About two years ago, I had a client who joined my group classes with their four-months-old German Shepherd puppy. I often get “problem” dogs who come to me later than they should have; however, this was not it – it was simply a happy, perfectly friendly, eager-to-do-things puppy.
Normally, by the fourth and fifth classes I see a tremendous progress. Dogs who were distracted by other dogs and people during the first class, feel completely relaxed and are attentive during the fourth class. They willingly heel and do other obedience exercises without much problem. However, this puppy and its owner seemed to not get anywhere at all by the fourth class.
I normally do not do that, but this time I have inquired whether they have been doing their homework, and the owner, expectedly, responded with a smile, “No, sorry, I do not have time for that.”
This, of course, is not the first time when I have encountered this issue. It is very likely not the last time, either.
People tend to treat obedience course as an elective class at a college, and their homework—as something that is optional, or which can be done a night before. This approach is yet another outgrowth of anthropomorphizing mentality that torments dog ownership during the last couple of decades.
See, when it comes to obedience courses, the word “homework” does not even come close to describing a takeaway from each obedience class. “Homework” is something that you must dedicate a set amount of time to; even though it can be done last minute, it still must be completed with a high degree of accuracy; and, once you have finished your homework, you can watch some TV. None of that applies to dog training.
A dog will not learn how to heel outside if you only teach heeling at mealtimes in your kitchen, and vice versa. A dog will not perform anything with the high degree of accuracy at first—their bodies need to learn how to respond to your verbal and physical cues, and that takes time. The dog training “homework” is never really finished—it is an ongoing process. You can be absolutely certain that powering through exercises the night before your obedience class will yield very minimal results. Likewise, it is guaranteed that if you are not doing anything at home, your once-a-week obedience class will be a complete waste of money and time.
When I assign “homework,” it means that you are being tasked with working on changing a certain aspect of your relationship with a dog and on establishing new everyday routines. This change will be slow and invisible at first, but if you persist, it will transform the very way in which you and your canine communicate. This work, as massive as it sounds, does not take much time. You take your dog for a walk, right? You feed them daily? Maybe play with them sometimes? These are the aspects with which your homework is concerned. You are simply asked to do feedings, walks, and play sessions a little differently.
In a group obedience class, I am teaching people, not their dogs. My goal is to change your relationship with your dog, one little step at a time. However, if you refuse to put in the work, I am powerless. It does not matter if you present this refusal as “I have no time” or as “My dog has good recall already anyway.” The point is, I cannot be a coach for a person who does not want to learn. Put in effort. Trust the process. Do better.