How To Fit Everyday Dog Obedience Into Your Schedule

Dog obedience is a journey, not a destination, and is made better with practice in the form of daily obedience training and reinforcement. Incorporating a daily schedule, especially one that fits into your routine, will benefit both you and your dog by bolstering your positive relationship and reinforcing their learned good habits.

But how do you squeeze 30 minutes of training into your day? Here are a few examples of easy ways to reinforce everyday dog obedience training in everyday life, even on your busiest days.  Stay tuned for future blogs with at-home tips to get you started with each command.

Practice “Sit” or “Extended Sit”

These commands, arguably the easiest to fit into your daily dog training routine, only take a few minutes to perform. Practice making your dog sit before you let him out for a potty break or walk. Practice “extended sit” while you prepare his breakfast or dinner. Incorporating sit into everyday tasks and routines helps reinforce the training and provides a routine for your dog.

Practice “Down” and “Extended Down”

“Down” and “Extended Down” are best (and easily) practiced when your attention will be occupied for an extended period of time (generally more than ten minutes). Watching TV, taking a conference call from home, or enjoying an evening on the porch are ideal opportunities to practice these. Command your dog to practice “down” and “extended down” before you settle into your task. They can be in a set location next to you, or in a separate room, whatever the situation calls for. Performing this practice daily reinforces that the behavior is expected, making it easier for both of you when more engaging tasks call for your attention, like when company comes over or you need to do yard work without interruption.

Practice “Place” and “Extended Place”

This one is perfect for practicing door manners and best behavior. When the doorbell rings (hello, delivery driver!), instruct your dog to go to “Place.” If the doorbell comes with guests, add the practice of “Extended Place,” and tell your dog to stay in their place until you give them permission to greet the guest.

Practice “Heel”

While best practiced on a walk, feel free to reinforce “heel” during a short jaunt down a hallway in your apartment complex to get the mail, or even walking from the bedroom to the basement in your house. Just keeping your dog close and reminding him of this exercise will help reinforce this specific obedience training.

Practice “Off”

For so many, this one is almost impossible to not use throughout the day. “Off” is an easy obedience training exercise that applies to a variety of situations including barking (when a squirrel scampers by), jumping (when you get home from work because they’ve waited what feels like forever to see you), and counter-surfing (when you left that pizza on the counter for just a second while you washed your hands).

Ultimately, these are just a few examples of ways you can incorporate obedience in your everyday life, even if you only have a few spare minutes. To kickstart these skills, or to take them up a notch with advanced training, contact Off-leash K9 Training here.