Last week, I wrote about training mistakes I have made and now cringe at, but there is one mistake I mentioned that I still struggle with. I am bad at keeping my training sessions short. Well, actually, I should give myself a bit more credit; I have gotten pretty good at it with practice, but it does not come naturally. I still have to actively think about keeping my sessions short in order to succeed at doing so.
Why is it SO HARD to Train for Short Periods of Time?
This first reason is true for any trainer: when our training is going well, the success makes us want to keep going. This is basic behavioural science. If we see our dog learning, we are flooded with happy feelings, which is reinforcing. Who doesn't want to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride? Since our action of training the dog is being reinforced, we want to keep doing it in order to keep those happy feelings coming by continuing to train. Unfortunately, no matter how much our dogs enjoy training, they will get tired to the point where continuing with the session is counterproductive.
This same phenomenon comes into play for other things too. If your New Years' resolution is to work out more often, be careful not to overdo it. You may get such a big rush of endorphins from your first workout that you push yourself too far. The next day, you could be so sore that you are unable to complete your goals for that day and then on only Day 2 of your new workout plan, you are feeling sore and like you are failing so early on in the process that it's just not even worth it to try. Had you set a more realistic goal for yourself on Day 1, you would have been more successful on Day 2.
Now imagine your dog is working on learning their new favourite trick with you, but you train for a bit too long. If you are teaching them to spin in a circle, training for too long could lead them to associate their new trick with feeling dizzy and nauseous. If you are teaching them shake a paw, their arm might be getting physically tired from the repetitive motion of raising it up and down. Maybe the trick you are working on is physically easy, but you worked on it so long that your dog's brain got too tired for them to think clearly. Now they are associating training with feeling confused and frustrated. I remember taking a CrossFit class for the first time and feeling so sore afterwards that I thought to myself, "I am never going to a gym again," and that feeling is definitely not how I want my dogs to feel when we train. I still have not gone back to a gym.
Basically, as tempting as it is to keep that training session (whether at the gym or with your dog) going, make sure to stop while things are still going well. The point in your workout where you feel energized and proud of yourself is a great place to stop because you will associate that feeling with working out instead of the feeling of exhaustion and defeat. This is true for your dog too. End your training session while your dog is still having a good time so they continue to think of training as a fun activity. Ending the session doesn't have to mean dog-human-bonding-time is over either. Just like you would cool down and stretch after a big workout, you should end your training sessions with something your dog enjoys to help them blow off some steam and slowly come out of training mode. Playing with them or going for a walk are great options.
Okay, But HOW Can We Make Those Short Sessions Actually Happen?
This is where I struggle. I understand why the short sessions are important, but pulling away from the reinforcing activity is hard. First of all, I'm having fun, so I don't want to stop, but I easily lose track of time when I'm enjoying myself so I often don't realize how long a session has been going on for. I've experimented with some different strategies. I like some more than others, but what works for me may not be the best option for you.
Method 1: Set a Timer
This is my least favourite method because the timer may go off at an inconvenient time and be distracting. Putting a timer on my Fitbit is my go to since it's just a vibration. I will know when time is up but, if my dog is right in the middle of performing a behaviour, they won't hear a loud beeping noise to startle them out of the moment. That being said, the vibration still distracts me. I have a harder time focusing on what my dog is doing when my wrist is vibrating.
Method 2: Play Music While You Train
You could put on a song that is roughly the length of how long you want your training session to be. I would steer clear of anything too loud, but something soothing in the background is great. When the next song begins, wrap up your training session. Since there is no sudden loud noise like with a timer, this is unlikely to bring you or your dog out of the moment. I actually also use this technique to gauge how long I have been in the shower.
Method 3: Train During the Commercials
With ad-free streaming being so common now, this may not work for everyone but, if you have cable, train during the commercials and give your dog breaks when whatever you are watching comes back on.
Method 4: Only Bring the Treats You Need
This is my favourite method. What I like to do is count out 20-40 treats before starting a session with my dog, and then we train until those treats run out. What I like about this method is that I HAVE to stop. I can't tell myself, "Oh, just one more repetition!" because I've run out of treats to reward my dog with. I no longer have the main tool I need to keep going, so I am forced to give my dog a break.
Oops, I Knew I Was Supposed to Stop, but I Didn't and Now My Dog is Tired
As soon as you realize that you have trained for too long, end the session. Do your best to end on a good note, even if it means asking your dog for something really easy, but don't push it if your dog is just done. Give your dog a nice long break, maybe even give them a special treat so that there is a big reward for such a challenging training session. Next time, end the session earlier.
After your dog has had a big rest and you are ready to train again, keep an eye out for signs of them getting tired so that you can stop the session before that escalates. Even better, watch for your dog to get really into what they are doing and end the session while they are in this happy stage. Again, you'll want to do something they enjoy right away since ending abruptly can lead them to feel disappointed or even like they did something wrong. Ending the session when your dog is having a great time means that they will be excited about starting up again when you are ready to train again, and having your dog be excited to train should be your goal.
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