# Training schedule, and showing.



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Hi Phyllis,
A few short sessions are definitely better than one long one. If you are getting in 3-4 10 minute sessions a day, you're getting in 3-4 more than I ever did, LOL. You're doing great!
As far as sit commands, I have never found any of Tito's obedience commands to cause a problem in the breed ring. Ever.
What I always found worked for me (mostly due to time constraints) was just working a single command in many times during the day. Sit before being fed. Sit before going outside. Stand for a treat, and so on.
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the classes!!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

The class I was going to was an hour long--there was no way I was going to make my dog stand still that entire time. When it was not my turn I let her sit and I brought out toys and played with her. I wanted the ring to be a fun place--not this boring must hold still place. I've never had a problem when it came to shows/matches getting my dog to stand. They only need to stand and look good when it is their turn, when they are at the end and the next dog is coming around, and when the last examined dog is coming around. Don't tire out/bore your dog in-between


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

PS I think it is great if you can get him into a show and/or match as young as possible (I think 4 months for a match, 6 months for a show). I just think it is a good experience for the youngsters regardless of whether or not they could win.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Amount of time to practice: The horrible answer is "it depends".

What I generally suggest is that you grab a handful of treats, and work until they're gone. Work on ONE skill during that time. If you want to do more training, pet/play/cuddle for at least 30 seconds, then go on to something else. It's "good training" to work on one thing at a time. It can be fun to run through everything a dog knows but that generally doesn't give enough repetition to really provide good training...so if you're not having a good day or need to show off how smart your dog is...do everything once or twice to show his brilliance! But in training, work on one specific skill. More short training sessions a day are better than longer ones. Most of our sessions are less than five minutes, often only a minute or less. (But that doesn't get as practical when you're doing things with specific equipment or set ups or location!).


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