HUNTING
THE TWO-MINUTE DRILL By Scott Haugen
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“
o, how much time should I dedicate to training my dog each day?” asked a gentleman, following a long conversation we’d just had on the topic. “Well, that depends,” I replied. “Are you looking to train your dog and keep him in shape, or teach him discipline, or both?” “Discipline!” the man said, without hesitation. “My dog is in great shape but does so many things that annoy me, like jumping on people when they come over, not sitting when I say, not staying put when it should, not retrieving to hand upon command, not wanting to get in its kennel each night, and ...” I interrupted him and asked how he’d been training his dog over the past 18 months, since it came into his life as a puppy. What I concluded was the owner thought of training time as a single, elaborate interaction where intensity was the name of the game. While this may be true for some conditioning drills, such vigor is not needed when teaching a dog how to behave. In fact, short and sweet disciplined training sessions are a rule for me, as is carrying out consistent commands throughout the day. “If I were you, I’d keep doing the conditioning part of your training, but think about changing up your obedience training,” I suggested. “For instance, I condition my dogs about 90 minutes a day – 45 minutes either before breakfast or one hour after they’ve eaten, and another 45 minutes in the evening – every day. I also do obedience training, and that lasts about two minutes a day.” You should have seen the look on the man’s face. “Two minutes? What?” he inquisitively asked.
Professional dog trainer Josh Powell continually applies discipline and maintains control during work sessions. He’s quick to praise a dog, and clearly and consistently communicates his expectations. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
I told him how I think of obedience training as a two-minute drill, like in football. We used to practice this all the time in high school and college, and it’s basically a fast, short version of regular practice. The only difference is the level
of intensity and the short duration. During these football drills, you have to be very focused in order to succeed, and this maximizes your long-term memory of what it is you’re learning. The same is true with your
calsportsmanmag.com | JANUARY 2021 California Sportsman
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