Schedule for Modules?

[DANIELLE SAYNER]

Starting each Module what should each day look like? Like 

Day 1 practice sit 5 times practice down 5 times practice stay 5 times etc.... 

I know all dogs are different and learn at different paces but what would a reasonable schedule look like for each module?  

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums!

I am not too much a fan of numbering sessions when it comes to length, frequency and number of reps because of so many factors (age, breed, history of training, health etc).

When I worked for a big box store, we had modules that used a cookie-cutter approach to train dogs and the head trainer was very adamant in having the dogs do 10 sits in a row,  10 downs in a row etc. Were the dogs learning this way? Yes, their sits were getting quite mechanical as muscle memory sunk in. Did they look interested? Towards the end of the 10 reps I was seeing signs of tiring in some dogs. It didn't help that we had dogs of different ages and breeds all clumped together doing these exercises.  

So I would suggest putting more emphasis on whether the dog seems to be enjoying the interaction and not getting bored or frustrated. You can certainly try to do some reps as a trial and see how it goes. See what your dog thinks about it. Your dog may like to do some mix and matching of cues to stay interested and this can also help him/her discriminate between those cues. 

Always aim to end up the sessions on a positive note, before boredom or frustration sets in. Remember as well to add variety and distance, duration and distractions.  All these cues once fluent at home, need to be taught as well in the yard, on walks, at the park and at pet stores.  You can also integrate them into several impulse control exercises https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/10-impulse-control-games-for-dogs/

Happy training!