Training is a skill, training SMART is even more of a skill! In this blogpost I wanted to share some brief thoughts to help motivate your training. The most common reason we fall behind on training is because we don't plan it, and then we lack inspiration when it comes time to train, so we just do the same boring things and don't really get anywhere. So, here's my tips on how to approach planning your training...
THE BIG PICTURE
Step 1: Skills
Think about the following:
a)What skills do I need to progress?
b)What skills do I need to maintain?
c)What skills would I like to introduce?
NARROW IT DOWN
Step 2: Where do I want to get to this week/ fortnight/ month?
Think about skills you have listed above. Now think about where you are currently, and where you would like to get to. Try to be specific! Remember I mentioned SMART training?
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
For example, instead of just saying “heelwork”, maybe say “By the end of this 5 min session we will heel, on lead, for 20 paces, in an area with no people, dogs or birds”.
By being specific, you are more likely to succeed and feel motivated to carry on ;)
SET YOUR TRAINING PLAN
Step 3: How will I get there?
Now you need to plan your week/ fortnight/ month (if you are planning a month, I suggest you still review every week/ two weeks, in case you need to adjust).
Plan your training week/ fortnight/ month
Step 4: the detail
1.Think about your week ahead- what days are you busiest? When will you have more time? When can you slot in 5-15 minutes of training? Remember, if you don’t plan this, the week will slip away!
2.Try to plan at least 3 specific days, but no more than 5- your dog needs to relax too
3.Where are you going to train? At home? In the garden? On a walk? In a hired field? In a car park? What time of day? Think about time to get to locations and plan that as well.
4.Short but sweet is the best learning! What I often refer to in training as the "boiling kettle training". The best training sessions are short- think 2-4 mins- and targeted. Flick the kettle on, train a few reps of a behaviour, stop. You don't need to set aside huge blocks of time- it's far more effective to do 2-3 micro sessions during the day than try and do a big session at the end of the day when you and your dog are both tired. For longer sessions, aim for 3 skills, with a total training time of no more than 15 minutes or so.
5.Go back and look at the skills you identified, and try to mix up, skills that you are introducing, progressing and maintaining. Remember, use it or lose it! If you don't maintain skills they will get rusty!
5.Stop before your dog doesn’t want to do it anymore- the quickest way to kill a love of retrieving, or a growing recall, is to overdo it. Also, it’s hard for us humans to concentrate that long as well!
Individual session planning
1.Think about how you will start and end each segment- how will you warm up your dog/ cool them down? Will you use food/ play/ sniffing or something else to build energy or bring it down?
2.The session end is very important- your dog should have very positive emotions about training with you, so we need to think about and “end routine” that signals to your dog that the training is over (but that they haven’t done anything wrong!)
Remember, it's about progress not perfection. I've talked about this in a previous post, so go take a look- https://www.fundoggundog.com/post/progression-not-perfection
The main point is, be realistic about your expectations, be consistent with your training and celebrate the little wins!
To help you plan, you can download a free plan I've created, by clicking here:
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