Week 6 Article Advancing and Maintaining Your Dog 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 long line 15’ for safety. 
  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. 
  3. Have 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 which you are working 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.   
  4. 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. 
  5. 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.
  6. Never use a command that you have no intention of reinforcing.  Doing this will erode your dog training instead of bringing it forward. 
  7. 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. 
  8. 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 for 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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