Contrary to what some canine trainers would have you believe (why tell you this, when they can charge you weekly for their skills and keep you completely uninformed about one of the most basic datums in dog training!), successfully training a pup as well as an adult requires a degree of rhythm. That means you, as a trainer and handler, need to develop an actual rhythm in your training sessions that also spills over into day to day living with your dog.
More specifically, when you give a pup a command, you are loading the dog with some form of stress or demand for compliance. The dog will go only so long in this loaded state before it begins to sag in drive and become distracted or disinterested. It is up to you to get the reward or correction done during that critical time. Failure to do so results in a failed or bogged down training session and added time in handling whatever issue is at hand. Worse yet, it may permanently stall the dog’s progress in training and obedience.
Additionally, this rhythm must be kept going during the rest of the time with your dog, during the day, at night, whenever you are playing or interacting. So, when you tell the dog to do something in the house, outside, at the park, wherever, you need to maintain this same rhythm in correction and praise.
If you don’t spill this over into day to day living, you will have essentially wasted all of your training time with the dog.
Because, that’s why you’re training them in the first place, isn’t it?
Bob
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