Reviewing Your 2011 Dog Training Goals: A Mid-Year Check-In

I’m a week late, but we’re officially halfway through 2011. How?? It’s sort of unbelievable how fast time flies!

Did you set any dog training resolutions or goals for the year? I always set tons of goals at the beginning of the year, and I try to check in on them at milestones – like halfway through the year – to see if I need to rearrange or reprioritize.

Here’s my recap (posted mostly for my own accountability for the rest of the year!) and I’d love to know how you’re doing with your goals or resolutions for the year!

Emmett:

• Pass his therapy dog retest. Check!!
• Tricks, tricks, and tricks! So far he has a pretty decent repertoire: shake, high five, wave, roll over, twirl, kiss, hug, crawl. I’m working on a “give it/take it” series so that he can give kids his own bookmarks at the library, but MAN! This one is taking all the patience I have and then some. Any suggestions for other tricks?

Lucas:

• Conquer his leash reactivity once and for all! Lucas is doing really well on leash. He’s great if we can pass a dog with a decent amount of distance between us. He still can’t pass on the sidewalk, but I’m not giving up on him! He’s come so far that I know he can keep improving. I don’t expect perfect obedience; I just want him to be able to navigate through life either calmly or, if that’s not possible, controlled.
• Walks. Going strong! John’s starting with Lucas in a “group” walk that happens every Saturday morning. It’s an organized group of people and dogs led by a trainer through different parts of town. This is going to be HUGE. I’m super excited!

Cooper:

• Basic manners. Haaa!!! Hahaha! Oh, boy. I was aiming high here, huh? 🙂 He’s doing phenomenally well in so many areas. He’s one smart cookie. He learns commands and tricks in a single session. He has not, however, learned impulse control. So while he can sit, wait, take it, leave it, and so on, he also jumps on people and counters and loses focus every 3.5 seconds. But he’s still a puppy, so we’re working on it but with huge heaps of patience and understanding.
• Socialization. Check!! This dog loves everybody. Every. Single. Person. He loves dogs, too, though he’s pretty shy when meeting a new buddy. We’re taking him everywhere, taking him to two different training classes, and arranging play dates. And he’s on the waiting list for a doggy daycare.
• Walking. Check!! I’m loving my daily morning walks with Cooper. I love having that time with him, and it’s been amazing watching him discover the world.

The group:

• Door manners. Um. Oops.
• Group walks. So far, this is an unpleasant task. Neither John nor I can take all three at once yet – it’s pandemonium – and if the two of us go with the three of them, it’s even worse. This may have to shift to a 2012 goal once all these others are nailed down.

So! Those were my dog training goals for the year. Now that I’ve actually written out the progress… I see we’ve made some strides and have a ways to go in other areas.  How about you? How is your dog training coming along for the year? Did you have specific goals you were working toward? How do you monitor progress?