Week 3 Homework and Maintenance

    NOTE 1:  ALL TRAINING SHOULD BE DONE WITH TRAINING COLLAR AND TRAINING LEASH ON (EXCEPT WHEN YOU ARE WORKING OFF LEASH WITH THE ELECTRONIC COLLAR).

NOTE 2:  DO NOT LEAVE METAL TRAINING COLLAR OR TRAINING SLIP LEAD ON WHEN YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY TRAINING YOUR DOG.

NOTE 3:  PLEASE PUT ON YOUR TRANSITIONAL AND SLIP LEASH ON CORRECTLY.

This is a link to a leash article on our business blog.  Leashes How to Hold Them and How to Fold Them.

NOTE 4:  START EVERYTHING AT THE BEGINNING IN ENVIRONMENTS AND WITH EQUIPMENT THAT ARE EASY FOR YOU.  YOU WANT TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT FOXIE HAS LEARNED AND HOW TO HANDLE FOXIE IN LOW DISTRACTIONS FIRST, SO THAT YOU WILL BEGIN TO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IN MORE COMPLICATED OR HIGHER DISTRACTIONS LATER.

NOTE 5:  THE GOALS ARE PLACES TO WORK TO IN THE FUTURE.  IF YOU DON'T MAKE THE GOAL, DON'T WORRY AS LONG AS YOU PUT IN THE WORK TOWARDS THE GOAL.  PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN CALL OR EMAIL ME WITH ANY TRAINING PROBLEMS THAT COME UP IN BETWEEN LESSONS.

NOTE 6:  IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH ALL THE EXERCISES IN ONE DAY, YOU CAN JUST BE SURE THAT THE EXERCISES YOU DID NOT GET TO ARE DONE THE NEXT DAY.  

NOTE 7:  WHEN YOUR DOG WORKS WITH YOU AT HOME, YOU MAY NEED TO GO DOWN IN TIME AND THEN BUILD BACK UP TO WHERE YOUR DOG WAS TRAINING WITH ME (IF YOU ARE IN PACK LEARNING AND BOARD & TRAIN).  THE DOG WILL WORK BETTER FOR WHOEVER THEY WERE LAST WORKING WITH, SO OFTEN THE TIME NEEDS TO BE BUILT UP BY THE OWNER TO HAVE THE SAME SORT OF WORKING RELATIONSHIP.  ***REMEMBER THAT THE FOUR IN A ROW PERFORMANCES WITH OUT NEEDING A CORRECTION OR CAJOLING ARE WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LENGTH OR DISTANCE HE CAN DO THIS AT RIGHT NOW.

NOTE 8:  TRAINING CAN BE DONE IN SEPARATE SESSIONS.  I LIKE TO KEEP MY SESSIONS AT 15 MINUTES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE DAY (EXCEPT FOR LONG PLACE, SIT ON THE DOG, OR BEHAVIORAL DOWNS).  Otherwise, YOU CAN BURN YOUR DOG OR PUPPY OUT.

NOTE 9:  THERE IS A LOT ON HERE, SO YOU CAN GO AS SIMPLY AS YOU NEED TO.  I DID WANT TO MENTION ONE MORE THING IN REGARDS TO PROGRESSING YOUR TRAINING.  I LIKE TO ROTATE MY WORK ON ECOLLAR AND SLIP/TRANSITIONAL LEASH.  SO INSIDE, I MAY DO MORE WORK ON SLIP/TRANSITIONAL.  DRAGGING THEIR LEASH AT FIRST (OR EVEN HOLDING THEIR LEASH) INSIDE SO I HAVE A GOOD TRAINING RELATIONSHIP INSIDE AND SO THEY DON'T GET THE IDEA THAT THE ELECTRONIC COLLAR IS THE ONLY TIME THEY HAVE TO LISTEN.  

NOTE 10:  MARKER WORDS ARE GOOD=GOOD JOB KEEP GOING YES=GOOD JOB YOU ARE RELEASED FROM THE EXERCISE AND NO=THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR.

NOTE 11:  BLUE TEXT GOES TO THE DIRECTIONS FOR THE EXERCISES.  [IT IS A LINK]

Homework Schedule:

Calming Exercises (you can rotate days for "sit on the dog" and "long place":

1. Sit on the Dog 30 + minutes Goal:  To get your dog to lay down on their own steam in five minutes or under.  This should also be practiced outside in your yard or out at parks.
   
   
   
   
2. Long Place 30 minutes to start. Goal:  To get your dog comfortable and more relaxed staying on their place for thirty minutes.
   
   

Obedience Exercises (Ecollar can be with Heeling, Sits, Place, and Let's go.  As I mentioned in the notes, I do like to rotate work with the manual training collar, martingale, or metal training collar, but if it is easier for you, stick with the ecollar work):

NOTE 1:  REMEMBER YOU ONLY NEED TO DO AN HOUR A DAY.  IF YOU DON'T GET TO AN EXERCISE ONE DAY BASED ON TIME OR LIFE, JUST BE SURE TO DO IT THE NEXT DAY.

NOTE 2: TRAINING FOR ME MEANS I NEED TO BE PRESENT WITH MY DOG.  SO MY TRAINING WORK IS OUTSIDE OF WALKING WITH SOMEONE ELSE AND SO ON.  I HAVE TO BE VERY PRESENT TO WORK ON TIMING AND BEING THERE WITH MY DOG.  YOU CAN STILL GO OFF AND DO NON-TRAINING WALKS AND USE YOUR TRAINING., I JUST DON'T CALL THAT MY OFFICIAL FORMAL TRAINING TIME.

1. Transitional Leash walking (this is a behavioral, training, and management exercise for the dog in the way it is done)  15 + minutes  Goal:  Just to get to a relaxed loose leash walk with your dog sitting when you stop and then moving when you move. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Lured Heeling Step 1 or Lured Heeling Step 2 10+ minutes  Goal:  To have them learn to stay in a position (their shoulder my leg) and auto sit when I stop.  I like to do at least until I get 3 sets of 4 in a row auto sits.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Sits with Correction if needed (Ecollar or Slip Leash) 5- 20 minutes Goal:  To get three sets of four in a row sits without needing correction or cajoling in increasing distractions as you move forward.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Let's Go (ecollar or on long line) 5-10 minutes  Goal:  To be able to have your come towards you until released for 3 sets of 4 in a row without needing a correction. 

   
   

   
   

   
   
5. Send to Place 5-10 minutes Goal:  To get your dog to step on themselves for times in a row for 3 sets.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
6. Circle Place 5 plus minutes  Goal:  To be able to perform 4 circle places in a row for one minute.  You could also advance this to one five minute or more as you go on (this is when I start doing chores around the dog inside or outside (where I would typically be walking and getting stuff). 
   
   
7. Sit Stays (Still Sit Stays or Circle Sit Stays) 5-10 minutes Goal:  To get 4 in a row for 1 minute in less than 6 minutes.