WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE'S JUST "NOT ENOUGH TIME" FOR TRAINING...

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I was reading through some of the posts on the DK Educators group this morning, and I realized that some of our discussions haven't always reflected the significant time constraints that many of our group members are dealing with every day.  I worked full time for 37 years while raising three kids, and I do remember how difficult it was to even get the basics of everyday life done...and many times NONE of them got done well.  I also remember how guilty I felt about what I "wasn't doing".  I've been retired for the past couple of years, and the kids are grown (for the most part), so things in my life have really settled down.  I have lots of time for training Doodles, but I DO recognize that isn't the case with most of us.  I really hope that all my "training enthusiasm" hasn't made others feel badly.  I had four other dogs over my work career, and they only got the "basics" of training.  They could sit, stay (usually), and loose leash walk (without significant distractions), but that was it.  There just wasn't time for any more than that.  I would feel just horrible if I thought that all this talk about training plans and daily training sessions, made others feel like they were failing their Doodles in any way.  So, maybe we need to also keep a focus on what can we do when we want to participate in an assignment but only have 15 or 20 minutes a day to work on it...or maybe we can only train on weekends.  Are there any "quick exercises" that will improve the dog's behavior?  What can someone do to participate in the "Heeling/Walking" assignment if they only have a limited time to give to training?  I'd love some thoughts on this.  When I started this group I wanted it to be really inclusive with all judgment suspended.  I really hope that's the case.  Please feel free to comment here is you feel this is not happening and share some thoughts on how you're managing to do some training even with a hectic schedule.

[Adina P]

I don't think you have to 'train' them forever, but you do have to give them opportunities to use what they have been trained to do so they don't get rusty.  You know the old saying "Use it or Lose it!"

[Adina P]

It's so funny when people think that continuing training is 'obsessed' with one's dog =)  I had a family member once ask me upon hearing I was once again taking Rosco out for a training session "Why do you have to train all the time?"  To me it just shows a lack of understanding of what it TAKES to actually have a dog that will behave and follow instructions when necessary.

[Adina P]

Yesterday was less of a 'time' issue and more of a 'it's raining' issue.  So once again we drove over to Home Depot and tried not to get in trouble ;-)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have found that with little short sessions while I'm getting ready for work in the morning or making their food up for breakfast, or going in and out of doors, or having them sit and wait while I go do something and come back that I can get a lot of little training done during the day. I just don;t have 20-30 min everyday but there are so many little 2-5  min opportunities. Just while he follows me into the bathroom I can have him wait as I go in and out of the door first, "Me first". I ask him to "get the ball" when we are on our way to another room and he finds it and comes to bring it to me, I throw and he comes back with it and drops it right at my feet. There are just so many little things during our daily interactions that are helpful in training. I know Murphy loves the mental stimulation as his tail is just wagging like a windmill the whole time he's being talked to or asked to do something.

[Adina P]

For those who do the few minutes here and there through the day:
-- Is that practicing what your doodle already knows, giving him/her a chance to use it so it doesn't get rusty?

-- Or is it spent training new things or upping the ante with greater challenges to commands they already know?

-- Or some of both?

 

What I find difficult with around the house stuff is finding ways for it to be challenging and helping the dog to grow in their understanding and resistance to temptations/distractions.  My goal is always to get out into the real world as soon as the dog understands the commands and gradually increase distractions over time until I'm confident they can handle most things we'll encounter.  Work outside the dog park at varying distances from the fence, work in parks, work in Home Depot, work in PetCo, work down the street, work by the neighbor's house because they have lots of barking dogs behind their chain link fence, work downtown, etc.  When I don't have time or weather that permits me to head out for training, that's where I get frustrated and tend to put training off.  If my dog can sit and stay and heel and come ...around the house and yard...I get bored using those for practice (unless it's a practical use I'd use anyway) or I need to polish something that is getting sloppy.  

 

I forget about little temptations I can add to make things challenging.  For example I kept meaning to do some work with Boca around food, but continually forgot.  Earlier this week I put a plate with something on the floor and did some heeling and stays with her near the food.  Yay!  Around-the-house distraction!  But I run out of ideas of useful things and I can only practice silent-in-the-house-stays so many times before I don't want to utter the word 'stay'  :-(

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We always try to up the ante, while still honing in on the most important commands (for me: stay, wait and come).  Work on the old basics, but always make it more challenging.  Peri, like all of our doodles, is so darn smart.  They need to be taken to the next level at all times.  Peri is HAPPY when I challenge her.  She loves it, she craves it.  She barks at me (probably not right, but she is excited) when she gets something down.  She loves learning.  That is what it means to own a dog that has the ability and need to please.

 

Tonight we had friends over and one of Peri's greatest problems is loving all over someone when they enter the room.  Dh and I had treats waiting and were taking her into a down-stay.  The biggest problem I run into is having a friend say "I don't care if she jumps on me...I love her!"...which of course makes me happy, but I have to say "no we are training her to not do that...she must sit or lay down for you to pet her".  I need to work on that.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I use some of both. Stay or wait is what I am working on with the puppy now so adding time and distance in the house is upping the ante. "Leave it" for both of them, especially around food is challenging for both of them as they are very food motivated. I hide things around the house and have Murphy go find it. Like a ball. He will need reminding to stay on track sometimes, but eventually gets it.

Or I will hide in the house and call them. Like a doggie hide and seek. I really only do training outdoors when I am in that situation, I don't intentionally GO to a certain place to train. For example...the dog park. When I go I say wait as I open the back tailgate door. And they have to wait to get out to go play. Or "heel" as we walk to the dog park gate, or "sit" while I open the gate. All very important to me and very distracting to them.  Stores, well, if I go, then it's much of the same as with any leash training. Heel, sit,close,leave it,wait.  I just don't have the time to go out to any destinations just to train so I incorporate it in my errands that i take them on. Well Murphy mostly, I don't take Bella out much as she is still pretty car sick most of the time and I am still working on getting solid commands at home.  We are going to the dog park in about an hour, and the Pet Club afterward, so we will see how that goes.