# Training Plan or Schedule...



## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

How do you all go about planning your training sessions? I struggle with this each night. What do I want to work on? What does Do/Breeze need? I guess what I am asking is how do you keep your sessions flowing and on schedule? After I come home from work, I can't remember what we worked on the night before so I just start doing stuff, good-bad-or indifferent.

I really have to get better at keeping a journal, do any of you have one that works for you? If so, would you share a page or two, just so I can see how it should/could be done? 

You're help would be greatly appreciated so that our goal of competing this year may be realized. I am a good trainer (anyway, I think I am, Brandy was one leg from a UD and Tuck was a CDX) it is just at this time, I have no structure. Tuck and Brandy were 15 years ago.

Thanks!


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

I spend way more time on my training plans than training my dogs. I'ts bad because they need more training, but great in that every second counts.

A few things:
- I have an excel table for listing behaviors/things to work on. I have categories across the top (obedience, agility, husbandry, etc) and then underneath I list the behaviors. I have a way of noting if it's somethiing that can be done indoors (so that I can't say "it's too dark/cold/wet outside to do anything) and a way to mark things that I wnat to do in group training so that when I'm there I can make the most of things that are harder to do by myself. Some of these are vague, but most are really specific ("duration- sit stays" "Proof holds" "head level, contacts") Once I've started to work on something, it comes off the list, but usually is re-added in smaller pieces. "Retrieve over jump" turned into "angled releases over jump" "Restrained to front w/distance" and "close w/dumbbell" As I found which pieces actually needed work.
- I have timers... digital watches and a kitchen timer (it's always set to count down from 2 minutes...that's the typical duration of a session, but sometimes we go longer or shorter depending on what's going on). After the timer goes off, I can either play with my dog for a bit and then crate him or scatter treats/food on the floor and then make my notes. I typically keep rough notes right aftre the sesison and hten add in more later. I'll often do another sesison right away (and sometimes a lot more).
- Some people are better about excell type documents where you can record the numbers of correct responses/errors. I'll do that if I'm being extra careful. But I've often found that short paragraphs are the best thing for me to use. 
- I've tried keeping it in a word document, but eventually found it easier to do a blog for each dog. I can then search by behavior/ month/time frame to go back and find things later. I'll update this daily or every few days. A few sentences about each session and usually a bit more at the bottom about general comments and other things we need to work on (which get added to The List).
- I have the little tiny notebooks that I can put in my pocket for outdoor training sessions or when in class. Again... I try to have my dog either crated or scavenging for treats I placed on the floor or chewing a bone while I make notes. 
- I record at least half of my training sessions on video, I only watch about 1/3 of those and actually use the video.... definitely will be changing that . Or intend to .... ahem. But if you can make yourself watch it...really helps you to be more efficient.

I definitely need to be better and I know that if I used the spreadsheets when training all behaviors we would progress faster/better.

ETA....er...that was more than a few things.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I think it depends on the age of the dog and where you are in the training....?

So like with puppies: I train every day, but it's only 3 good repetions for each element and only 5-10 minutes worth of training a day tops. And those might be bits and pieces every couple hours that I'm home. 

Basic obedience: I start doing 10 minute training sessions a day. And I work on EVERYTHING.

For novice obedience/Beginning Open, the following is the type of schedule I might have:

Monday: Novice practice class in the evening.

Tuesday: Sit/Downs stay practice while I watch TV or work on computer

Wednesday: Novice practice class in the evening.

Thursday: Sit/Downs stay practice while I watch TV or work on computer

Friday: Quick heel pattern (usually L, but sometimes T) in our basement or upstairs hall. I do both on leash and off and mainly focus on snap sits and tight turns. Then I take things apart and have fun with change of paces. He LOVES "fast" because sometimes I throw a treat ahead of us and send him after it while I run the other direction. We finish with two fronts, right finish the one front and left finish to the other front. 

The above takes about 10 minutes and I usually finish with dumbell practice. I do three retrieves and then I move on to heeling with the dumbell across the room, putting him in a wait and leaving him to call him to front with the dumbell. 

Saturday: Retrieve Games. I usually put Jacks into a wait while I walk around setting toys all over our basement. The ones he knows the name of (green ball and ducky) I will hide. In the end I have about five or six toys in specific spots around us. When I'm all set up, I will very obviously point at a specific toy and send Jacks to retrieve it. He brings it back to me and I immediately us up for the next retrieve, and so forth. At the end, I will then tell him to "find his green ball" and when he brings that back, I send him to find his ducky. 

It just keeps things loose and fun for us, and getting him used to being directed to retrieve items that have been placed vs thrown. 

Sunday: We do absolutely nothing.  

*** That's my usual schedule, but sometimes I work on other things to keep everything fresh and fun for him. So instead of doing a heel pattern, I'll simply do ins/outs/backs/scoots/quarterturns, and I'll even do scoot fronts and then quarter turn right fronts and quarter turn left fronts. And then we might to stand stays instead of sits and downs other days. <- one thing we always do are the dumbbells and fun retrieves.

Oh and once on a blue moon we will go somewhere to do a full novice routine, from heel on leash all the way to the sits and downs at the end. It's just really hard doing that right now because it's COLD outside.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I struggle with this as well. I keep thinking I will write a app to track what I've trained, what my plan is etc. Training multiple venues makes this even tougher I think. So much to do, so little time!

When I am working on a structured thing (ie; scent articles or beginning retrieve work) I do make out a spreadsheet with progessions and grids for success/failure/location etc. And I work this in the morning, before work. This would be a mostly daily progression of intense learning.

For less structured sessions (ie; evening training)

Right now the 'method' I use is a series of index cards - 1 set for locations, 1 set for obedience, 1 set for agility, 1 set for field and 1 set for games. I also have a set for new skills that will be moved to mornings or before supper as needed.

So, I roughly decide what days I will train what general categories and what days will be trained outside of my home or training clubs - if outside work is desired a location card is picked. I then select a few cards for work that day (say obedience: left turns, left spirals, head up starts, directed glove pivots, send-aways::field work a mark exercise, blind exercise etc) and check those off on my generic worksheet with success/failure or possibly videotaping. If I am satisfied with the training session, the index card(s) are put aside until all skills in the box have had their rotation. Sounds cluggy but it keeps the sessions varied and they get all the skills worked on. 

Problem areas I can have several cards for each (ie; right now: fronts holding dumbbell vs field deliveries).

I have attached a partial worksheet of Faelan's initial fetch training that shows some of the breakdown for his learning steps - this was using the clicker but it follows many of the same steps as traditional training. I have also attached my generic spreadsheet that was filled out after a Monday's selection - it would add exercises as the week progesses.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

I love how you've used notecards! I had a very very similar system a few years ago! I'd completely forgotten about that. I bet I still have that set somewhere....


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## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

These are just the kind of things I was looking for! Thank you! Any other ideas, please keep them coming. So far, I have taken something from every post! 

Sunrise...I will look at creating something like your training charts and keep in the training bag. I started doing something similar with the index cards, only I used them for field training drills (Carol Cassity book and others) that I could take along field training. Guess there is no reason I couldn't do that with obedience. 

Red Dogs...I am going to get clocks and stop watches and put in the training area (our new house has a great shop I can train in) and start doing some video taping of the sessions.

Megora..I LOVE the way you work training into every day stuff like working the computer and watching tv during stays, that's a keeper!

I look forward to gleening other training tips, already I am feeling more inspired! I am also going to try to start using the blog feature again, that should help as well.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

oh lordy you guys make me feel bad....I am (and have always been) a random trainer, just sort of wing it and do whatever strikes me at the moment.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Over the years, I've tried various tables and graphs and what not and I never stick to them. Now I use a child's composition notebook that I keep in my training bag. I have two - one that's just to track article training (in the article bag) and a second for our obedience. 

I basically just make some notes - mostly about where I want to start in the next session or what I want to be sure and cover.

In the article notebook, I got a little more detailed. When I was doing around the clock with the hot article, I'd make a note about where in pile it was in each session. In the beginning I tracked low long (in seconds) it took him to find the article. I make notes of any noted problems, etc.


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> oh lordy you guys make me feel bad....I am (and have always been) a random trainer, just sort of wing it and do whatever strikes me at the moment.


I am with you! I train almost every day, but I usually don't plan anything... I just do stuff... :doh: I do try to video regularly though!

Interesting listening to everyone though...


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Count me in as one who does nothing. I often train everyday, and I *usually* know what I want to work on in my head, but there is definitely some random....


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

DNL2448 said:


> Megora..I LOVE the way you work training into every day stuff like working the computer and watching tv during stays, that's a keeper!


As much as I'd like to take credit, I picked it up from another member here on GRF when I moaned and groaned about proofing stays. 

It definitely is helping with the stays which I admittedly did not practice often enough because they are pretty boring and time consuming... :doh:

I'm putting him into stays around the corner and down the hall where he can't see me while I switch the online timer on my computer and continue doing whatever I'd be doing anyway in the evening. :


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> oh lordy you guys make me feel bad....I am (and have always been) a random trainer, just sort of wing it and do whatever strikes me at the moment.


I'm with ya there! I have enough trouble making myself come up with lesson plans for school, and that's what I do for a living. I'm much more of a "in the moment" type person as far as planning goes. The exception is if my dogs are having a particular problem with something I will try to come up with a plan on what I am going to do to fix it.


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom (Jul 16, 2008)

I am an organized sort. I make up a chart for both dogs that gets posted on the fridge. i check off what i have worked on. I have several areas that they can work together (stays, signals) which helps. It did take me forever to work out a way to work with 2 dogs, but that is coming together as time goes on.


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