angler in Japan Two-minute obedience training drills for hunting dogs

THE TWO-MINUTE DRILL

By Scott Haugen

“So, 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

dog during short training sessions.

I LIKE WALKING my dogs and issuing a command to heel, then suddenly giving the command to sit. I’ll have them stay, then I’ll move forward a few steps, then give them a hand signal along with a verbal cue to come to me. Then they either sit or heel, depending on what I instruct them to do.

The drills and commands are always changing, as I never want a dog to get bored or anticipate what’s coming. One day we do it in the driveway, the next in the yard, a field, in the hills, along a river bottom, or on brushy hillsides, even inside the house on a rainy day or after dark if we didn’t get to it during the day.

My goal in the two-minute drill is to maintain constant eye contact with my dogs (don’t wear sunglasses or a hat that shades your eyes) and get them to immediately respond to my verbal cues and hand signals. The key to success is clear, consistent communication and reprimanding them the instant they fail to comply; also be sure to issue quick verbal praise when they do good. If you’d like, you can give your dog a small treat when they do well. Personally, I never give treats when training, as I want the dog’s desire to please me and receive verbal praise to be the driving force behind what they do and why they do it.

“But what about when I’m

A two-minute drill can involve many trainable moments, including getting a dog to sit, maintain eye contact, and respond to verbal commands, as well as hand signals. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

conditioning my dogs? I’m doing obedience training then, too, right?” asked the man.

It was an excellent question and I knew right then this guy got it. Fact is, obedience training never stops, even during physical training or, for that matter, from the time your dog wakes up to when it goes to bed.

When letting it out of the kennel in the morning, a controlled exit is the priority. Same for when you open the door for it to go potty; it should be a calm exit, not a violent charge.

When you feed your dog, you’re giving orders for it to maintain control and not jump, run, bark or whine until it gets what it wants.

When company comes over, or someone is in the kitchen, or you go for a ride or a walk, you should continually be directing your dog to do the right thing.

So, yes, the man was right; obedience training is a never-ending process. What the two-minute drill does is it sets aside a specific time for you to teach your dog the commands and signals you want it to respond to. Taught in a controlled situation, obedience training allows a dog to learn with and without distractions. It shows the dog you mean business and expect fast compliance. Quickly the dog will understand and respond more readily when you give it a command anytime, anywhere.

Be certain all family members are on the same page with commands, hand signals and maintaining eye contact. This is to ensure the dog receives the same messages from different people throughout the day, thereby allowing it the chance to properly respond. And remember, if a dog doesn’t get it, it’s usually the teacher’s fault, so constantly evaluate your teaching style and pay attention to how commands are issued. CS

Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.