How Often? (SchH.)

[cucciolone]

I was wondering how often most of you train for SchH. with your clubs. Twice a week, once a week, less often?

The reason I ask is this: we stopped training several months ago (it was long overdue; our trainers were so mediocre that in the end even we could not ignore it). Despite our usual two long walks a day, my dog is bored and is driving me nuts. Pushing me to take him out, barking more frequently, getting growly over small things, etc. I would love to continue to train, and I'm sure that he would like to also, but the only seemingly worthwhile club left available to us is an hour and a half away. I don't drive, so my husband has to chauffeur us- and he is not willing to go that far twice a week, not even for me. :( ;)

I suppose how hard and how frequently you train would generally be dictated by the goals that you set. My goals are not that pressing. I would love to obtain a SchH. I eventually, for my own personal sense of satisfaction, but it is not an imperative. Can training once a week or even twice a month be fruitful, or would it be too infrequent to make a difference?

Thanks,

[Miabella]

I am not involved in Schutzhund, but I am involved in AKC obedience and tracking. Our obedience class meets once per week and tracking every 3 weeks. But I am out there on my own training obedience everyday and tracking 3 days a week, sometimes alone, sometimes with a partner. Most of the work I do with my dog is independent of my training club. I can understand why you need a helper at the club to do protection, but I would think you can keep yourself pretty busy at home working on obedience and tracking. Maybe I'm missing something here?

[spoteet]

My schutzhund club meets once a week and takes up most of the day, my AKC classes are once a week for an hour except during summer when there are none, we are also doing agility class once a week for an hour. We go tracking every Sat and Sun that we are home and now that the days are getting longer I am adding at least once during the week, more if we are going to be gone that weekend. Three nights a week Sajan is trotted beside the 4 wheeler, he is up to 2.5 miles andhe actaully looks forward to it. I try to do something with Sajan every day even if it's just 5-10 minutes of attention work or working on speeding up his sits and downs.

Now that I see that in writing, I sure do spend a lot of time with the little monster :p

[cucciolone]

Obedience is not really the problem, we're pretty well-set with the exercises, and have been working on them privately. And the tracking we can do on our own as well, but before we start with that again, I'd like to get some additional professional instruction. It's the protection phase that I of course cannot do alone at all, and I'm not sure if weekly or bi-monthly sessions would be enough to make real progress in that area. I wanted to gather a few opinions before contacting the club and proposing a plan of my own. This club meets twice a week for three hours per session.

[Judi W]

If the work sessions are good, twice a week should suffice. Best solution is learn to drive and take yourself there. You will be delighted with the independence this gives you and not just in relation to getting to club.

[cucciolone]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Best solution is learn to drive and take yourself there.

Judi, driving in Italy is absolutely hair-raising. I can actually drive in saner places, but here... I don't have the nerves for it.
So you are of the opinion that once a week would not suffice?

[Storm]

My dog gets worked very two to three months over a weekend consisting of 3 sessions. This has been the approach since he was a puppy. The work is of the highest quality in the country and the sessions are very productive and this is sufficient for my approach, not ideal but under the circumstances sufficient.In the mean time it gives me ample time to get the obedience and track up to scratch and during the younger phases gives the dog time to mature and not get 'hammered" out there session after session after session in bitework which could have adverse effects. Very importantly your dog progresses in various disciplines depending on how you develop the dog overall. By you having a positive contribution towards the dog's development, this enables the dog to be clear, he is able to put things into perspective easier, the drives don't block and he becomes so much more proficient which enables the man work to go so much quicker when able to train. Negativity, confusion, inconsistency etc. in one discipline or general existence can ruin other disciplines. Your dog's perspective is a direct reflection of what the handler has imprinted upon thae dog.

[cucciolone]

Originally Posted by Storm

My dog gets worked very two to three months over a weekend consisting of 3 sessions. This has been the approach since he was a puppy.

Wow, really? That's interesting. Though I'm sure that the work you put your dogs through independently of the club is of much higher quality than mine. :D

I don't know if I could define the work of the club I'm looking at as the highest in the country, but I do know that they hold trials on an average of about every two months, which to me implies that at least some serious work is going on.

Thanks, Storm. I just wanted to bounce the idea off of some of you before I contacted anyone at the club. I'd really love to continue, but my husband isn't in it for the bi-weekly haul, and I didn't know if something less frequent would be well-received by the pros or not.

[Stubby]

FWIW, my guy trains 2 times a week. The weekday session is a bit shorter than the weekend session (time constraints) but Saturday's usually run from 8-11 am in the winter and 7:30-11 in the summer (get that tracking in!).. That of course includes other dogs besides mine.

Honestly, I think even once a week would benefit you and the dog. I certainly know what you mean about them driving you nuts if they aren't working! :)

Ciao!

[Mick Trainer]

Michela,

In the case of Diesel as often as you can work him would be fine whether that be many times a week or once a month. What ever you do will be fine especially since you are using it as much to give Diesel some activity. Do what you can.

Italian traffic sounds like fun, :D

Mick.

[Judi W]

Of course Mick is right! It would not be enough if you were getting ready to trial and looking for a degree of progress, but the getting out and doing some is better than none. Progress is a bit hard because you always have to start back a bit instead of at the end of your last session, but you won't care about that and neither will the dog.

[cucciolone]

All right, then! Thanks a lot, guys. Wish us luck- here's hoping that the club won't be rife with dismissive chauvinistic creeps & louts.

(Remind me sometime to start a thread entitled: "How badly does your trainer suck?" I have a lot of stories to tell.)

Mick- I can't tell you how many Americans with rental cars have arrived at my hotel with their hair standing on end. :D