I’ve been doing it for a few years now, and I have to admit, some months I do better than others, but still, I keep a dog training journal of my training sessions. In this I write down all the goals I have come up with for myself and my dogs, in the field of training. I also note the progress per training session. This gives so much clarity!
By means of such a journal you can always read back at a later time when, under what circumstances and at what location a certain exercise went very well. That way you can always fall back on this moment and this level of training, when things are not going so well. You write down your goal, and then you record how long you trained and where you trained. Also note what distractions were present, what rewards you used, how many repetitions you did and how many were successful, and finally evaluate the session.
Some ideas for your training journal might include:
- x Minutes stay out of sight
- No more jumping in on a marked retrieve
- Come straight back with dummy after retrieve
- Staying home alone for extended periods of time
- For puppies: potty training
- etc, etc. Use your creativity!
First of all, think for yourself which goals you would like to achieve, and write them down. Leave enough space to record the training sessions as well! You may achieve some goals in as little as three or four training sessions. Others might take twelve sessions or even more, so keep that in mind. Write everything down in a small notebook or on a loose sheet of paper, and get started with training 🙂
Soon I will be sharing a free printable here on the blog that you can use to create your own dog training journal. And as mentioned, you can always use a loose sheet of paper or a blank notebook in the meantime.
Good luck making your journal!
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