Training Hours per Week

[Orville Story]

I spend on average twenty plus hours per week with two of my dogs. Most of this time is doing obedience and tracking. I always feel like I should be doing more. How much do the rest you train?
I spend another fourteen hours per week just walking my other six dogs. This cuts into training time, but they should enjoy a quality life as well. Am I the only nut out there?
When I am not training or playing with my dogs, I am reading about training or surfing the net about rotties.
I am just wondering if anyone else gets a chance to have this much fun per week?

[Lady B]

Orville: I am SO envious of you!! I work full-time, 40++ in the medical field. I spend 14+ hours a week in a split work-play-train-walk session with my dogs. I have found this keeps their interest up during the work/training. On weekends I spend an additional 5 hours at the herding farm training Baron in herding and dog socialization (it takes an hour to get there). I spend about 1-2 hrs an evening surfing the Net on Rottie stuff, answering E-mail. Somewhere in there I do housework, laundry, meals, shopping, gardening, spend time with Rick, etc. SO as you can see I don't get alot of sleep. Wouldn't trade my life with anyone I know. I have an abundant life, simply not enough hours in it for what I love .. Rotties!!

[Liz]

Uck, I don't know if I want to think about this!!! Actually, I don't have it so bad anymore, Janni and Molly are retired. I had considered going on to a CDX with Janni, but I think I taught her the object guard too well (plus made the drastic mistake of teaching it to her myself) and she thinks the db is something to be chased, caught and guarded http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

I think I probably spend about an hour a day with the three actively working dogs on weekdays on actual training and then another hour in play and play-training. Sunday is club, and I'm there from about 7am till 11am or later. When we have enough light in the middle of the year we also train on Thursdays from 4pm to 9pm

Janni and Molly get about 45 minutes of play time per day together, Molly really doesn't play much - she has a heart condition, dysplasia and a thyroid problem. Janni likes to kill the boomer ball so it's easy to get her worked up. Janni still gets to go to club for protection & obedience work about once a month, otherwise she gets really hyper.

Ascan and I track almost every day, sometimes just a short track, sometimes 2000+ paces - he'll be doing an FH next year and SCH3. Tessi tracks about three times a week, she's getting ready for a SCH1 so it's a short track.

Obedience I like to do in short sessions, probably 15 minutes per dog (Ascan, Tessi and Perry) on weekdays, and about 30 minutes each on Sunday (they get Friday off). At club if I don't have a specific problem to work on, I'll run a non-patterned routine with each.

Protection sessions are also short, about 15 minutes for Tessi, 30 for Ascan twice a week. Perry doesn't get worked in protection till after he gets his B, I have enough problems with him on the field without him associating it with bitework right now.

I also try to run the dogs (except Molly) every other day - when the snow comes they'll go on a treadmill. We try to do 5-7 miles with each dog in pairs, Ascan runs with Tessi, Janni with Perry. When we have to go to the treadmill, I have to run the dogs individually, so then I alternate days.

Then there's play time http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif that's sort of ongoing.

I do work, but it's sort of a free floating job, as long as I get my research papers done and in within deadline, I'm fine, and I don't sleep much <G>

Liz

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http://www.inxpress.net/~harkon/

[German Vanegas]

Orville,
While I identified with you how much fun is to spend so many hours with your dogs... I have complains all the time from the "ones" that feel "left out"... How about you?

[Orville Story]

German,

I have a business that allows me a lot of time. I have worked myself to a point that I can spend most of my time with my dogs. Its either dogs or golf, I choose dogs. Plus my son and daughter are 17 and 18 so they no longer want dads time, just his money. My wife helps with the dogs and loves the trips to the shows. Now she has her own puppy. But still a dinner out never hurts to smooth things over. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[frontierrots]

I am jelous of all of you! I work 45 to 60 hours a week and then spend about 1 1/2 hours am and pm feeding and watering and scooping my 12. Plus the pups (if any) come in each night for a bit. I am lucky if I get to spend 1/2 hr a week with each of them!
I can't wait til I get a new job (I am looking) so I can go back to spending more time with my crew again. These 3 1/2 years at this job have not been good for any of us http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/frown.gif

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Diane
Frontier Rottweilers & Shiba Inu
http://www.w3-sales.com/frontierrots/main.htm

[German Vanegas]

You got it made Orville! No all of have that availability of time. My business as a P.I. requires lots of working hours, plus the attention to my dogs...It's not that easy as yours! But I managed to get along with everything, it's just that is tougher...

[nick teifke]

hmmm... strangely enough, I think I got it the best of all that have answered http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif But I only have one rottie and NO KIDS. We spend about 10-15 minutes on obediance a night. Usually just sits, downs and a little staying. I also am trying to get her to walk on leash like a normal dog, so hopefully when she's older heeling will be easier. Then about a 20-30 minute leisure walk to relieve her stress and taunt other dogs http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif Then the rest of the night we switch between playing and play-training. Kind of interesting Liz brought that up. We've had alot of success with play-training and I would recommend everyone to try it. We tought Cleo to sit and down with her toys, but she's not the most treat-oriented pup Ive ever seen either.
It seems like Cleo doesnt get as hyper when we use her toys as a treat, so shes easier to work with. She wants it, but not bad enough to jump up and take my hand off.

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nick teifke
nteifke@kcc.com
www.angelfire.com/wi/1strottie

[DogTeam]

WOW!!!!!! training time????? I would guess it's what you're actually training for and the dogs ability to learn. I'm working with 3 Rotts right now, but I put in a different amount of time with each dog... I have one that can track and someday may do an FH... I do not spend a lot of time tracking her... I have one that is good in obedience and I spend less time with her obedience... But on average I spend 3 hours a night 4 nights a week a total of 12 hours and 5 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday totaling 10 hours. My grand total is 22 hours a week with three dogs. That's working the dogs twice in protection and maybe two tracks for the ones that have issues on the tracks...

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GOOD LUCK to all in 1999.

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Gene Ellison
Home of DogTeam
Rising Starr, BH, HCT, TT, CGC
Black Diamond XVI, BH, CGC
E.T. Vom Woodland, BH, ZtP


[This message has been edited by DogTeam (edited December 22, 1998).]

[KLIL]

I have a female Rottie - Hope - at 3 year. I am a puppytrainer and i use to say to the owners that if they could make one - how do you say on english - trial seek ? per day and a little bit of obediance with the dog it is fine. If they follow the classes off course. You have to remember that all the time tou spend with your dog in action - play, training and walking - you have to multiplie with up to 4 as your dog get older to prevent the dog from beeing underactivated. And when a dog gets underactivated it sometimes turns to hyperactive. And it is not the number of hours that counts, but it is important that it is qualitytime you are spending with your dog. It need to relax in many hours a day to be a calm dog in daily enviroment.