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Train Your Dog Even If You Don’t Have Time: Simple and Easy

Here's the irony of being a small business owner whose business is training dogs -- I don't have very much time to work with my own dogs. I'm busy running the business and training other people's dogs. But I'm a smart trainer -- I find the opportunities I need to sneak in a little bit of training every day. A little training goes a long way... Here's the bad news: your dog is learning whether you're training him or not. Dogs arealways learning -- they don't wait for you to teach them. They pick up habits regardless. You might as well work with your dog so the habits he's picking up are good ones! This month's article will help you identify the three main things you need to become a smart dog trainer for your own dog and train when you don't really have any time in your schedule.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what behaviors your dog already knows. And when I say "knows," I mean really knows. As in: you ask your dog to do it once, and - boom - he does it on the first request. The next thing is to make a list of the things you do throughout the course of your day that your dog loves. And I mean LOVES. Third, you need to put the first and second things together and voila - you're now training your dog even though you don't have any extra time in your schedule. Let's dive into this a little deeper...

The Behaviors Let's start with those behaviors. There are four behaviors I like every dog to know because it (1) gives me some way of asking the dog to do something, and (2) these four behaviors are helpful in developing self control in your dog. Here are the four behaviors: sit, wait, targeting, and name recognition. Before we jump into those behaviors, though, let me touch on the important part of this. You notice I said "really knows." What I mean is that the dog knows the behavior so well that you're willing to bet me $100 that when asked, the dog will definitely do the behavior on your first request.

Yes. That's really possible. And that part's really important to this project because you're going to rely on those very behaviors to implement this plan. If your dog doesn't do the behaviors the first time you ask, he doesn't really know the behavior. Trust me on this and work with your dog until he's getting those behaviors solidly on the first request. There isn't space in this article to go into detail of teaching the four behaviors I mentioned above, but you can use any four behaviors your dog really knows, so don't get hung up on teaching those specific four behaviors I mentioned.

The List Our next step is to grab a piece of paper and make a list of all the things you do for or with your dog throughout the normal course of the day that he loves. Write everything down, don't leave any small detail out. In my house, Caysun, the service pup in-training, loves to:

• go to her crate

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• get out of her crate • eat her meals • get the leash put on • go outside • chase the squirrel (in our fenced backyard) • play tug • jump on the sofa • give me her paw • to chase and be chased • get petted • praise in a high-pitched, sing-songy voice • chase the tennis ball • run with Tango as he chases the tennis ball • greet people when they come to the house • get into and out of the car

There are more things, but for the sake of space, I'm limiting this list. Your dog's list will probably be a little different or might be very similar -- and probably a lot longer! The point is that the list is specific to your dog and contains things your dog loves.

Putting It Together Now that you've got the behaviors and the list, all that's left is putting them together. Let's say you identify that your dog loves to get out of his crate, to go for a walk, to get up on the sofa, and to get fed. Voila! You've now got at least 4 training opportunities each day without modifying your schedule or fitting anything else into your already busy day. (And that's assuming that you do those four things only once a day. In reality, you probably have at least 8 opportunities.)

Here's how it works: The next time you're getting ready to take your dog for a walk, ask him to sit first (or any of the behaviors your dog knows). If he sits, put the leash on and immediately take your dog out. (Be ready to go out the door the instant the leash gets clipped on -- you want the dog to know that his sitting started the "go for a walk" chain in motion.

The next time your dog wants to get up on the sofa with you, ask him to target your hand before you invite him up. When he touches your hand with his nose, immediately invite him up on the sofa! It's sort of like teaching kids to say please when they ask for something. If they say please (and if you can grant their request), they get it! Asking your dog for an easy behavior that he already knows is a way of teaching your dog manners.

It's a lot easier to fit in 8 mini-sessions doing the things you're already doing for your dog than it is to find a 30-minute chunk out of your day to train your dog. Use what you've already got -- a motivated

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dog (he'd really love to chase that ball!), and the opportunities in your everyday interactions with your dog. And the bonus: in a few weeks, your dog will come to expect these mini-requests (sit before putting the leash on, for instance), and will begin looking to you for direction on what to do to earn these everyday goodies.

What do you do if your dog doesn't do what you ask? Simply walk away. Come back in 60 seconds and ask again. Resist the urge to repeat your request right away. There shouldn't be any "Sit. Sit. Sit, sit, sit!" Just one "Sit." And wait. If your dog doesn't sit, it's ok! Your dog just doesn't get what he wanted. Put the tennis ball up. Don't invite him up on the sofa. Don't clip the leash on. Whatever you would have done if he sat, you simply don't do. That's it. Just do nothing. Come back in 60 seconds and ask again. Your dog will get wise to this quickly and you'll see his responses to your requests getting quicker because he knows he's got one chance to get this right

The Rules Before implementing this new program, remember these few guidelines.

• Be fair. Do NOT do this when your dog needs to go to the bathroom! If your dog's been crated for more than a few hours, just open the crate door and take your dog directly outside. No sitting, no targeting, just get that dog out!

• Be committed. Don't do this halfway. Be prepared to not give your dog access (in that moment) to the thing he wants if he doesn't do the behavior you requested.

• Be nice. There are no corrections, no punishment in this program. It's much more effective to simply walk away from your dog if he doesn't do the behavior you asked for than it is to force him to do the behavior. Once the dog figures out that out, you'll see his responses improve drastically!

Now go forth and train your dog! You don't need a dedicated space or a chunk of time in your schedule. You've now got at least four behaviors your dog knows really well, you've got a list of all the things you do with or for your dog every day that he loves, now you just need to start asking him to do that stuff before you give him access to those things

In just a week or two, you'll see that your dog is more attentive to you, is responding quickly to your requests, listens better, and willingly works together with you.