Sometimes we train to solve specific problems and sometimes we train for specific skills, and sometimes we train for total life preparedness. This is a ‘cradle to grave’, or global, training plan for dogs at the basic level, not necessarily in order of priority.
Bridges:
- Intermediate,
- Terminal
Targets: Here
- Distance
- Direction
- Duration
- Pole – touch a pole (dressage whip)
- Station – send dog to another person or a thing hanging on the wall
- Hierarchies – teach that if I say here, first choice fingers, then pole, station
- Names of Targets – at first they are all “here”
- Send-aways – “go” exercise with Cowboy
Use Name & Explain and Bridging everywhere, all the time
- Body parts
- Locations
- Activities
- Actions
- Individuals
- Directions and orientations
- Items – Yang with the ball…
- What will happen – What animal should do
- What is happening – How animal is doing
- What did happen- How the animal did and “You were so good, you just did <this>…”.
Conditioned Relaxation
- Establish it
- Alert
- Toggle
- Maintain during Cycles
Basic life skills
- Door manners (deal with management first with door, crate, plant, high, wait, leave it…)
- Crate
- Plant and High
- Wait
- Waiting turn for treats, toys and eating
- Leaving food and toys until permitted, releasing same
- Teach movement, walk, stop, run, turns
- Collars, halters, harnesses, muzzles and leashes (safety backup equipment)
- Meet and greet
Body parts – left hip
Moving target skills
- Target when teaching walk
- CreateTight leash walking – pulling
- Loose lead walking – when you want them to be loose
- Expand 1 step., 2 steps, 4 steps, etc…
Body handling skills
- Wipe face
- Clean eyes
- Clean ears
- Inspect teeth
- Oral swab
- Tooth inspection, cleaning
- Handle paws
- Trim nails
Car skills
- Get in
- Attain and maintain ‘easy’
- Down-stay
- Crate and/or seat belt
- Name “go, turns, start, stop”
Vet behaviors
- Injections
- Blood draw leg and juglar
- Shaving
- Rectal exam, thermometer, anal expression
Safety
- Resource removal
- Child proofing
- Reactivity to dogs, cats and puppies
- Chase inhibition
- Stop mid action – on a dime
Task training – give him fun interesting things to do; things the dog is beguiled to do it for the fun of the challenge and satisfaction of the accomplishment
Training Plan, Level Two, will appear in a future post