have a fast-learning, fast-moving dog who loves to do “stuff” with you. By the time you can say “good” or “yes,” Fido’s already doing something else, because your feedback wasn’t fast enough. Think it’s not true? We’ll loan you Hope’s Torque, or Fran’s Simon for a 2-Minute Session. Those boys are hard to keep up with, even with a clicker.

Just this week, Hope decided to add a “bow” to Torque’s repertoire. She thought about how to teach it, figuring to use a small box. She’d reward for putting his hind legs on the box the first session. Later 2-Minute Sessions would add lowering his front end while keeping his rear up in the air.

Torque already knows “back up,” so Hope put down the box and Torque was already moving, backing up onto the box. She clicked as soon as both back feet were on it, signalling immediately to Torque that he was right, right then. If she had waited at all, his front legs would have been on the box as well, and the criteria for the new trick would have been unclear.

When your dog is used to working with a clicker, it’s a clear and immediate signal to him (or her) that he’s a good boy. And he knows (or will soon learn) to repeat the behavior that got the click. And was followed, in short order, by treats!

Once our dogs learn to think, are rewarded for trying, and have fun spending time with you, it becomes easier and easier to develop new tricks, or behaviors. It’s fun and challenging for everyone – dogs and people!

Give your dog a break

Did you know that dogs can suffer burn-out? Just like us? We saw a social media post today in one of our dog sports groups from an experienced trainer whose dog seemed to have “forgotten” how to do even the most basic commands in a recent trial. The advice she got? Give your dog a break!

It’s a great idea. Our dogs are a lot like us in many ways. Do you remember how tedious it was in school to do the same thing, day after day? Didn’t you prefer your classes with creative teachers who “mixed things up” on a regular basis? And didn’t you learn more? And retain it better when you were having fun?

Just like us

Our dogs are just like us. If you “drill” the same behavior every day, in the same way, sooner or later your dog is going to get tired of it. Instead of improving steadily, the behavior you’re working on may deteriorate or even disappear completely. That’s not what we want.

It’s a good idea to switch up the games you play with your dog. We give you several different games in the guides. Try all of them and use different ones on different days. Or work on something else every other day. Our dogs pick up on our energy and enthusiasm, too. Chances are if your interest in a particular game is less, your dog’s will be, too.

Come back stronger after a break

As an example, Hope and Torque have been playing with a toddler’s ring-stacking toy, teach Torque to take the ring, bring it to the post, and drop it on. It’s a complicated behavior, made more difficult by the fact that Torque thought the rings were great chew toys when they started. And he’s not a big fan of giving up his chew toys. He does it, but grumpily.

Hope put the game aside a while ago, since they were getting nowhere fast. Last week she picked it up again, wanting to see what Torque would do.

And it was pretty amazing. Torque picked up a ring, walked over to the post, and plopped it right down. And repeated the behavior with a couple more rings. He didn’t get a “ringer” every time, but he got a couple. Just that little break let the behavior get through. He had time to think about it, let it penetrate, and remembered the next time he saw it.

Memory games

So if you’re ever getting frustrated that your dog isn’t “getting” something, or if he had it and “forgot” it – give him a break. It could be a little break is your answer, too.

Notice Your Dog’s Behavior

We all know what our dog’s “normal” is. When it changes, notice your dog’s behavior and take action.

We discovered why Booker was suddenly obsessed with the basket! His behavior changed, so we had to find out why. — Booker

We keep dog odds and ends in a basket on a shelf in the kitchen. Not stuff that’s interesting to the dogs. No treats or food. Just poop bags, treat bags (empty), kongs, a long line. And our dogs know there’s “nothing to see here!” So this morning when Booker was obsessed with the basket – we knew something changed. It turned out that Simon hadn’t emptied his Kong toy the last time he got it. Treats and nut butter were wedged in there, somehow defying the dishwasher. So soggy, smelly dog treats got Booker’s attention. Thank you, Booker! Who knows if we would have seen it before it turned into an even more disgusting mess!

Change needs examination

If there’s something your dog used to do, and that changes, it’s time to dig into the mystery. If there’s something your dog never did, but now does, it needs looking at. Dogs tell us all the time about how they’re changing. It’s up to us to pay attention and find out if it’s serious, medical, silly, fun, inconsequential, or even a training break-through.

Something as simple as lighting can play a role for your dog. Tango is almost 11 now and his eyes are starting to look a little cloudy. We noticed he started to flinch in training when only hand signals were used. We changed the lighting, and our position, so that it’s brighter and shadows don’t cross his face when we gesture. A simple thing like a change of position can make a difference to your dog.

Personal preference matters

You’ll also be a better partner and friend to your dog if you notice the things your dog likes and doesn’t. We recently responded to an interview request about “things dogs hate.” There aren’t a lot of universal “hates” in the dog world (head pats, teasing), but every dog has his own list of “hates” – just like we do. Some dogs love getting their tummies rubbed. Torque thinks he’s being tortured. Simon loves getting rubbed behind his ears. Booker runs away.

People who’ve never had dogs may not think much about dog personalities, but all dog people know that each dog is an individual – just as people are. We love most all of our dogs’ quirks. And the ones we don’t, we can teach them to change. The 2-Minute-Training method is built on creating better ways to communicate with our dogs and teaching them to make good decisions.

Something’s different

When you notice your dog’s behavior change, examine the cause. Is it a change for the better? Hopefully it is and your training games are paying off. If not, think about the circumstance, retrace your steps, and play detective. If could make all the difference.

Thinking is exhausting

Do you remember school tests? Especially the hours-long standardized tests? Remember how tired you were at the end? Thinking is exhausting!

Just like us

What’s true for us, in this case, is also true for our dogs. Which is why winter is a wonderful time to play training games with your dog. Playing thinking games and asking our dogs to use their brains, is even more tiring than physical exertion. And a tired dog is a good dog! That’s an old dog-training cliche, but it’s true.

2-Minutes Training is rooted in good science. Studies have found that a dog will retain more, for a longer time, if training is concentrated on one “thing.” And when that fast, fun session is followed by a break, retention and learning skyrocketed.

Problem solving is fun

Dogs are just like us in lots of ways. They learn better when they’re allowed to puzzle through a situation, rather than having the answer handed to them. Figuring stuff out for yourself, finding the solution on your own, is more rewarding and more memorable, than any lecture. Lectures make you fall asleep. Experiments are energizing!

Another way our dogs are like us – they feel a sense of accomplishment when they “get it right.” Aside from the food, praise, or toy reward, they genuinely enjoy knowing they made the right choice. Once you see your dog prance with excitement, just because she knows she’s a good girl, you’ll want to see it over and over.

Fighting cabin fever

Winter is a great time to play training games with your dog. You may not be able to go to the park. Ice and snow may have you barricaded into your home. But you have everything you need to have fun with your dog, get her playing with you, thinking, and building a better relationship. It doesn’t take long. You don’t need much stuff. All you need are your training guides, some treats, a timer, and your dog.

Once your dog realizes it’s time for training games, he’ll dash to your regular training space and be excited for the chance to play. Dogs not only love to play with you, they also adore routines and schedules. Just reaching for your treat stash will signal “It’s time!” and get your dog’s tail wagging!

Time it out

No matter how well it’s going, or how much fun you and your dog are having, it is important to stop. You don’t have to stick to the two minutes, but more than 10 would be pushing the limits of most dogs’ attention. After that they just get too tired. And, again just like us, when dogs get tired they lose focus and start making mistakes. Keep it fast and fun. And then done.

Smart dogs find a way

Teddy the smart French Bulldog figured out that he'll get treats by sitting on the kitchen chair. He's teaching Booker the Boston Terrier this trick.

With 2-Minute Training, you may be creating a monster! A smart dog who can solve problems all by himself! Smart dogs will inevitably find a way.

We had to laugh this week when we saw a post on social media. It was in a group for positive reinforcement dog training. This person’s Basset Hound had moved a chair up to her kitchen counter, jumped up, stole the roast she had defrosting on the counter, and eaten it. She wanted to know how to prevent her dog from doing “naughty” things when she wasn’t home.

Almost everyone responded exactly the same way – don’t leave your roast on the kitchen counter!

Be ready for trouble

When you teach your dog, as we do here in 2-Minute Trainers, to think for themselves and find solutions to the questions we ask, they will learn to apply their new abilities to other aspects of their lives.

And you have to prepare for smart-dog behaviors you’ve never seen before, and would never have thought of! It happened to us, as well. We “stage” our dogs’ dinners in the dining room, setting their bowls on the table while we prepare our own meal. Our dining room chairs are on casters, and while we were prepping dinner we heard the unmistakable sound of those casters moving on wood floors.

We went in to see what was happening. Simon (Fran’s year-old Boston Terrier) had moved a chair, jumped on it, and was helping himself to dinner! While we admired his problem-solving ingenuity, we also started staging the dogs’ meals elsewhere.

Never before

None of our dogs had ever thought to do that before. So we were surprised when Simon did think of it. All his life, he’s been rewarded for thinking and coming up with new “answers” for the “questions” we ask of him. We’re the ones to “blame” for his creativity. We were proud of him for thinking of it. And we were laughing too hard to get angry about it. And we don’t leave unattended food on the table any more.

As each of our smart dogs has gotten “creative,” we’ve adapted the way we do things. No one can control a situation when they’re not there. So if you’re not there, change the situation. We can’t expect our dogs to abide by rules they don’t know, especially if we’re not there to teach them.

Smart dog kitchen rules

We were right there when Teddy, Hope’s French Bulldog, decided he would “help” us prep dinner. He was allowed to sit on the kitchen chair, but one day he decided to jump up on the adjacent table where food prep was happening. He was, needless to say, promptly removed. Although, again, there was a lot of giggling going on.

From then on, Teddy was taught to maintain his place on the chair. He was rewarded for sitting politely and observing. And got an “oopsie” (non-reward marker) for putting his paws on the table. When he sat back down, he got a treat and a “Good off!” Soon he learned the word “Off.”

Perils of positivity

There are some who will point out that Teddy was, in fact, a very smart dog and “played” us to get the treats. That’s true, at least in part. He knew what behaviors would get him rewarded.

That’s the deal we make with our dogs. When they do the “right” thing, they get rewarded, whether that’s a treat, praise, or petting. And, in return, we get the joy of living with smart dogs!

GPS navigation in dog training

Remember paper maps?

Back in the day before there was GPS navigation, we used to figure out where we were going by using maps. Paper maps. For those of us with a sense of direction, just studying those maps gave us a sense of the place we were going, what the area might look like, how far it was, and, vaguely, an idea of whether we were in the right place. Then GPS navigation came along and none of us know where we’re going anymore. Or how to get there if we can’t “acquire satellites.” How many times have we heard news stories about people driving into places they shouldn’t because their “GPS said” turn there?

Luring = GPS navigation

In dog training, “luring” is the equivalent of GPS navigation. Your dog will follow that treat anywhere – but she won’t know how she got there. And she won’t know how to do it again to get the reward.

An agility friend/trainer/judge tells this story: Pre-GPS, she was hired to judge an out-of-state agility trial. The host club sent someone to her hotel to guide her to the trial site. She followed in her rental car, turning where they turned, stopping when they stopped. And got to the trial site just fine. But at the end of the day, she didn’t know how to get back to the hotel! She didn’t know the route, she just knew to follow her guide!

Be patient

Your dog needs you to let him figure stuff out. Be patient enough to let him fail. And reward generously when he figures it out – YES! That’s it! What a clever dog you are!

Positive Reinforcement is a process

“Fun with a box” is one of the best games for getting both of you accustomed to the positive reinforcement process. By itself, it’s not a “useful” exercise. But it gets your dog to experiment with different actions and see how you react. And it gets you to pay attention to the different things your dog does, see the variations, and reward him for trying.

Freestyling

About once a week we still go back to a version of “Fun With A Box.” We call it “freestyling.” We put a random object in front of our dog and say “Okay, dog! Got any ideas?”

Whatever our dog does to interact with that “thing” is fine. We used a foam roller the other day. Torque got his front feet up on it and pushed it. Good boy! Then he tried to back up on it. Nice try, buddy! Tango saw a four-inch tall step stool. He bowed, he downed, he laid his chin down. It was adorable and all got rewarded.

Not all dogs are particularly creative at first. When they realize there’s no “wrong” answer, most will be willing to try more “stuff.” We love this part the most – when dogs realize your 2-Minute sessions are all about having fun and doing “stuff” together.