Training two dogs - of different skill level at the same time. OMG!! Patience and I mean the older pup with more training needs to have it. haha.

In this case, Buckee was way more patient. When I go meet new clients - I get these situations all the time. And I never tell them, "well it's going to be this for that dog and more for the other dog... yada yada." We are all about not nickel and diming our clients.

So right off the bat, our structure was like this: packages only. One price.

We meet with the prospective client. We have three tiers of the level of training that the wish to work toward. We observe the pup(s) and give feedback on what we think which package best fits. Basically: We assess where the pups are. We discuss where the clients would like to go (training toward and not away, positive training vs. punishment) then we choose a path. We then discuss what their expectations are. We create an evaluation that matches their expectations with level of training they would like to commit to as a team.

Then there is one cost and it is paid upfront. It covers everything. Leashes, Treats, any staff I need to hire etc. I have already calculated it. Then we embark on the journey as a team with the same goal, to train the pups. We all have skin in the game and we all want to see a successful completion of the evaluation.

If the pup is struggling to get there, it is my job to put more resources toward making it happen. More time, treats, knowledge. The only time we have an issue is if the client is literally blocking my efforts and not allowing me to do this - and it's happened. We then work with the client more to educate them on the process. But more resources to helping them understand the reevaluate. Most of the time the clients don't block us. The packages cost enough that the clients are motivated.

We also do not do short packages. We don't do anything less than a month. We want to be sure that the training will have a lasting effect not just with the dog but with the client. We are not just working with the pup but we're also coaching the client. So it's two jobs. A short, easy job is 4 weeks, most are closer to 4 months. For that length of time, our training will be in the ball park of 5-figures. And it's not overpriced. It's just a big number up front.

Imagine you went every 6 weeks to get your haircut. If your hairdresser had a policy where you paid once/year for hair cuts then enjoyed not paying for the rest of the year - it sounds kind of nice but that number would be pretty big up front. So 8 haircuts per year (52 divided by 6 is about 8) and $100/cut. ($80 cut +$20 tip included). So you would write your hairdresser a check for $800. Then get a punchcard for 8 cuts of hassle-free haircuts, walk-in, walk-out, on the books - haircuts. It would seem like a big number up front, but on the back end, it sounds kind of convenient. To be able to just walk in like a scene from "The Good Fellas" get your hair cut and then when it's done - just walk out. And the contract between you and the hairdresser isn't one cut, it's 8. So the bar for customer service would raise. They would try to keep you happy for a whole year. Not just one cut.

Why are other businesses not trying this? It's really difficult to provide such a high level of customer service. We realized that hiring staff to meet this expectation was impossible when we could only compete with Target for pay grades. We had to find true believers in what we were doing with the pups in order to continue to "do the right thing".

So... It's a crazy business model... I'm still working on how to make it grow and not just kill my body. As Naval says, I can't sell my time. But I'm torn, at some point - I do need to show up and help teach.

So back to team teaching. We always kept the family together. Trying to teach one without the other is just silly. You can maybe break something down with one independently but you'll still have to bring them back together to get them on the same page eventually (the reason some of these dog camps don't work. Eventually they come home and the real work has to begin.) It was once thought that dogs were not good at the "monkey see, monkey do" behavior. But more recently, we have learned that dogs learn a lot from their littermates which means... monkey see, monkey do.

So what does that mean?

Cat's don't train as easily as dogs. Their motivations aren't understood the same. However, as the story goes, if you want to train a cat... train the dog - with something the cat wants. The cat will start mimicking the dog in order to get the thing they want but the dog is receiving.

We used to think that dogs couldn't do this since cats were soooooooo good at it. But now we realize, dogs just do it in their own way. Dogs learn from the dogs around them when they are pups in a pack. And Bailey was no exception.

Shaping is a term that trainers like to throw around and I'm no exception. :-) It simply means breaking a behavior down into small teachable steps until the entire skill is a complete step. Teaching a "down" is a great example. We start in a sit and begin pulling the nose forward. click. Then we reset. Nose forward and a paw inches forward. click. Reset. Then Nose, Step, step. Click. Reset. Nose, Step, Step, and chest on the ground. Click!! Jackpot!! Then reset - put it all together. Motion to the ground, Nose-paw-paw-chest-click!! Yes!! Reset! Point to the ground. Paws slide out-chest to the ground and click!! We have a down. Eventually it becomes a very fluid gesture that began just pulling the nose forward.

But not all dogs will get it that simply... some dogs will constantly stand. So there are other ways to train these skills. This is just one way to train a down. It's just a method. There are different ways to do it Karen Pryor says there are 8 categories... 4 are positive. We stay in this realm.

When we are teaching a new skill, if your pup is confused about what he should be doing - if he keeps standing - team training IS something you can try if you have a good boy like Buckee available. Keep in mind. It is a fragile method. It's best if your pup is in that category where he just keeps standing and won't go down. This is helpful to remind you to keep trying different things. And when you get stuck, reach out to a community of people. Especially if you have positive trainers that have tried lots of different ideas. You never know which idea might break the ice and get you on your way. Then you can go drill on another tried and true method if you want. But read and ask questions. Remember - this was considered useless by all the esteemed animal behavioralist until just recently because dogs weren't behaving like cats... so make up your own mind. And ask lots of people.

Remember - What can two trainers always agree on? That the third trainer is doing it wrong. hahaha. So Keep up the good work!! And ask questions!! The PAWpundance Community is here to help!!