This was a theme at the retriever seminar a few weeks ago. Carol Cassity especially reminded us to use our time well. It’s easy to fall into the pattern of working on the more exciting and challenging training aspects and there tend to be skills that we less prefer to work on. One example she gave for retriever training was that on training days, some socialize when it’s not their turn instead of having their dog practice a quiet stay while another dog works. That’s not something most people can practice at home and it is something very important for retriever tests/trials.
Griffin’s on very limited activity due to an iliopsoas (muscle) injury. All the dogs are on limited activity due to the extreme heat. Initially we just skipped out on most training and most walks. I was using the time to do more training plans. But going through my notes, I was reminded that I shouldn’t be wasting these opportunities.
It’s not secret that I dislike working on duration stays. Long stays are not that much different from sleeping or sprawling on the floor. Even though the dogs shouldn’t be very active, we have been working on the stays.