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Training with a Spread Sheet

Posted on March 27, 2010

With all the online resources and tools out there, there is one thing I have not found, yet. A dog training planner. There are meal planners, day planners, task planners, financial planners, everything that makes you more effective (if you love planning as much as I do) and I just realized I might be more effective in my dog training with a plan!? So far I have been training my dogs whatever I felt like that particular day. Whenever we take classes, I start to get a little more structured and driven. For the time period of that class I have someone to hold me accountable and whom I can show my improvements to. Of course, I can always show our new tricks to my husband but he would be okay with no training, too.

I love blogs like the Go Click Challenge or The Dogs Are Really In Charge, where dog owners keep track of their progress and actually work towards goals they set. To be honest, though, I have enough trouble keeping this blog updated. So I set up a spread sheet with all the commands my dogs know (or should know) and made columns like “just started”, “at home”, “outside”, and “with distractions”, so I can track my own progress with each dog. But it really reminds me of the days when I tracked my budget and spending in an Excel sheet. And I don’t want to tell you how that worked out.

I really wish I knew someone with programming skills. I would develop a program that tracks your progress, lets you set timely goals, even gives you tips on training and once in a while suggests a new fun trick to teach. Until that happens or someone comes up with it I’m just gonna keep dreaming… and training with a spread sheet.

*Laura, from The Dogs Are Really In Charge suggested a site that tries to accomplish what I have been thinking of. Its Sue Ailsby’s Training Tracker. She gives you several levels of training which all consists of tasks and commands your dog needs to master. Her explanation of how the task needs to be fulfilled by the dog is very detailed, but the way of how to train your dog to do that isn’t. So you have the freedom to train any way you want. Love it! Her levels are explained here. Thanks Laura!*




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1 Comment so far

  • Laura, Lance, and Vito says:
    March 27, 2010 at 5:07 pm -

    thanks for the shoutout! it is hard but having monthly and weekly goals forces myself to train the dogs. And then using their meals as the training session makes me train them whenever I am home for their dinner.

    There is a great progress tracker for Sue Ailsbys levels, and also allowed you to add in your own cues. I haven’t used it in a really long time, but check it out!
    http://levels.honkersoftware.com/







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