Success after your dog goes to boot camp?

The best dog trainers in the world cannot guarantee your dog's success after a dog training

program if you, the owner, don't stay on top of the training.

Does that mean you need to spend 30 minutes, several times a day training your dog?

Nope.

But it does mean you need to understand what is components will make you successful with your dog after a training program. Here are the three important things you should do if you want to have faster success with your dog after their boot camp program.

First - WATCH THE VIDEOS! Every good boot camp will hopefully give you adequate support materials which will include videos. When you get your estimate email from us a few weeks prior to going to boot camp we will send you a link to view training videos to familiarize yourself with the commands and rules of the commands. Owners who view the videos prior to their dog's go home lesson will have a head start on success with their dog.

Second, READ THE BOOKLET! Just like we include video tutorials, we are also going to send you home with a spiral bound booklet of information on every command, how to give them and what to do if your dog doesn't listen. At the end of your go home lesson we will briefly review this booklet together. Some trainers will send home PDFs, or printed sheets. Refresh your memory on this material to stay on the right track with your dog.

Third, BE INTENTIONAL! What does it mean to be intentional with your dog? One of my rules with my own dog's training is I don't ever give a command unless I plan to follow through on the behavior. That doesn't mean I treat my dog like a robot giving commands all day. In fact, its the opposite. I use casual language when I want to be casual with my dog. If I have had a long day and I'm half asleep, I'm not going to give a formal command. So instead of "Fido, Come" I'll just remind them to "come here". I keep separate formal and casual commands because its not realistic for owners to be in dog trainer mode every second of the day. Conversely, if I give a formal command my dog knows with 100% certainty that I will see it through. So be intentional on what you say, and if you give a command, follow through.

Forth, DO THE FOLLOW UP LESSONS! Every good boot camp should incldue a few follow up lessons to make sure everything is going well. Our shortest program offers 3 follow ups and our longest includes 8 follow ups. Ideally these can be spaced out and they don't expire but check the terms of the boot camp program as some have time limitations on when they can be used. We like seeing clients every 2 weeks to get ahead of any issues that may be coming up. Most of my owners do use the majority of their included follow up lessons but occassionally we get owners that drop thousands of dollars on a training program and then are never heard from again.

Fifth, TRAIN LIKE REAL LIFE! So your dog comes home and you have commited to the treat pouch and training collar. You head out to work your dog for 20 minutes at the park where you dutifully take your "place" mat, tell the dog to go to their place and walk 6 ft away and stare at them.

This is not real life.

Your dog knows you are in training mode. Of course that same dog will struggle to lay down under a table at a resturaunt while you chat with your dinner companions. You haven't trained in a way that will translate to real life. This is where I tell people I'd rather they NOT do a training session per day where they go through the motions of commands. You should instead train like real life ... have the dog down stay while you garden, read a book, or return e-mails. Don't practice the come command by laying the dog in a down and walking away and calling them. Instead, let your dog out to sniff or start to hunt lizzards and then call them away a distraction. Training should look as close to real life as possible.

Success after a boot camp program does take some dedication and time but its not an impossible task. If you choose OC Dog Ranch for your pup, be assured we will do everything to set you up for success after your dog goes home. The above tips are great to keep in mind if you want to get the most out of your dog's training program.