Training Sessions/schedules

[Henrietta]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to ask how you set up your training to suit you and your dog/s. Do you make plans? How often? How long? How do you structure your sessions? If you do multiple dog sports - how do you incorporate different aspects of you training? How often do you both take a day off from the more formal lessons? Do you spell your dogs for long periods?

I'm very interested because I know that I don't have a large amount of knowledge or experience nor do I have a great amount of people around me to share those experiences.

Thanks

EFS

Edited February 1, 2009 by Emm

[laffi]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to ask how you set up your training to suit you and your dog/s. Do you make plans? How often? How long? How do you structure your sessions? If you do multiple dog sports - how do you incorporate different aspects of you training? How often do you both take a day off from the more formal lessons? Do you spell your dogs for long periods?

I'm very interested because I know that I don't have a large amount of knowledge or experience nor do I have a great amount of people around me to share those experiences.

Thanks

EFS

First of all I think training happens 24/24 7/7. As for 'formal training' I think it depends what your goals are.

I am competing in agility and preparing for competing in obedience.

I train once a day 5-6/week. The sessions usually are 5-10 min long. I have two dogs and one is always crated when I work with the other one. I alternate them so I never work for more than a couple of min with each of them.

I always prepare what I want to work on: weaving, contacts, handling etc. I think my training lessons are pretty well structured as most of the time I try to follow some drills from agility DVDs.

I always think ahead of time what I am going to reward and what I will ignore. I rarely ever correct the dog but I do use NRM (no reward marker).

I use the clicker about 70% of the time and verbal marker about 30% of the time.

During the sessions I always try to have about 80% success rate. Although with my softer dog I don't mind having it 90% whereas with my crazy aussie I can handle 60-70% but I do try to have it at 80%.

[Kavik]

I try to do some training every day, even if it is only for a few minutes, for each dog. I am finding it easier to stick with one sport per dog rather than do multiple sports with the same dog, but I'm sure the more talented people can handle multiples - I just find there is so much to do for each sport

I have a goal for each training session (like laffi it may be drive work, weaves, contact work, focus work, heeling, send aways etc). I love it when I watch a DVD or attend a seminar or training as it gives me more ideas for sessions at home. I do try to vary the sessions, try not to do the same thing all the time (though at the moment have to concentrate on weaves as we have to be able to weave 12 poles by the 14th and we are up to 8)

[smisch]

hmmm.. I train everyday for about a half hour to an hour (as jock just keeps on flying) with breaks in between..

normally I just run him round the agility course and see what happens so for instace the other day we were missing contact zones so we started contact work.. but generally I try to cover a little bit of everything.

Some days I'll find something online or hear about something exciting that I want to try so I'll set out to achieve that, It just depends on what the mood is as some days jock will be obsessed with one obstical so we'll use the obsession to work on it.

[laffi]

• 
  

I try to do some training every day, even if it is only for a few minutes, for each dog. I am finding it easier to stick with one sport per dog rather than do multiple sports with the same dog, but I'm sure the more talented people can handle multiples - I just find there is so much to do for each sport

I have a goal for each training session (like laffi it may be drive work, weaves, contact work, focus work, heeling, send aways etc). I love it when I watch a DVD or attend a seminar or training as it gives me more ideas for sessions at home. I do try to vary the sessions, try not to do the same thing all the time (though at the moment have to concentrate on weaves as we have to be able to weave 12 poles by the 14th and we are up to 8)

OT: for the 14th do you mean the ADAA glendenning competition? If yes I will see you there It will be our first NSW comp

Btw not that my dogs are fantastic weavers or anything like that but I don't even think they see a difference between 8 and 12 weaves.

I used 2x2 method and it took a bit to add 2 more weaves to 4 (like 3-4 sessions) but after that they would just weave 8, 10, 12.... they don't seem to see any difference.

So I would say you are ready for 12

[The Spotted Devil]

Such an interesting topic

I usually do a clicker training session with Ziggy every 2nd night - he has 4 cups of dry food for dinner so he gets lots of jackpots when he's working well. We usually practice new things during this time (at the moment we're working on a formal retrieve but have been doing 'directed eating' (as a step towards directed retrieving) or tighten up some known exercises - maybe 'find heel', fronts, nose touch etc depending on how his other training is going. If he hits a brick wall with something new I'll often go back to doing something easy (but expect it to be done very well) to give him some confidence and give me time to think about how to re-approach the new exercise. Every other night, Zig gets a chicken frame for dinner - at the moment I put the frame on the lawn (what's left of it) and tell him to leave it. Then I walk as far away as the small yard allows and ask him to heel. He absolutely bolts to my side and stares at me until I release him for his dinner - great fun This week I'm going to add some weaving poles to the mix

When it's cool enough I usually take him to the off leash park 3 times per week and ask for 5-10 minutes of really switched on work at CCD level (with some seriously good treats) and perhaps try the odd new thing if he is really fresh and bouncy. After that he gets to free run but I constantly ask for informal recalls, drops, sits, focus and brief stays, working them into the walk e.g. I might ask for a sit stay whilst I put the poo bags in the rubbish bin or ask for focus when there's another dog close by (and then release him to meet the dog if appropriate).

On the other days we tend to go to the beach early (in this hot weather we've been going at 6am for a few hours every day) and will include similar exercises as at the park. It's also a great place to practice working the dog on both sides for agility......particularly handy if you don't want your dog to run straight through someone's nicely laid out towel! I will leave Zig in a 'wait', run up the beach and then call him to the left or right of me.

Maybe once or twice a week I take him on a leashed brisk walk for about an hour - much of which allows for general sniffing and leg lifting on a loose leash but I always include a trip through the local shopping strip that requires more control and no leg lifting. The latter is about the hardest thing to train for with Zig so it's something I really work on.

On Sundays we go to agility training - I think the session is way too long for Zig's concentration span but we have only had 3-4 goes, so I am still working out what makes him tick for agility and how best to approach the training. I think next time I'll tie him up for half of it and just practice my own handling skills sans dog

I spend a lot of time mulling things over in my head and picturing how I want to work him but don't write anything on paper.....quite similar to the way I study in some respects - I have a good visual memory. I don't train at an obedience club but do a fair bit of reading. Although I have a very clear idea about what I would like to achieve in each session I do play much of it by ear - cut it short or do something easy if he's a bit flat or extend the session if he's on fire. I am quite focussed on long term goals so don't mind if we have short term hiccups. That's probably the biggest thing that has changed about my approach to training over the years.

This year I'm working towards CCD and to start trialling in agility/jumping. Ziggy has just turned 2

Edited February 2, 2009 by The Spotted Devil

[Kavik]

Yep the ADAA Glendenning competition. Would be great to meet you

Thanks for the tip about the weaves - I asked on Saturday while watching a trial how many weaves there were likely to be and went when they said 12 at the lowest level offered I still want to work up to 12 first to see if we have any problems. Need to tighten up a few entries too, but getting there. Hopefully since it is not a high level (the lowest jumping course being offered as we are not confident on contact equipment yet) it won't be a difficult entry.

[laffi]

Yep the ADAA Glendenning competition. Would be great to meet you

Thanks for the tip about the weaves - I asked on Saturday while watching a trial how many weaves there were likely to be and went when they said 12 at the lowest level offered I still want to work up to 12 first to see if we have any problems. Need to tighten up a few entries too, but getting there. Hopefully since it is not a high level (the lowest jumping course being offered as we are not confident on contact equipment yet) it won't be a difficult entry.

I have done quite a few ADAA starters level trials in QLD and the hardest entries were 90deg never less than that. So something like

* * * * * * * * * * * *

3

______________

2

______________

1

I have never seen less than 12 or more than 12

ETA sorry about the drawing

Edited February 2, 2009 by laffi

[Henrietta]

Thanks guys!

This has been very interesting. I was going to respond more elaborately and post about our training, but I realised that I'm running late for work. I'll have to do it later!

[Lablover]

Just thought I would add, experience and observing our dogs, tells us when our dogs become tired physically or mentally. The secret is, to stop training, before the signs. Keep 'em keen and try to end note. Makes us happy too.