Program Details
First Steps
Complete Wait List Request
Receive Call for Scheduling/Questions
Free Consultation (approx 1 hour)
Determine Training Package (10, 20, 30)
Training Blueprint
Below is a sample blueprint of a training schedule for an “average” dog. Your dog will not follow this exact schedule and may greatly differ. The plan is tailored to your dog, your relationship, and both of your real-world needs. Adjacent training needs such as separation anxiety and destructive behaviors can take time and require delay or removal (depending on training package) of some games.
Note: Excessive Aggression/Fear Cases may take a significantly different path as there may be root issues that must be addressed before games can begin. See Reactivity, Aggression, & Fear for details.
10-Day Plan
Day 1: Basic Command/Marker Training, Identify Play Drives, Introduce Come Game
Day 2: Finish Basic Command/Marker Training Continuance (possible exception of “Down”), Come Game, Introduce Leash Maze
Day 3: Supplementary Command Training (plus “Down” possibly), Come Game, Leash Maze, Introduce Sit/Down/Stand Game
Day 4: (Instructional Recording HW) Finish Supplementary Command Training, Sit/Down/Stand Game, Leash Maze, Come Game
Day 5: (Instructional Recording HW) Sit/Down/Stand Game, Introduce Heel Game, Introduce Place Game
Day 6: (Instructional Recording HW) Come Game, Heel Game, Place Game
Day 7: (Instructional Recording HW/Owner performs*) Introduce Sit/Down Master Game, Leash Maze, Place Game
Day 8: Come Game, Heel Game, Sit/Down Master Game, Introduction to Corrections
Day 9: Place Game, Lease Maze, Real World Place or Sit/Down
Day 10: Real World Limitation Testing. Owner predicts and tests dog’s training level in real world application.
20-Day Plan
Days 11-12: Weak Points Targeted in Game Training. Heel Game usually bolstered.
Days 13-15: Weak Points Targeted in Real World Application. Heel/Leash Real World focus.
Days 16-19: Concentration on attaining Jedi level on at least two of owner’s most needed practical commands.
Day 20: Real World Limitation Testing. Owner predicts and tests dog’s training level in real world application.
30-Day Plan
Days 21-30: Impossible to predict specifics before training begins. We are attempting to attain Jedi status on all games and real world applications of every command that owner is interested in using. Games are customized to the specific dog at this level. Long-term real-world expectations are clearly defined and owner is in tune with dog at every level. Strong, healthy, long-term relationship between owner and dog is firmly established.
Explanation
Training sessions usually last about an hour. Training basic and supplementary commands can happen at wildly different paces for different dogs, but always goes faster if the dog’s energy level is up. To get started, I need a few basic commands and a play drive, so that’s what I focus on first. “Down” is a command that some dogs pick up easily, and some either hate or don’t understand. If I get bogged down with it (or others, such as “Heel”) the dog will have a negative association with it and it takes more time in the long-run to recondition him to feel positively about it. So, I have something of a Blitzkrieg tactic here, blowing past the slow spots and focus on getting the dog involved in Obedience Games so we have energy and an active brain to work with, and this makes the entire process more efficient.
The dog uses a lot of mental and physical energy in the Come, Place, Sit/Down/Stand, and Sit/Down Master Games. The dog is generally chasing and/or tugging during these games, and this physical activity tied with the mental demands that Obedience Games impose on them will almost always burn them out well before an hour. These games tap into the dog’s predatory chase instincts and cause adrenaline releases. Alternatively, the Leash Maze and Heel Games are slow moving games where there is a great deal of restraint on the part of the dog. The dog looks to you for guidance in these games, which brings it down from the adrenaline dump and trains it to be able to do just this in real-world application. For these and other reasons, we alternate the instinct-based games with the Leash and Heel Games.
Ideally, I would first teach the dog how to play the games at a Basic and into Working level before you, the owner, begin them. It could be done by teaching you to play the games from the beginning, but I find it more beneficial to get the dog fluent in how the Obedience Games work first, then record myself playing the games while verbally instructing how and why I’m doing what I’m doing to the recorder. You would them watch the video (or just watch me playing the Obedience Games and instructing), and start playing the games yourself. There’s nothing set in stone here. You will play the Obedience Games with your dog sooner or later, and I will instruct you as you go so that you can do it without me. Here, we’ll work together to determine how best to maximize my time with you and your dog to have the greatest outcome.
There is a lot added to your dog’s world in the first ten days of training. The dog will be more proficient at some Obedience Games (and their correlative commands) than others. The 20 day program gives us time to build up areas that your dog is weaker at, and it gives us time to work the dog into more real-world situations. We’ll be doing field trips to a variety of different places to expose your dog to all sorts of stimuli, and we’ll continue to advance through the levels of the Obedience Games with the goal of reaching Jedi-level in at least two. Since we have more time here work both the Obedience Games and the real-world tasks, we’re able to instill a much deeper level of obedience. There’s a lot of new learning in the first ten days; the next ten are for advancing through obedience levels.
It’s usually best to begin spacing out Obedience Game training to once a week for the final ten days if the dog’s on a 30 day program. This essentially extends your dog’s training to an additional two months, which gives me the opportunity to identify and resolve any of the longer-term weaknesses or problems you might have. We’re focused here on consistency over time and customizing Obedience Games that fit into your life as you learn how much time you realistically have to play, and what games you enjoy more than others. We are perfecting and attempting to bring your dog to Jedi-level on all Obedience Games and real-world tasks.
First Steps
Complete Wait List Request
Receive Call for Scheduling/Questions
Free Consultation (approx 1 hour)
Determine Training Package (10, 20, 30)
Training Blueprint
Below is a sample blueprint of a training schedule for an “average” dog. Your dog will not follow this exact schedule and may greatly differ. The plan is tailored to your dog, your relationship, and both of your real-world needs. Adjacent training needs such as separation anxiety and destructive behaviors can take time and require delay or removal (depending on training package) of some games.
Note: Excessive Aggression/Fear Cases may take a significantly different path as there may be root issues that must be addressed before games can begin. See Reactivity, Aggression, & Fear for details.
10-Day Plan
Day 1: Basic Command/Marker Training, Identify Play Drives, Introduce Come Game
Day 2: Finish Basic Command/Marker Training Continuance (possible exception of “Down”), Come Game, Introduce Leash Maze
Day 3: Supplementary Command Training (plus “Down” possibly), Come Game, Leash Maze, Introduce Sit/Down/Stand Game
Day 4: (Instructional Recording HW) Finish Supplementary Command Training, Sit/Down/Stand Game, Leash Maze, Come Game
Day 5: (Instructional Recording HW) Sit/Down/Stand Game, Introduce Heel Game, Introduce Place Game
Day 6: (Instructional Recording HW) Come Game, Heel Game, Place Game
Day 7: (Instructional Recording HW/Owner performs*) Introduce Sit/Down Master Game, Leash Maze, Place Game
Day 8: Come Game, Heel Game, Sit/Down Master Game, Introduction to Corrections
Day 9: Place Game, Lease Maze, Real World Place or Sit/Down
Day 10: Real World Limitation Testing. Owner predicts and tests dog’s training level in real world application.
20-Day Plan
Days 11-12: Weak Points Targeted in Game Training. Heel Game usually bolstered.
Days 13-15: Weak Points Targeted in Real World Application. Heel/Leash Real World focus.
Days 16-19: Concentration on attaining Jedi level on at least two of owner’s most needed practical commands.
Day 20: Real World Limitation Testing. Owner predicts and tests dog’s training level in real world application.
30-Day Plan
Days 21-30: Impossible to predict specifics before training begins. We are attempting to attain Jedi status on all games and real world applications of every command that owner is interested in using. Games are customized to the specific dog at this level. Long-term real-world expectations are clearly defined and owner is in tune with dog at every level. Strong, healthy, long-term relationship between owner and dog is firmly established.
