Training a solitary thing?

[jelly8bean]

Anyone do training with more than one dog around, or do you put up your other dog(s) so you can concentrate on the one? Now that Sara and Indigo are back together, they are inseparable-even more than before. I used to train them together, walking or putting one in a sit/stay in one room while I worked the other on finishes etc. It was sweet to have them both sit/stay and I would walk off and come back or have them both recall to a finish on either side of me. But now that I want to really work my heeling alot more and focus on Indigo, this togetherness may not work as well. I am thinking I should just put Sara up when I spend my work sessions with Indigo. I think her having to sit/stay during Indigo work is pretty good work for her as well, but Indigo's heeling work may be too much for Sara's concentration. Thoughts or suggestions?

[tidibole]

My other dogs are generally in the yard BUT NOT the one that I am training in. It is a good distraction for me. But most of the time the others are thankful that they get to play and HE has to work...LOL...UNTIL the treats come out.

[Dobs4ever]

Training dogs together certainly has its place after a dog is thoroughly trained and looking to you for guidance and not the other dog. Afterall they have to work with other dogs around in the ring but not at a training session in the beginning. Dogs that run together all the time without this special individual training will tend to look to each other first than the person. That is one reason I will not place two puppies in the same home at the same time. The dogs then become doggie dogs and not people centered.

I want to be more fun to my dog than other dogs. I feel that personal relaltionship is what makes the dog work for me. The other problem I have seen is co-dependency. In the ring the other dog can't be present as you can't work two dogs at the same time. A dog that can't stand to be separated from their dog companion has a much harder time in the ring because they are looking for the other dog instead of working comfortably with you alone. Hope that makes sense.

[jelly8bean]

Ok.. so do you put one up (ie crate, another room, outside if working inside or inside when working outside) when working with one? I walk them each individually at this point because I feel it gives me better interaction and connection. So when walking, I have one and everyone else stays home. I do work them each individually, and had been doing a sit/stay in place while working with the other one.

(by the way Indigo's first walks this week have been stellar in terms of loose leash and attention - I am very pleased).

[Dobs4ever]

Jelly that is fabulous. Glad Indigo is doing so well. I know you have to be proud as punch. If I am working outside I often open the van door and put two in crates while I work the third. (This being of course for my convenience and IF the weather is not too hot or cold. Then they are either in the house or in the back yard but not where they can see or interfere with the one I am working with.

I admire yiou if you get a sit and stay while you are working another one. I do that when I have a friend come over and work their dog we then practice the long stay or down but with my own because I use a toy for motivation alot it would just be too tempting for the other one to want to join in the fun.

[Big Dogs]

For me this is a yes and no answer! Sometimes I will work with an older dog who is trained and let a younger dog who is acquainted with him watch as long as he is not carrying on and I always have him under leash. I will also use two sometimes three dogs that have been trained and place all three in the down stay position and will take one at a time from down to sit to heel and take them around a corner to the free command and re-kennel repeating the process with each one to reinforce the stay command no matter what. Early on if I have a dog that could possible break a command I never work more than one at a time due to the fact I want the correction to be timed immediately so that there is no question in the dogs mind as to what I am asking and correcting for. So I guess what I'm saying is if it's working OK for you it's fine just remember that sometimes dogs pick up bad habits like she broke from a sit command before being told to or while in the down command we start to roll around these are the things though minor can have a rippling affect on your training. Good luck it sounds as if you have things well in hand.

[jelly8bean]

Thanks for the input. What you all have lead me to conclude is that training together is fine, once they know what is expected of them. Kind of like proofing. But when I'm teaching or reinforcing new behavior I should not have the added distraction of the best buddy too near. Upward and onward!

[Dobs4ever]

Well put Big Dog - I will try that as a proofing method once a younger dog has a solid stay. bu tI am like you - if they break I want to be able to deal with it immediately or the correction is wasted. Once a dog gets away with something it seems 5 X 's harder to get them back to where they were.