Maximize your in class training
1) Bring your A game - the BEST rewards you can bring
When students bring kibble, carrots, cheerios or other mediocre rewards to class, it is no surprise that the dogs offer mediocre (at best) behaviour. I liken these types of rewards to steamed broccoli - I’ll eat it at home, but I wouldn’t enjoy it as much if I went out to eat. I never expect more from a dog than I expect from myself. Toys are a fantastic active reward, but for many dogs, we have to train toy drive as they age to maintain (or create) that drive. Food rewards are fantastic reward to create chains of behaviour, get multiple reps, and provide clarity between a good try and a fantastic achievement through jackpotting (LOTS of rapid fire rewards) for the best offer. Food is also a primary reinforcer, meaning that eating itself is rewarding and dogs do not have to be trained to eat, unlike toys, which need to be created or maintained as a secondary reward (as agility competitors automatically do). Remember that dogs have only around 1700 taste buds to our 9000 taste buds - but have up tp 300, 000, 000 olfactory receptors compared to our 6, 000, 000, and their brain is designed to process that information. That means that the smelly, stinky treats are going to be much more motivating than ones which have no smell. Adult dogs especially should always come to class a bit hungry - don’t feed your dog dinner and come right to class. We aren’t using rewards as a bribe - we are using them to create motivation and accuracy. So bring great rewards to create great motivation. I wouldn’t give my best for steamed broccoli, so why would my dog? Need some treat ideas? We have collected some of our favourites here - https://www.tailwindstraining.com/recipes
2) Watch other students (rather than your phone or talking)
There is nothing wrong with being social in class, and life happens where you need to hop on that phone. However, to get the most from your class, staying focused through the hour will give you the most benefit. Coach feedback is generally similar student to student, and by listening you can maximize your practice time by incorporating that same feedback. For example, if a dog is sitting when on the target bucket, the most common feedback is to reward lower and forward. Or on an agility course, if you have a fast dog and another student is struggling with a section, chances are the feedback on timing or support or skill practice will be quite similar. This will give you better quality reps in class, and your coach can more quickly give you next steps
3) Practice - IN class!
TailWinds keeps our classes small, averaging four students max. Assuming an hour long class with four people, this means each student could only receive a maximum of 15 minutes of one-on-one time. But when you take into account explanations, demonstrations, and homework rundown, that could be as little as 7-10 minutes of one-on-one time. And that is with small class sizes! This means that every moment the coach’s attention is on you should be maximized. If your coach walks up and your dog is laying down, you have no food on you and you are on your cell phone, by the time you put your phone away, recapture your dogs attention and get sorted, your allocated time may already be up. The main advantage to in person training is your coach being able to offer real time feedback based on exactly what they are seeing in the moment. If your coach walks up and you say “he already sat once” - your coach can’t give specific feedback or next steps to make the behaviour more complex or proofed so it will not fall flat later.
4) Write down your homework
We are all guilty of not writing down our homework at times. I think sometimes the sheer concept of homework as an adult is exhausting! Just bring a notepad, or jot it down in your phones. Heck, I have had students ask to video me as I show them their homework, so they can watch exactly how my feet or hands move. Especially if you are experiencing a behaviour challenge, or if you want to stay in a sport like agility, writing down your homework will ensure you have the skills to practice outside of class, which creates continual improvement. Writing it down not only creates some commitment to doing it, it also allows you to refer to it later if you were not able to practice that week.
5) Do your homework!
There are 10080 minutes in a seven day week. Lets say you spend 5 minutes working on a specific skill in class. If you do not practice at home, your dog will have spent .05% of their week practicing - the likelihood of significant improvement is not strong, statistically speaking. Practice creates a reward history as well as muscle and mental memory for both you and the dog. That is not to say that you should put aside hours and hours of training every day - pepper your training in, randomly. Go for quality, not quantity reps. The best way to make sure you practice is to add it into your regular schedule. Working on cone work? Plop it down and do 6 reps in the morning while you drink coffee. Practicing your front cross footwork? Throw in a few reps in between working your garden. Remember that a sign of your dog understanding the ask will be quick, clear execution. Good quality training sessions with a specific goal can last only seconds, but can result in strong learning by providing high rewards on clear criteria over and over again throughout the day or week.