Typist: Bethany
It never fails. Every time the pets and I are out and about, someone asks me how I manage three dogs, a cat and a cockatoo. At a neighborhood street fair on Friday, a woman came near to say hello to the pets and queried "I could never take my pets out like this. How do you do it?" Ensuring the dogs were focused on their greeting a stranger skills and that Leo and Amelia felt safe, I replied "Well, it takes a lot of training." The woman seemed stunned, "You train all of them?" If only she knew how many times (and in how many locations) I have had this same conversation. Sadly, a busy street fair is not the place to explain my passion for and all the benefits of positive reinforcement pet training. Later, I wondered if I could have done better to inspire her to train her pets than my quick "yes, of course" answer. Maybe it wasn't so much that I felt gypped in not being able to thoroughly address my sadness in imagining that this woman's pets never get to experience the joys of training and socialization but my disappointment was in that she asked the wrong question. What I would have responded had she asked, "How do you train all of them?"
It never fails. Every time the pets and I are out and about, someone asks me how I manage three dogs, a cat and a cockatoo. At a neighborhood street fair on Friday, a woman came near to say hello to the pets and queried "I could never take my pets out like this. How do you do it?" Ensuring the dogs were focused on their greeting a stranger skills and that Leo and Amelia felt safe, I replied "Well, it takes a lot of training." The woman seemed stunned, "You train all of them?" If only she knew how many times (and in how many locations) I have had this same conversation. Sadly, a busy street fair is not the place to explain my passion for and all the benefits of positive reinforcement pet training. Later, I wondered if I could have done better to inspire her to train her pets than my quick "yes, of course" answer. Maybe it wasn't so much that I felt gypped in not being able to thoroughly address my sadness in imagining that this woman's pets never get to experience the joys of training and socialization but my disappointment was in that she asked the wrong question. What I would have responded had she asked, "How do you train all of them?"
1. Individual Time
Training time is individual time and separate time for each pet is one of the most important part of life in a multiple pet family. In parrot training, time set aside just for the bird is called "focused attention." Leo is particularly fond of time when I focus on him and only him. Actually, in Leo's perfect world, he would have all eyes on him all the time. But all of the pets love some time in a room, in the yard or in a class when it is just me and them. In fact, every living creature ever loves on-on-one time with someone they love. Training is a perfect way to make special separate time happen on a regular basis.
Training time is individual time and separate time for each pet is one of the most important part of life in a multiple pet family. In parrot training, time set aside just for the bird is called "focused attention." Leo is particularly fond of time when I focus on him and only him. Actually, in Leo's perfect world, he would have all eyes on him all the time. But all of the pets love some time in a room, in the yard or in a class when it is just me and them. In fact, every living creature ever loves on-on-one time with someone they love. Training is a perfect way to make special separate time happen on a regular basis.
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2. Taking Turns
As important as focused attention is, anyone who has ever known a dog or other pet with separation anxiety knows how detrimental too much together time can be. When training one pet, the others are behind a closed door or gate or at home. So it isn't just the pet getting the one-on-one time with me that is learning. The pets who are waiting their turn to be trained are being taught patience and independence. Changing the pack/flock/family dynamic briefly is excellent for the pet's relationships with each other as well. |
3. Get Organized
I finally started a training journal! Now I will be able to keep track of what each dog has been working on as well as steps in cat and cockatoo training. Not only do the pets each need individual time but they are also individuals. They don't all like to learn the same things nor do they all have perfect training sessions each and every day. My training journal is going to be my guide to where each pet has been in their training and what we should work on next.
I finally started a training journal! Now I will be able to keep track of what each dog has been working on as well as steps in cat and cockatoo training. Not only do the pets each need individual time but they are also individuals. They don't all like to learn the same things nor do they all have perfect training sessions each and every day. My training journal is going to be my guide to where each pet has been in their training and what we should work on next.
Our new training journal has "Fearless" scrolled across the cover in gold.
4. Handle With Care
Obviously positive reinforcement training is about taking exceptional care of a pets physical, mental and emotional well being. But don't forget that the trainer needs just as much positivity as the trainee. I am taking care of myself every time I take my pets out for a walk. I am taking care of myself when taking pride in seeing any of my pets succeed. I don't see training time as a chore but I that hasn't always been true. There are plenty of ways out of feeling negative about training time and when the positivity is kept in training, for trainer and trainee, everyone wins.
Obviously positive reinforcement training is about taking exceptional care of a pets physical, mental and emotional well being. But don't forget that the trainer needs just as much positivity as the trainee. I am taking care of myself every time I take my pets out for a walk. I am taking care of myself when taking pride in seeing any of my pets succeed. I don't see training time as a chore but I that hasn't always been true. There are plenty of ways out of feeling negative about training time and when the positivity is kept in training, for trainer and trainee, everyone wins.
5. Ask The Pros
The best way out of a training rut is to seek professional help. This can be as complex and pricey as attending positive reinforcement training workshops or classes or as simple and free-from-the-library as checking out a new training book or DVD. There are dozens of pet sports to try and new pet activities pop up constantly. Enlisting the help of a professional positive reinforcement trainer can also help you with managing multiple pet training time.
The best way out of a training rut is to seek professional help. This can be as complex and pricey as attending positive reinforcement training workshops or classes or as simple and free-from-the-library as checking out a new training book or DVD. There are dozens of pet sports to try and new pet activities pop up constantly. Enlisting the help of a professional positive reinforcement trainer can also help you with managing multiple pet training time.
6. Tick Tock
Time spent training means less time spent doing other multiple pet managing. As I continue teaching the dogs to behave less rowdily when any one nears our house, I recently realized that despite how slowly this training process is, I have spent a lot less time wrangling crazed lunatic dogs than I used to. Even if they never sit perfectly on their beds in silence the moment they hear the sound of a neighboring dog several blocks away, the time I have spent training them is already making my life easier.
Time spent training means less time spent doing other multiple pet managing. As I continue teaching the dogs to behave less rowdily when any one nears our house, I recently realized that despite how slowly this training process is, I have spent a lot less time wrangling crazed lunatic dogs than I used to. Even if they never sit perfectly on their beds in silence the moment they hear the sound of a neighboring dog several blocks away, the time I have spent training them is already making my life easier.
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Perhaps all of this is still not constructive conversation for a street fair but I might have left the conversation I had with the woman of Friday feeling as if I could have inspired her to be at the next event with her pets. All pets deserved training. All pets deserve socialization. I am proud to be walking, talking, traveling, typing, photographing proof that any adventure with pets is possible. Too many times I have walked away from someone telling me they could never do what I do with their pets feeling sad for those lonely animals trapped in a home or yard somewhere. While it is true that not every pet wants to travel the country or spend an afternoon at a street fair, every pet deserves the opportunity to try something new. Even something as simple as training a few minutes a day can make a huge difference for every pet and the how to do it as easy as starting right now.
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Positive Reinforcement Training Week hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Rubicon Days & Tenacious Little Terrier begins today, June 1st, and continues through June 7th. Our theme this month is training multiple pets so please join us with blog posts, comments, and/or social media shares and conversations about the challenges of training more than one pet. Anything positive reinforcement pet training is also welcome this and every month. In July, the 6th - 12th, the fallible trainer is our theme. Then in August, 3rd - 9th, we will share stories and work done to correct training errors. Please enjoy all of the positive reinforcement training posts linked below.
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Multiple Pet Mania Month begins today! Through all of June Cascadian Nomads, My GBGV Life and Wag'n'Woof Pets will be posting articles and reviews, hosting weekly giveaways and a month long photo contest and other multitudes of fun for multiple pet maniacs. If you are a blogger, feel free to link a multiple pet mania themed post (or multiple posts throughout the month!) below. If you are a multiple pet maniac sharing life with zero to many pets, join in the mass of fun all month long by hopping around, sharing, commenting, entering the giveaways and photo contest and just enjoying the crowds, packs, mobs, flocks, swarms, herds, families and throngs that is Multiple Pet Mania.
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