Week 3 and Going Forward Advancing and Maintaining Your Training

  Your dog training program has come to an end, or you have plateaued while training your dog yourself.     Very few dog training packages or programs train your dog completely.   If you want to make the most of what you have learned and have a well-trained dog, here are some things you can work on. 

  1.  Work on increasing the three Ds.  The three Ds represent duration, distance, and distraction.   Often, these are worked on one at a time to build upon what is familiar to the dog already.  Just remember to be reasonable and judge your team’s ability so that you don’t overload your dog unfairly.   When distance is worked on outside, it is common to have a either a 6' leash or a long line of 15’ for safety. NOTE: ONLY WORK ON CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS WHEN YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR GOAL IN LESS CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS. SAFETY IS THE PRIORITY.
  2.  Different environments can introduce challenging distractions.  Pick a few new environments each week that challenge your dog without unfairly overloading them.  This could just start with different rooms in your house.  Yards are usually the next distraction you would want to train in.   Then, outside of the house are parks, roads, hardware stores that allow dogs, restaurant patios that allow dogs, and so on.  NOTE: ONLY WORK ON CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS WHEN YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR GOAL IN LESS CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS. SAFETY IS THE PRIORITY.
  3. When increasing distractions, it is best to start with small steps and decrease the duration and distance back to the beginning when introducing new environments and distractions. For instance, for circle sit stays, I might start outside at 15 seconds with very tight circles around the dog and build it up again. The order I usually work are (1) duration and then (2) distance, and finally (3) distraction. I build all those up one at a time. NOTE: NEW OBEDIENCE EXERCISES SHOULD BE STARTED INSIDE WITH A LOW AS POSSIBLE DISTRACTION.
  4. Have a structure to your day where you have made time for dog training.   When you walk your dog, make sure you have structured walks.  An example of a structured walk is one in which you are working on your dog training commands (like heel, sit, and stay) or loose leash walking.  This should become the regular walking routine, which eventually becomes effortless and an easy team effort.   NOTE: IT IS PROBABLY TOO EARLY FOR HER OUTSIDE OBEDIENCE WORK (BUT MAYBE NOT).
  5. Work on off-leash training inside when your dog is ready, and you have met your on-leash goals.   You can start this by having your dog drag a leash inside at first. 
  6. Start mixing up commands into patterns when you practice. For example, heel, then sit, stay (still at distance, room, circle, and/or leash drop), send to place, recall, and so on.
  7. Never use a command that you have no intention of reinforcing.  Doing this will erode your dog training instead of bringing it forward. 
  8. Remember and use the details that you were taught or learned for successful dog training.  Consistency, timing, marker words, not tightening up on the leash and collar, and body movements create very clear communication to your dog.  Keep this up as you maintain and advance your dog’s training. 
  9. Always have the right mindset before training your dog.   You always want to train them when you can be patient and calm. 

Most professional trainers expect you to reach out to them if you need help after the dog training program.   If you encounter a problem in your dog training, don’t be afraid to ask your professional dog trainer about it. 

 

© 2024 Robin Rubin DBA Mannerly Mutts 

 

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