Tag: plan your training session

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!

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!