Exercise 1
A little bit of pre-challenge prep for you! This gets us thinking carefully about our dogs’ preferences – and ensures you have everything you need for training your dog!
What are your dog’s top 5 favourite rewards? Make a list!
But let’s get as specific as possible! Instead of ‘cheese’ is it Cheddar, Red Leicester, Primula or Edam? Is it cocktail sausages, hot dog or würstel? And if toys are your dog’s thing, which ones specifically?
Order them high to low, so for example, Lao’s Top 5 would be:
- Rabbit tug
- Primula cheese
- Kong on a rope
- Fresh liver
- Clam feeder
Exercise 2
When I was working on Lao’s recall issues I made a list of places where I would practice.
I started with the least distracting environments and worked up to the more challenging places. This ensured my training was effective and I didn’t move too quickly.
This was my list:
- Home
- Dogwood (secure Scentventure Park)
- Ugly Walk (industrial estate)
- South Park
- Honeypot woods
What will your 5 training environments be? Which quiet places will you start your training in so that you set up your dog for success? Make a list.
Exercise 3
Read the worksheets in the download section to help get you off to the best possible start with your training!